Today we’d like to introduce you to Neal Mackey.
Neal, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
In 2012 I (Neal) was running all day to day operations for a local decorative concrete company were I’d been working for 7 years. I knew a lot about concrete on a large scale (pouring driveways and sidewalks,) but nothing about using it for furniture. My wife Lu and I were often going to art and trade shows, looking for unique/modern pieces but we couldn’t find anything made out of concrete. We both love the modern yet rawness of concrete, so I started playing around in the garage making small furniture pieces. As I continued to change the mix design, learning through trial and error, the pieces kept getting better and better. With interest from friends and family and a growing book of designs, in late 2013 Lu and I made the scary decision that I would leave my full-time job and officially launch KDK Konkrete Designs. For over a year I worked out of half of our 2 car garage designing and pouring countertops and furniture pieces, later that year we hired our first full-time employee. In 2015 we moved into a shop on the industrial side of McKinney where we stayed for 2 years. At the beginning of 2017, Lu resigned her part-time job as a Communications Coordinator at our local church to join me as the Office Manager of KDK. Late 2017 we moved again to a shop/showroom that we purchased (still in McKinney.) We continue to dream, and to grow. God is good!
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
I’d say a bit of both… It’s been smooth in that from the start we’ve stayed pretty busy and have continued to grow year to year. We have truly great employees that are like family, awesome local craftsmen that we collaborate with and most importantly we have amazing customers that allow us to use our imagination and create truly unique pieces. The “struggles” have mainly just been learning how to run a small business. Designing and fabricating custom furniture pieces tends to be the easy part; running the back office is another story. It’s certainly a lot of work especially as we continue to grow, but Lu works hard to make sure things are running smoothly and customers are being cared for.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
We are a dynamic fabrication and design shop proudly located in McKinney, TX serving the entire US. We specialize in designing and creating custom, hand-crafted artisan concrete, wood, and steel furniture pieces and concrete countertops/sinks.
We work directly with customers and designers to literally make their design ideas a reality. We regularly hear “I’m not sure this is possible but I have this idea…” That’s our favorite customer! Have a crazy/off the wall idea? Let’s make it happen! – We often say that we have no-limits and although that’s not completely true we try to push the boundaries of both design and innovation to create authentic functional art.
One thing that we’re known for is our ability to inlay wood, steel and other materials into our proprietary concrete mix to make each piece truly unique.
What were you like growing up?
I grew up in a hardworking blue-collar neighborhood in northwest OH. My parents showed us a lot of love and did their best to raise us right. We spent a lot of time at church and involved in our local community. I spent most of my youth focused on being outdoors, winning wrestling matches and working. From a young age I was taught the importance of working hard and dedicating myself to whatever I was involved in.
Pricing:
- Kitchen Countertops Starting at $70 sq ft
- Custom Pieces Starting at $400
Contact Info:
- Website: konkretedesigns.com
- Phone: 469.742.1738
- Email: info@konkretedesigns.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/konkretedesigns
- Facebook: facebook.com/konkretedesigns
Image Credit:
Lu Mackey
Getting in touch: VoyageDallas is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
