Challenge
In an era where commercial kitchen spaces are expected to deliver maximum output from increasingly limited spaces, how can a boutique food service design and consulting firm consistently deliver cost-effective solutions for their clients’ kitchen design challenges?
Solution
Aero Manufacturing offers custom stainless steel solutions for projects of all sizes. Our exceptional ability to solve for unique project demands with cost-effective, high-quality, and durable products makes us a go-to partner for consulting firms like Counihan and Associates.
Meet the Client
Counihan and Associates is a family-owned food service design and consulting firm established in 1984. They work with a wide range of commercial clients including restaurants, colleges, universities, catering facilities and more to help them bring their dream kitchens to life with the right products and expertise.
A Deeper Dive
We were delighted to sit down with the two sisters who are the second generation of their family to helm the company:
As the COO, Melissa Counihan oversees all of the company’s projects and client relationships on a high level, as well as managing the internal operations of the company.
Design Consultant Terise Urias handles the details of the design process for clients, including renderings and drawings of a kitchen design, and specs for products that are being sourced.
You work with a wide range of food service clients - are there any challenges that you encounter frequently across the industry?
Terise: Well, every single client is obviously different from the next, but I think what is consistent with almost every client nowadays is that the kitchen keeps getting smaller – and counter to what you might think, when the kitchen gets smaller, customization becomes an even bigger deal, because standard items just won’t fit. We love working with Aero because we can call them with anything and they'll say, "Okay, give me the challenge. What is it about? Let me see the footprint." They're always there trying to make this small little bitty kitchen come to life in a way that's going to be efficient for the end user.
Melissa: Definitely, customization is huge. We have projects that require us to custom fit to any kind of dimension, constraint, or unique kind of obstacle that you can imagine in the field. We've had to do a lot of really different kinds of stainless steel customization, and they've been able to do it all for us. They do beautiful work on all of the regular stuff that comes off the line too, but the customization work is out of this world. They are our top provider for it and we rely on them to do it right because we're not just looking for something that looks good, we want something that our client will still be using 30 years from now.
Can you think of any specific projects where Aero helped you overcome a particularly difficult challenge?
Melissa: Oh yeah. We recently finished a golf clubhouse where the kitchen is 595 square feet, and I mean, it has everything in it – it has a walk-in, it has a double-sided expo line, a cook line, a dish room; it is as jam-packed and as efficient as you could ever make it. But it is full-on custom and it is Aero front to back. It is a beautiful little compact kitchen, and it even has a custom area where members can bring their golf cart up and order concessions on one side. It's gorgeous and it is outfitted completely with custom stainless because there was no other way to do it.
Terise: Well, and it's cool because they can do the very small customization things, but then they can also do it on a very grandiose scale, like with a large church we worked on that was many projects within one building, and Aero just did some really cool customized things for them like extra large chef expo tables and stuff like that.
Melissa: The end user sometimes is afraid that the customization is going to cost them way more than they expect. The customization is not going to cost them way more than they expect. It is going to cost a little more, because it is customization. But you get an absolutely superior quality piece that then fits exactly where you need it to fit, and on top of that, it does a better job and it’s going to last. So win-win for that for our client. And when our client's happy, we're happy.
What’s it like to work with Aero Manufacturing on a day-to-day basis?
Melissa: We have such a great relationship with Aero. I love that I can call them any time and get a hold of someone, and we can talk to them about any idea. For example, I recently needed an adjustable table for a classroom, so that a child in a wheelchair could use it if needed. I called up Aero and they said “Sure, we can do that, no problem.” It brings a lot of peace of mind to know that they’re open to anything our clients might request.
Terise: This is such a small thing, but it’s something that I truly appreciate every day - their cut sheets are the easiest things to understand. If I’m working on a big project, putting pieces in a kitchen off of KCL or something, you’re talking about hundreds of pieces of equipment. If you have cut sheets or model numbers that make no sense, it just costs so much time and is so frustrating. With Aero, it’s easy to grab any of their stuff. It’s just there, and it’s very easy to understand.
Is there anything about Aero Manufacturing that stood out to you in a way you didn’t expect or that surprised you?
Melissa: Yes, actually - I have been to trainings at every single one of the stainless manufacturers that we work with, and bar none, Aero’s was the best training I've ever been to.
Terise: I wasn’t there, but I feel like I was because I hear about this training all the time!
Melissa: It was so impactful - We went through all of the different trims that they had. They taught us what the different edges were. It really taught me about stainless as a material, what it actually is, what it’s made of, how it’s formed, and the quality that it should have. We also walked through the factory, and let me tell you, you can tell right away when you walk into a factory, how the workers are perceived, and how the owners are perceived. When we were walking Aero’s floor, it was an absolute family affair. They feel family-oriented. It's clean, it's well-respected, there's multiple generations of families that work there. You don’t get that feeling at every factory. I walked away having learned so much because they spent so much time with us. And we had a lot of fun, too, by the way.
As a long-time Aero customer, what do you think of their new millwork offerings?
Melissa: We are so excited that they are now offering millwork! It’s a great option to be able to offer our clients and still have the confidence to know it will be done just as well and with the same attention to detail as their stainless steel products. It’s a real win-win for us and for our clients and it’s unique in the industry.
In your opinion, what sets Aero Manufacturing apart from other vendors?
Melissa: Well obviously the quality of their work, which I have to say again is just incredible. But what we love just as much is that they're a family-owned business like we are. We love that we’re partnering with a company that has that same family value, that puts that pride in what they do. They’re thinking long-term, and they really value their long-term relationships like the one we have with them. And it's not like we don't ask things of them. When we want things, we want things. We want turnaround time. We want them to be able to produce quotes and specifications and drawings and whatever we need, we ask for. And time and time again, they deliver it. And so we really value that, and we value the relationship, and we want it to continue. And I know that they value the relationship with us. It's really powerful.
Terise: I totally agree. I don't even have to think when it comes to stainless steel. I always am just like, "Aero. Aero's doing it." And I feel like even though they're not in our state or right next door to us, we can reach out in a minute and have somebody on the phone and they are there to answer any questions that we might have. You can’t get any better than that.
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