Gallery • 5 Photos

Chance Wilber

Both table saws

Being from a small community means that you get to know who went to the same high school as you. A lot of kids in the community have parents who went to the same school as them because a lot of families do not move from their hometowns when they graduate. This leads to a lot of stories that you hear around the school about how your parents used to act when they were in high school and how you may or may not act just like them. I am one of the “lucky” students whose dad went to the same high school as me, so I have heard lots of stories about how he used to act in high school from my grandparents and old teachers. My grandma said, “Your dad was always getting in trouble. I’m surprised he didn’t have a seat in the office named after him.” However, even though Shane Wilber was not the most focused on his academics while he was in high school, he grew up to own his own business.

Wilber Woodworks is a custom cabinetry and solid surface business that is owned and operated by Shane Wilber. For the last twenty years Wilber Woodworks has been building and installing cabinets and solid surface countertops in homes all around the area. This family owned business does any sized job. It doesn’t matter if it’s a bathroom remodel or an entire house remodel, he does not turn any job down based on size. The work that is done in this shop is top of the line and is well known across the area, but there is no public advertisement of Wilber Woodworks simply because people talk in the community and when people want the best cabinets around, they come to Wilber Woodworks.

Shane said, “We don’t need a website for our business because word spreads fast in a community, so as long as you do good quality work your work will do all the advertising you need.”

Since this business is just a small family business, Wilber Woodworks cannot take too many jobs, or it will not be able to put out the products fast enough because all the cabinets are handcrafted not made in a machine. However, being handcrafted makes the products more reliable and unique because a lot of cabinets are mass produced such as the ones you see at Lowes or Menards.

Marathon is where Shane works full-time, so Wilber Woodworks is actually his side job even though at times it seems like it’s a full-time job. At Marathon Shane works as a foreman in the tank farm which consists of him being a so-called “manager” of the operators that are working in the tank farm. He has been working at Marathon since the year I was born which means that he has been employed at Marathon for 18 years. The years prior to working at Marathon he worked at a place called The Gallery which also made cabinetry and that is what got him so interested in the industry.

When asked what his favorite class was in high school he replied by saying, “Shop class got me through high school and sparked my interest in becoming a cabinet maker.”

This is why he encourages shop class as much as he can because a lot of kids do not like normal classes but they like classes that are hands-on where you can do real world work.”

The biggest advice he wants to give is this: “Not everyone is meant to go to a four year university; lots of kids don’t want those degrees and that is why it is important to let kids know that trade schools are not lower than a four year university.”

In the end, you can find some really interesting alumni in your community if you go out and try to find them. Their stories may encourage you to do better in your studies and keep pushing through because when you graduate, life is completely different and a lot more enjoyable. Some people don’t have the best experiences in school, and that is why a lot of students get very excited for graduating, so they can see what really is out there past high school.