Kevin Penny

Kevin Penny is a CNC Operator at AyA Kitchens & Baths in Mississauga, Ontario.

Kevin took the one-year Cabinetmaking Certificate Program at Humber College before going into university. He says that safety was one of the most important aspects of the course. He appreciated learning the classic cabinetmaking techniques alongside modern cabinetmaking methods. Kevin also enjoyed the final project at the end of the year, in which they had a month to work on everything from drawings to buying materials to finishing the product.

Following his experience at Humber College, Kevin went on to do his first year of industrial design but decided to stick with cabinetmaking. He found out that AyA was hiring for cabinetmaking positions and decided to pursue the opportunity.

Kevin’s transition into a CNC Operator position was one that he was not sure about at first, but he decided to give it a try and ended up enjoying his new role. He had a lot of experience completing and reading technical drawings, which he says is a critical skill for this role. His skills on the table saw are also vital; Kevin says that almost an entire kitchen can be created with this tool. Another attribute that is important for CNC Operators is patience, since they may spend a lot of time working on one small piece with a lot of details.  For example, for products such as custom-made range hoods, every single corner, edge and gap is puttied. Kevin notes that it’s important to take the time on the small details at the start, since it will save you time fixing mistakes later.

When asked what he likes about his role, Kevin says that he likes to be in the woodworking field. He enjoys the feeling of looking at a finished piece and knowing someone will have it in their kitchen for years. He also says that wood, as a material, is forgiving and has a certain ease of use. In addition, a variety of tools can be used when working with wood; with the CNC, there are so many options of commands to tell it to do what you want.

Moving into the future, Kevin plans to “learn absolutely as much as [he] can at AyA.” At some time in the future, he may look to continue his career in the construction industry to broaden his knowledge, but overall his biggest goal is to learn new skills.

For those looking to explore a career in the wood products industry, Kevin says school gives individuals a really good idea about what they will be doing. He also recommends working for somebody that has been working in the industry for a long time because they can teach you a lot about the industry and materials.