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GLEN ELLYN — When the Kitchen Studio of Glen Ellyn won its fourth Angie’s List Super Service Award in December, the husband-wife team of owners was excited.
“It’s great because it validates our comments that customers make to us on a regular basis, and we’re able to show to everyone else around the area that we do a quality job,” said Jeff Klimala, who owns the business with his wife, Susan.
Award winners are chosen based on having the top 5 percent of reviews on Angie’s List, a customer review website for service-oriented businesses. Winning businesses also need to meet a minimum number of reviews to qualify, so the more positive reviews a business has, the better its chances are at winning one of the awards.
The Klimalas started their kitchen and bath design company at their Glen Ellyn home in 2004, moving to their current space at 522 Crescent Blvd. in 2006.
Susan Klimala, who is certified in both kitchen and bath design, had been designing for other companies when she decided to start her own business with her husband, Jeff. They realized their backgrounds would lend themselves well to this type of company: Susan’s in design and Jeff’s in business.
The Kitchen Studio of Glen Ellyn specializes in remodeling kitchens and baths, and the company handles the remodeling for customers from start to finish: designing the space, picking the materials and working with contractors to install the new space.
“From beginning to end, we do it all,” Susan said. “And I think that’s what really makes us special, that we can do it all.”
She said this control allows for a better experience for their customers, alleviating some of the stress of redesign since it can be stressful for customers to put their money and home in someone else’s hands.
Besides receiving four Angie’s List awards, the company’s customer base also testifies to the smoothness of the redesign process that comes from the Kitchen Studio of Glen Ellyn’s involvement at all steps.
A lot of the company’s business comes from referrals and repeat clients, who will have the company redesign either their kitchen or a bathroom then invite them back to redesign the other, Susan said.
“It helps people feel confident in our abilities when we do what we say we’re going to do,” she said.
About Jeff and Susan Klimala
Residence: Glen Ellyn
Family: Children; Emma, Daisy and Adam
Education: Jeff; Bachelor of Science in Finance from Indiana University, Master of Business Administration from University of Chicago
Susan; Bachelor of Science in Psychology from University of Illinois at Chicago, certifications in bath and kitchen design
Notable: Their family-owned business, the Kitchen Studio of Glen Ellyn, recently won its fourth Angie's List Super Service Award.