Meet The Team
Executive Team
PHIL COHEN
President / Founder
GINA COHEN
Co-Founder
NOAH COHEN
VP of Sales
BEN COHEN
COO
PHIL COHEN
President / Founder
Phil
Phil has won many accolades over his lifetime, but there is only one that really matters to him and that is “Christ Follower.” He attributes the company's success to what he calls the “Jesus Experiment” and using God’s word to determine the path and culture for growing Cohen. He believes the main products we produce aren’t the physical things we create, rather it's the people whose lives we help build. He started the company in a neighbor’s ten by ten pigpen with a few rickety tools. Now Cohen operates in a 53,000 square foot state of the art facility, and has worked on projects in every state in the US. The company has more than seventy employees. Phil has been married to Gina, his wife of 43 years, and says she is the closest thing he’s found to heaven. Together they have nine children and fifteen grandchildren.
GINA COHEN
Co-Founder
Gina
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 female members of the Cohen team. The mother of nine children and grandmother of 15, 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. .
NOAH COHEN
VP of Sales
Noah
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 guides 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. And 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.
BEN COHEN
COO
Ben
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 from the rest of the family although he has been mistaken for Ben Cohen from Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream before. 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.
NAOMI COHEN
Director of Design
NATE COHEN
CFO
ALAN REDBURN
Human Resources
JUSTIN PALMER
Plant Manager
NAOMI COHEN
Director of Design
Naomi
Naomi leads the Design Team that works with our Direct-To-Vendor clients. They provide customized catalogues and standardized pricing in order to save our clients time and money while maintaining the same excellent quality they 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.
NATE COHEN
CFO
Nate
Nate has played a large role in the growth and success of Cohen. Starting at age 5, and working alongside his brothers and Phil, he has done a multitude of jobs to help clients reach their millwork objectives. This includes 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 has built “The Sinquefield Tables”, a specially designed series of chess tables used for world championship type events. When not at work Nate enjoys spoiling his large flock of nieces and nephews.
ALAN REDBURN
Human Resources
Alan R.
Alan is leading the charge in merging the heart with humanity into our Human Resources. 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 Cynthia for 41 years. They have six kids and 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.
JUSTIN PALMER
Plant Manager
Justin
Justin takes his 3 year old nephew and his other family members out to participate in mud racing competitions on the weekends. He’s been with the company for many years. As the plant manager, he cares about his team yet everyone knows Justin says how it is and the job had better be done right. Yes he’s serious, and he means business. His motivation is driven by his 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.
Estimating
TYLER CROUCH
Estimating Manager
ALAN VANCE
Estimator
SCOTT STOGSDILL
Estimator
TYLER CROUCH
Estimating Manager
Tyler
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 our high values of 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 the hillside on a 4-wheeler.
ALAN VANCE
Estimator
Alan V.
Alan Vance 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. Alan also is a member of our estimating team and is a martial arts instructor. 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.” He enjoys spending time with his children and grandchildren.
SCOTT STOGSDILL
Estimator
Scott
A member of Cohen’s all-star estimating team, Scott joined the firm after managing a local car wash. He started on the shop floor and was promoted quickly to our estimating team. Scott’s love for the culture and camaraderie at Cohen resulted in 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 enhance a job. When not at work Scott and Melody can be found at the local golf course working on their putting game.
Project Management
JOE GILLEWATER
Project Manager
ALEX MATTHEWS
Project Manager
MICHELLE GILLENWATER
Project Coordinator
JOE GILLENWATER
Project Manager
Joe
Joe is a key member of our project management team. He ensures all millwork customization and standardization projects meet the highest levels of consistency each and every time. Clients enjoy working with Joe as he brings many years of hands-on industry experience to the job. Prior to joining Cohen he was a cabinet installer in Texas and a project manager with a company in Tulsa. He and his wife Michelle, who also works at Cohen, have been married for 15 years and enjoy spending their days off with their kids and grandkids and fishing in the large neighborhood lake.
ALEX MATTHEWS
Project Manager
Alex
Passion, persistence and positivity embody the very nature of Alex’s character. As a project manager, his authenticity unites everyone around him. He ensures 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 tightknit family on speedial and lives his life to the fullest! Around the shop he’s probably best known for his competitive golfing.
MICHELLE GILLENWATER
Project Coordinator
Michelle
Michelle helps our project managers succeed with outstanding service and support. In 2012 she was hired on a 90 day contract to be our administration assistant in the project management department. Her Texas born heart has kept her going strong for us ever since. Her husband Joe is one of our project managers, and together they make an amazing team. We sure hope those 90 days never end!
Accounting and Purchasing
EMILY ALBRITION
Accountant
ROBERT BIPPES
Purchaser
EMILY ALBRITION
Project Manager
Emily
A key member of our bookkeeping team, Emily started working with Cohen two years ago. 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 everyday.” Emily spent most of her life in the heart of St. Louis but now enjoys the quietness of their 18 acre farm with her husband 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!
ROBERT BIPPES
Project Manager
Robb
Originally thinking he just came for a job, Robb was one of the first non-family employees we hired. Thirteen years later he’s still here! Robb is our Head of Purchasing. He helps our clients by keeping Cohen stocked with the right materials, at the right time, so everything is built and delivered on time. That’s quite a feat, considering we usually have dozens of projects going at once. 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 crossfit trainer, soccer player, and self-proclaimed Hacky-Sack champion. As if that wasn’t enough, you'll also find Robb with his wife Shannon and their two children on a float trips, camping and fishing.
BACK
EMILY ALBRITION
Accountant
A key member of our bookkeeping team, Emily started working with Cohen two years ago. 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 everyday.” Emily spent most of her life in the heart of St. Louis but now enjoys the quietness of their 18 acre farm with her husband 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!
ROBERT BIPPES
Purchaser
Originally thinking he just came for a job, Robb was one of the first non-family employees we hired. Thirteen years later he’s still here! Robb is our Head of Purchasing. He helps our clients by keeping Cohen stocked with the right materials, at the right time, so everything is built and delivered on time. That’s quite a feat, considering we usually have dozens of projects going at once. 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 crossfit trainer, soccer player, and self-proclaimed Hacky-Sack champion. As if that wasn’t enough, you'll also find Robb with his wife Shannon and their two children on a float trips, camping and fishing.
MICHELLE GILLENWATER
Project Coordinator
Michelle helps our project managers succeed with outstanding service and support. In 2012 she was hired on a 90 day contract to be our administration assistant in the project management department. Her Texas born heart has kept her going strong for us ever since. Her husband Joe is one of our project managers, and together they make an amazing team. We sure hope those 90 days never end!
ALEX MATTHEWS
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 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 tightknit family on speedial and lives his life to the fullest! Around the shop he’s probably best known for his competitive golfing.
JOE WILLEWATER
Project Manager
Joe is a key member of our project management team. He ensures all millwork customization and standardization projects meet the highest levels of consistency each and every time. Clients enjoy working with Joe as he brings many years of hands-on industry experience to the job. Prior to joining Cohen he was a cabinet installer in Texas and a project manager with a company in Tulsa. He and his wife Michelle, who also works at Cohen, have been married for 15 years and enjoy spending their days off with their kids and grandkids and fishing in the large neighborhood lake.
SCOTT STOGSDILL
Estimator
A member of Cohen’s all-star estimating team, Scott joined the firm after managing a local car wash. He started on the shop floor and was promoted quickly to our estimating team. Scott’s love for the culture and camaraderie at Cohen resulted in 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 enhance a job. When not at work Scott and Melody can be found at the local golf course working on their putting game.
ALAN VANCE
Estimator
Alan Vance 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. Alan also is a member of our estimating team and is a martial arts instructor. 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.” He 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 our high values of 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 the hillside on a 4-wheeler.
JUSTIN PALMER
Plant Manager
Justin takes his 3 year old nephew and his other family members out to participate in mud racing competitions on the weekends. He’s been with the company for many years. As the plant manager, he cares about his team yet everyone knows Justin says how it is and the job had better be done right. Yes he’s serious, and he means business. His motivation is driven by his 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 with humanity into our Human Resources. 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 Cynthia for 41 years. They have six kids and 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.
NAOMI COHEN
CFO
Nate has played a large role in the growth and success of Cohen. Starting at age 5, and working alongside his brothers and Phil, he has done a multitude of jobs to help clients reach their millwork objectives. This includes 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 has built “The Sinquefield Tables”, a specially designed series of chess tables used for world championship type events. 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 catalogues and standardized pricing in order to save our clients time and money while maintaining the same excellent quality they 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 from the rest of the family although he has been mistaken for Ben Cohen from Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream before. 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 guides 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. And 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 female members of the Cohen team. The mother of nine children and grandmother of 15, 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, but there is only one that really matters to him and that is “Christ Follower.” He attributes the company's success to what he calls the “Jesus Experiment” and using God’s word to determine the path and culture for growing Cohen. He believes the main products we produce aren’t the physical things we create, rather it's the people whose lives we help build. He started the company in a neighbor’s ten by ten pigpen with a few rickety tools. Now Cohen operates in a 53,000 square foot state of the art facility, and has worked on projects in every state in the US. The company has more than seventy employees. Phil has been married to Gina, his wife of 43 years, and says she is the closest thing he’s found to heaven. Together they have nine children and fifteen grandchildren.