Team




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EMILY ALBRITTON

Accountant

A key member of our bookkeeping team, Emily started working at the company in 2018. She brought with her almost 20 years of professional experience and handles the company’s accounting duties. A devout Catholic, she values the family- and faith-friendly environment at Cohen, saying, “To be in such an accepting environment, it makes it a pleasure to come to work every day.” Emily spent most of her life in the heart of St. Louis but now enjoys the quietness of their 18-acre farm in Dixon with her husband Kenny and three daughters. They love country life and spend their free time outside at the shooting range (watch out: she’s a good shot!), camping, hiking and her personal favorite – knitting.

LAUREN FITCH

Executive Assistant

A member of Cohen’s administrative team, Lauren joined the company in 2017 as an administrative assistant and now serves as executive assistant overseeing the administrative and housekeeping teams, as well as payroll. Prior to this, she stayed home to raise her children and with family being most important to her, Cohen is a perfect fit. “The culture here is the reason that I work here. The family atmosphere it was drew me to it. I have a lot of friends here,” she says. Though she was born it Tennessee, she moved to Missouri as a child and proudly made St. James her home in 2006. She and her husband Elliott, who is a part-time seasonal worker at Cohen, dote over their three children – now ages one through 11 - and love to bring them on outdoor adventures such as hiking and camping with their two dogs.

ROBERT BIPPES

Project Manager

Originally thinking he just came for a job, Robb was one of the first non-family employees the company hired. Fifteen years later, he’s still here. Now a project manager, Robb started on the shop floor in 2006 as a laborer and worked his way up through multiple departments, most notably in purchasing before joining the project management team where he coordinates jobs going through the doors. He loves solving problems and says “Problems are a part of life, but we address them head-on because we truly care about our people and our clients.” After hours, Robb keeps himself in top physical condition. He’s a cross fit trainer, soccer player, and self-proclaimed Hacky Sack champion. As if that wasn’t enough, you'll also see him with his wife Shannon of 13 years tending to their farm outside of Rolla, or taking their children, Morgan, 11, and Ryan, 9, on camping, fishing, and on float trips down the beautiful Missouri Rivers. He’s enjoyed watching Cohen grow over the years and loves being a part of it. “It’s been fascinating and a completely enjoyable ride helping build the business. I love the Cohen family. I was a young man when I started. We work hard together, look out for each other, hold each other accountable and communicate well. It’s a great culture.”

MICHELLE GILLENWATER

Project Coordinator

As a project coordinator Michelle is an integral part of our project management team. In 2012, she was hired on a 90-day contract to be our administrative assistant in the project management department. Her Texas-born heart has made her a driven and dedicated employee ever since. Michelle is a dedicated wife, mother, and Nana to seven beautiful grandchildren. We certainly hope those 90 days never end!

ALEX MATHEWS

Project Manager

Passion, persistence and positivity embody the very nature of Alex’s character. As a Project Manager, his authenticity unites everyone around him. He ensures that everything-from the project’s inception to the truck backing up to your door-is right and on time! Alex has lived in Rolla most of his life, keeps his tight-knit family on speed dial, and lives his life to the fullest! Around the shop he’s probably best known for his competitive golfing.

SCOTT STOGSDILL

Estimator

A member of Cohen’s all-star estimating team for over five years, Scott joined the firm after managing a local car wash. He started on the shop floor and was quickly promoted to our estimating team. Scott’s love for the culture and camaraderie at Cohen resulted in us recruiting his wife Melody, who now serves as head of our receiving department. The two are a highly-visible pair, whether leading our weekly 2-Second Lean meeting or helping a team member with a job. When not at work, Scott and Melody can be found at the local golf course working on their putting game, and also like to attend concerts and church. The couple also loves and cares for their granddaughter, Hailey, who lives with them.


ALAN VANCE

Estimator

Alan Vance is an Estimator who also leads our award-winning Safety team. Under his leadership, Cohen has won three national safety awards, including the Architectural Woodworking Institute’s 2019 award for Zero Lost Time when Cohen reached more than 100,000 work hours without a lost time accident. He loves Cohen’s drama-free work environment and Christian-based atmosphere. “This is a place where people want to truly help you. They want you to grow and not stay where you are, both in your job and in your life.” Alan is a martial arts instructor and enjoys spending time with his children and grandchildren.


TYLER CROUCH

Estimating Manager

Tyler is the Estimating Manager at Cohen. A 20-year veteran of the US Army, he has used his leadership and relationship-building skills to develop a stellar estimating team. Tyler loves working at Cohen and appreciates the high value placed on building excellent relationships with clients and vendors. When he isn’t going the extra mile for a client, you’ll find Tyler enjoying the outdoors on a hike with his wife or navigating a hillside on a 4-wheeler.


JUSTIN PALMER

Plant Manager

Justin takes his 6-year-old nephew and other family members out to participate in mud racing competitions on the weekends. He’s been with the company for many years. As Plant Manager, Justin cares about his team yet everyone knows he takes Cohen’s brand promise very seriously. His motivation is driven by the desire to add value and influence others in the workplace, including employees and clients. “Adapt and Overcome” is his motto, and he does it daily. He possesses some of the same abilities his Australian Shepherd has – the smarts and the ability to bring people together.

ALAN REDBURN

Human Resources

Alan is leading the charge in merging the heart of humanity into our Human Resources department. After spending 40 years in retail, managing great places like Kroger, Hobby Lobby and Sam's Club, Alan says he’s found his dream job at Cohen because of our Christ-centric culture. He desires to see our employees reach their fullest potential in life. Alan has been married to his wife Cythia for 42 years. They have six kids and 13 grandkids. The entire family shares a passion for the St. Louis Blues! His other passion is going to Honduras to build churches and schools, something he’s been doing consistently now for 30 years.

NATE COHEN

CFO

Nate has played a large role in the growth and success of Cohen. Starting at age five and working alongside his brothers and Phil, he has done a multitude of jobs to help clients reach their millwork objectives: from building and installing cabinets, to setting up our engineering and project management departments, to now serving as the company CFO. Nate has built many strong relationships over the years, including one with Rex Sinquefield and the St. Louis Chess Club, where Nate built “The Sinquefield Tables”, a specially-designed series of chess tables used for large tournaments. When not at work, Nate enjoys spoiling his large flock of nieces and nephews.

NAOMI COHEN

Director of Design

Naomi leads the Design Team that works with our Direct-To-Vendor clients. They provide customized catalogs and standardized pricing in order to save our clients time and money, while maintaining the same excellent quality they have come to expect. “We figure out what their pain points are and how can we solve that from a cost standpoint, a practicality standpoint, and a feasibility standpoint. We want to make sure we're providing them what they really, really need.” Naomi maintains a lifestyle of physical fitness and recently became a Yoga instructor. She loves visiting her sister in Hawaii and hiking to the mountain tops.

BEN COHEN

COO

If you’re hanging out with Ben, you’d better hang on tight. When he retells the stories of his thrilling adventures—which are all true—he is bursting with excitement. You can’t mistake his animated personality, and he has even been mistaken for Ben Cohen from Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream. Ben is all about relationships, which is why he’s an integral part of the Cohen business development team. He finds fulfillment in win-win solutions for clients, vendors, and employees. His entrepreneurial mind extends outside the company to a piece of farmland he recently purchased and began developing. He and his wife are building a home on the property. Currently they raise cattle and Ben tends them with his "mini-me" one-year-old son.

NOAH COHEN

VP of Sales

Adaptability and determination are two values our co-founder Noah possess that have taken Cohen from a small father-and-son shop to the successful, award-winning company we are today. He has worn almost every hat at Cohen and currently leads our sales team. Noah says the strength of our team comes from listening to what the client wants and making sure they get it. “One of our top clients wanted the truck loaded a certain way. Because we took the time to do it, they’ve sent us a lot of work that they were sending elsewhere.” As an instrument-rated pilot, you’ll find him buzzing the friendly skies to meet with the company’s clients or together with his wife Judith and their daughters in their free time.

GINA COHEN

Co-Founder

One of Cohen’s original founders, Gina has been there every step of the way, helping husband Phil launch and successfully build the company. She helps with human resources at Cohen and leads and mentors the women of the Cohen team. The mother of nine children and grandmother of 16, her greatest strength lies in her deep family values and open heart. Gina brings harmony into the lives of everyone around her. In fact she and Phil play music together almost every day. She enjoys nothing more than seeing families come together and accomplish their dreams.

PHIL COHEN

President/Founder

Phil has won many accolades over his lifetime, yet only one really matters to him and that is “Christ Follower.” He attributes the company’s success to what he calls the “Jesus Experiment,” using the Bible and prayer and other great resources to establish the path and culture for growing Cohen. He believes our most important products aren’t the products we build, but the employees and customers whose lives we make better. He started the company with a few rickety tools in a neighbor’s ten-by-ten pigpen. Now Cohen operates in a 54,000 sq.ft. state of the art facility and has completed projects in every state in the U.S., including Alaska and Hawaii. The company has more than 75 employees. Phil has been married to Gina for 43 years and says she’s the closest thing he’s found to heaven. They have nine children and 16 grandchildren.