Fabricator Profile - Dave Dougherty

J. Dougherty and Son/JDS Supply was established in Glassboro, N.J., in 1981. The company is a second-generation business. In the early years, it was a building and remodeling company that included a laminate fabrication facility. Throughout the years, the company evolved into a kitchen business, and began fabricating solid surface countertops. According to Owner, Dave Dougherty, "Once I was introduced to Corian solid surface I closed the laminating shop and opened a solid surface fabricating shop in its place and never looked back.”

Today, Dougherty and his co-owner and wife, Nancy Dougherty, run a 4,000-sq.-ft. shop that currently serves two purposes. "As JDS Supply it fills the needs of supplying custom countertops to designers, architects, remodelers, builders and specialty needs businesses, such as sign companies and boat and RV builders and manufacturers,” explained Dave. "Where on the other hand, J. Dougherty and Son showroom along with JDS Supply supplies and installs complete countertop jobs to residential and commercial clients along with design help services.”

The shop includes a Pinske clamping system, thermoforming oven and seaming system; Festool saw and routing systems; Porter Cable routing systems; and Dani clamping and seaming systems. "All [of these products] we have found to be indispensable in our fabricating shop,” said Dave. "Many tools have come and gone but these systems remain time tested and have worked well over the years.”

The facility also includes a 600-sq.-ft. showroom that displays solid surface, quartz surfacing, granite, kitchen and bath cabinetry and porcelain, glass tile and stone tile.

The company currently has seven employees who fabricate seven jobs in a typical week, with 40 percent being commercial and 60 percent residential. Most of their work is Corian and Avonite, however they also fabricate Staron, Mystera, Meganite, Dovae and Gemstone solid surface as well.

Dougherty cites being proactive in working with customers and clients to fill their needs and expectations as one of the things that sets them apart from the competition. "Maintaining and expanding our www.jdssupply.com solid surface website, and our constant interface with manufacturers, designers and architects on new products and how to bring them to market,” he said is another reason for the companies success.

J. Dougherty and Son/JDS Supply are active members of ISFA, NKBA and NARI, and according to Dave, "We have found that involvement in these associations’ allows us to keep a heartbeat with our industry, the importance of where it’s come from and the importance of where the industry is headed.”

As Dave tells it, J. Dougherty and Son/JDS Supply became a member of ISFA because of "The need to find an association that represented the industry and solid surface fabrication shops as a whole. For instance, ISFA saw the need to include other surfaces such as quartz, granite and now concrete before most did. I was one of the companies that thought that we should stick to solid surface for all the right reasons, but guess what, my showroom now sells quartz and granite and our crews now install them. It was our involvement with ISFA that helped us with this needed transition.”

Dougherty said networking is one of the main benefits of ISFA membership. "Some of the many companies that come to mind are Specialtytools, The Pinske Edge, DuPont Corian and Gemstone Sinks, that all have, at various times, lent my company the needed technical and specialty information we have sought through the friendly ISFA family of networking,” he added.