Our Story
Pursuing Excellence
Cohen Woodworking stands solidly as a professionally managed, family-owned business, rooted in the pursuit of excellence. Our mission is to make your world more beautiful with the finest craftsmanship possible, to build an excellent relationship with you, and to continue our near perfect record for on-time delivery.
Pursing Excellence
Cohen Woodworking stands solidly as a professionally managed, family-owned business, rooted in the pursuit of excellence. Our mission is to make your world more beautiful with the finest craftsmanship possible, to build an excellent relationship with you, and to continue our near perfect record for on-time delivery.
Pursing Excellence
Cohen Woodworking stands solidly as a professionally managed, family-owned business, rooted in the pursuit of excellence. Our mission is to make your world more beautiful with the finest craftsmanship possible, to build an excellent relationship with you, and to continue our near perfect record for on-time delivery.
The Evolution of Cohen
Since May 5th, 1982
We work hard, treat people right, and strive for excellence.
“When I started, I was big and it was little. Then it became big and I became little.” - Phil Cohen
Phil Cohen started working with wood in neighbor's barn in 1975 building porch swings from walnut, cherry, and cedar. Having grown up in the violent neighborhoods of Chicago in an abusive home, and later overcoming drug use/addiction and manic depression, Phil found woodworking therapeutic.
In 1976, Phil and Gina married and moved into a four room, 24 x 24 house that was built back in the forties from rough lumber. It had no running water and they cooked on a wood stove. The rent was $15/month. Half the house became the shop, and the attic was their bedroom. In the winter they would wake up with snow on their bed. Phil built multi-unit birdhouses, baby cradles, and toy wooden box trucks with roller skate wheels. Gina painted the artwork on the toy trucks and hand sewed a little quilt and a fitted flannel sheet for each baby cradle.
In 1982, Phil purchased the first business license. They built a home just down the road with used building materials and began building cabinets in their new 600 square foot basement on a gravel floor and with a rickety old 8” table saw.
Phil had been asked to build the cabinets for their UPS driver’s new house, but he didn’t know what he was doing. In desperation he called every cabinetmaker in the phone book. One was John Heubi, a master cabinetmaker who had been apprenticed by an old German woodworker. 
Both of Phil and John had the flu and were bored, so they spoke late into the night for several days. One night John offered to teach Phil to become a professional woodworker. John and Phil didn’t meet face-to-face for a year-and-a-half, and John only came to his place a few times. But, for the next five years, they talked by phone for long hours. John helped Phil develop the heart of a craftsman.
In 1984, Phil built the first real shop, using materials from an old mechanic shop. They had to take the building apart to salvage cement blocks, old-style curved trusses and doors. Then they hauled everything up the mountain to where they lived.
For the next several weeks Phil prepared the materials, chiseling the mortar off the old cement blocks until his hands were bleeding. After the 2,400 square foot building was up, the walls looked like an old quilt because of the signs that had been painted on the previous building. So he went to the local paint dealer and asked him to mix together all his miss-tinted paint. It became a nice shade of gray, which they used to spray-paint the walls. They took some big timbers and straightened out the curved trusses.
Meanwhile, Lew Mashburn, administrator of Coffee Medical Center in Manchester, Tennessee, asked Phil to help them remodel their facility. That led to more projects, including the Boy Scouts headquarters in Chattanooga and other corporate work such as medical facilities, hotels, stores, office buildings, and more. By 1986, Phil and his family were working for several large general contractors, many of whom were building Walmart Stores. By 1990, Cohen was shipping work all over the United States, including to Alaska and Hawaii.
In 1994, the Cohen family moved to Flemingsburg, Kentucky and built a 2,800 square foot facility. They made another move to Summersville, Missouri in 1998 and built a 3,200 square foot facility. Then in 2004, the Cohens moved to Saint James, Missouri and built a 12,000 square foot facility in the town’s Industrial Park. In 2007, a 9,000 square foot addition was added to the building. In 2016, another 33,250 square feet addition was added to the Saint James headquarters. The main facility is now 54,250 square feet with around 75 employees. In 2021, Phil and Gina (founders) retired and the legacy continues under the ownership and management of his sons, Ben and Nate Cohen.
Meanwhile, Lew Mashburn, administrator of Coffee Medical Center in Manchester, Tennessee, asked me to help them remodel their facility. That led to more projects, including the Boy Scouts headquarters in Chattanooga and other corporate work such as medical facilities, hotels, stores, office buildings, and more. By 1986 we were working for several large general contractors, many of them who were building Wal-Mart Stores. By 1990, we were shipping work all over the United States, including to Alaska and Hawaii.
In 1994, we moved to Flemingsburg, Kentucky and built a 2,800 square foot facility. We made another move to Summersville, Missouri in 1998 and built a 3,200 square foot facility. Then in 2004, the company built and moved into a 12,000 square foot facility in the Industrial Park in Saint James, Missouri. In 2007, we added 9,000 square feet to the existing building. In 2014, we opened a small office in Lenexa, Kansas. And in 2016, we added another 33,250 square foot expansion to our Saint James headquarters, bringing the total square footage of our main facility to 54,250 square feet. Today we have about 75 employees.
"When I started, I was big and it was little. Then it became big and I became little." - Phil Cohen
Phil Cohen started working with wood in neighbor's barn in 1975 building porch swings from walnut, cherry, and cedar. Having grown up in the violent neighborhoods of Chicago in an abusive home, and later overcoming drug use/addiction and manic depression, Phil found woodworking therapeutic.
In 1976, Phil and Gina married and moved into a four room, 24 x 24 house that was built back in the forties from rough lumber. It had no running water and they cooked on a wood stove. The rent was $15/month. Half the house became the shop, and the attic was their bedroom. In the winter they would wake up with snow on their bed. Phil built multi-unit birdhouses, baby cradles, and toy wooden box trucks with roller skate wheels. Gina painted the artwork on the toy trucks and hand sewed a little quilt and a fitted flannel sheet for each baby cradle.
In 1982, Phil purchased the first business license. They built a home just down the road with used building materials and began building cabinets in their new 600 square foot basement on a gravel floor and with a rickety old 8” table saw.
Phil had been asked to build the cabinets for their UPS driver’s new house, but he didn’t know what he was doing. In desperation he called every cabinetmaker in the phone book. One was John Heubi, a master cabinetmaker who had been apprenticed by an old German woodworker. Both of Phil and John had the flu and were bored, so they spoke late into the night for several days. One night John offered to teach Phil to become a professional woodworker. John and Phil didn’t meet face-to-face for a year-and-a-half, and John only came to his place a few times. But, for the next five years, they talked by phone for long hours. John helped Phil develop the heart of a craftsman.
In 1984, Phil built the first real shop, using materials from an old mechanic shop. They had to take the building apart to salvage cement blocks, old-style curved trusses and doors. Then they hauled everything up the mountain to where they lived.
For the next several weeks Phil prepared the materials, chiseling the mortar off the old cement blocks until his hands were bleeding. After the 2,400 square foot building was up, the walls looked like an old quilt because of the signs that had been painted on the previous building. So he went to the local paint dealer and asked him to mix together all his miss-tinted paint. It became a nice shade of gray, which they used to spray-paint the walls. They took some big timbers and straightened out the curved trusses.
Meanwhile, Lew Mashburn, administrator of Coffee Medical Center in Manchester, Tennessee, asked Phil to help them remodel their facility. That led to more projects, including the Boy Scouts headquarters in Chattanooga and other corporate work such as medical facilities, hotels, stores, office buildings, and more. By 1986, Phil and his family were working for several large general contractors, many of whom were building Walmart Stores. By 1990, Cohen was shipping work all over the United States, including to Alaska and Hawaii.
In 1994, the Cohen family moved to Flemingsburg, Kentucky and built a 2,800 square foot facility. They made another move to Summersville, Missouri in 1998 and built a 3,200 square foot facility. Then in 2004, the Cohens moved to Saint James, Missouri and built a 12,000 square foot facility in the town’s Industrial Park. In 2007, a 9,000 square foot addition was added to the building. In 2016, another 33,250 square feet addition was added to the Saint James headquarters. The main facility is now 54,250 square feet with around 75 employees. In 2021, Phil and Gina (founders) retired and the legacy continues under the ownership and management of his sons, Ben and Nate Cohen.
"When I started, I was big and it was little. Then it became big and I became little." - Phil Cohen
Phil Cohen started working with wood in neighbor's barn in 1975 building porch swings from walnut, cherry, and cedar. Having grown up in the violent neighborhoods of Chicago in an abusive home, and later overcoming drug use/addiction and manic depression, Phil found woodworking therapeutic.
In 1976, Phil and Gina married and moved into a four room, 24 x 24 house that was built back in the forties from rough lumber. It had no running water and they cooked on a wood stove. The rent was $15/month. Half the house became the shop, and the attic was their bedroom. In the winter they would wake up with snow on their bed. Phil built multi-unit birdhouses, baby cradles, and toy wooden box trucks with roller skate wheels. Gina painted the artwork on the toy trucks and hand sewed a little quilt and a fitted flannel sheet for each baby cradle.
In 1982, Phil purchased the first business license. They built a home just down the road with used building materials and began building cabinets in their new 600 square foot basement on a gravel floor and with a rickety old 8” table saw.
Phil had been asked to build the cabinets for their UPS driver’s new house, but he didn’t know what he was doing. In desperation he called every cabinetmaker in the phone book. One was John Heubi, a master cabinetmaker who had been apprenticed by an old German woodworker. Both of Phil and John had the flu and were bored, so they spoke late into the night for several days. One night John offered to teach Phil to become a professional woodworker. John and Phil didn’t meet face-to-face for a year-and-a-half, and John only came to his place a few times. But, for the next five years, they talked by phone for long hours. John helped Phil develop the heart of a craftsman.
In 1984, Phil built the first real shop, using materials from an old mechanic shop. They had to take the building apart to salvage cement blocks, old-style curved trusses and doors. Then they hauled everything up the mountain to where they lived.
For the next several weeks Phil prepared the materials, chiseling the mortar off the old cement blocks until his hands were bleeding. After the 2,400 square foot building was up, the walls looked like an old quilt because of the signs that had been painted on the previous building. So he went to the local paint dealer and asked him to mix together all his miss-tinted paint. It became a nice shade of gray, which they used to spray-paint the walls. They took some big timbers and straightened out the curved trusses.
Meanwhile, Lew Mashburn, administrator of Coffee Medical Center in Manchester, Tennessee, asked Phil to help them remodel their facility. That led to more projects, including the Boy Scouts headquarters in Chattanooga and other corporate work such as medical facilities, hotels, stores, office buildings, and more. By 1986, Phil and his family were working for several large general contractors, many of whom were building Walmart Stores. By 1990, Cohen was shipping work all over the United States, including to Alaska and Hawaii.
In 1994, the Cohen family moved to Flemingsburg, Kentucky and built a 2,800 square foot facility. They made another move to Summersville, Missouri in 1998 and built a 3,200 square foot facility. Then in 2004, the Cohens moved to Saint James, Missouri and built a 12,000 square foot facility in the town’s Industrial Park. In 2007, a 9,000 square foot addition was added to the building. In 2016, another 33,250 square feet addition was added to the Saint James headquarters. The main facility is now 54,250 square feet with around 75 employees. In 2021, Phil and Gina (founders) retired and the legacy continues under the ownership and management of his sons, Ben and Nate Cohen.