ANN MARIE MCCAULEY
Lazy Suzan Designs
he colorful, eye-catching
van zipping around town
sporting the slogan ”Turn your kitchen
around” is a familiar sight for many
South County residents. The driver
of that van is Ann Marie McCauley,
47, owner and operator of Lazy Suzan
Designs, a kitchen remodeling design
company located in Gilroy.
In 2005, McCauley felt the best
way to utilize her artistic design talents
was to offer clients a unique aspect of
the kitchen design business, a mobile
showroom.
“I felt it would be much lower over-
head to do a mobile showroom and I
would have more access to the client’s
home,” McCauley said.
“The van is completely outfitted with
door styles, and cabinets in different
finishes, so when I go to someone’s
house I can bring the samples in and
they can see the colors.That way there
are no misunderstandings.”
McCauley also offers her clients an
entire kitchen display at Superior Stone
in Gilroy, one of the many local vendors
she utilizes through her business.
In addition to convenience,
McCauley offers potential clients a free
consultation, because for her it’s all
about making that special connection.
“That’s extremely important to me,
because I want to love what I do, and
I want to be able to give as much as I
can, so I need to work with the right
people,” McCauley said.
According to past client and Gilroy
resident, Melanie Troini, it’s a winning
strategy. Troini worked with McCauley
five years ago on her kitchen remodel
and she’s very happy she did.
50
“I’m still excited to go into my
kitchen. She made sure it was what I
wanted,” Troini said. “She was really
very patient and really listened to what
I had to say. She really wanted me
happy, and I think she feels that way
with everybody.”
Michelle Conrotto, another happy
customer, agrees with Troini.
“Oh my gosh, she’s just so creative
and helped me just literally turn my
kitchen around, turned it into a new
showplace,” Conrotto said.
That special connection is equally
important in regard to her contractors,
who McCauley feels are crucial to her
work. She has every confidence that
each of her 30 vendors provides the
respect her clients deserve and the
quality they expect.
“We’re all continuously working
as a team, there’s a lot of loyalty, and
there’s a lot of loyalty to the clients,”
McCauley said.
Tony Hubner and his wife Cheryl
found McCauley’s contractors very
responsive to their needs.
“We had an excellent experience
working with her and the cadre of
people who she recommended for the
counters, the backsplash, the floors
and the appliances,” Hubner said.
The level of trust established
between McCauley and her band of
contractors is something she feels is
unique to the city of Gilroy.
LAZY SUZAN DESIGNS
Monday thru Saturday by appointment only.
For a free in-home consultation, call: 408-848-5956,
or go to: lazysuzandesigns.com.
GILROY • MORGAN HILL • SAN MARTIN
april/may 2019
“I love doing it that way because
everyone is accountable,” McCauley
said.
With a workload of 80 kitchen
remodels per year ranging from mobile
homes to grand estates, McCauley is
extremely reliant on her team.
“I feel like I am just paper and wood
without the contractor,” McCauley said.
As passionate as she is about
the people she works for, and with,
McCauley is equally passionate about
her husband Kevin, a native Gilroyian,
and their eight-year-old daughter,
Ripley. Although McCauley was born
in Massachusetts, raised in Florida, and
attended college in Providence, Rhode
Island, she thinks of Gilroy as home for
her and her family.
McCauley has made a true
connection as well with her commu-
nity. For over nine years she’s contrib-
uted her time and financial resources
to the Gilroy Compassion Center,
which has allowed her to gain first-
hand experience of the community’s
continuing homeless situation. Through
that experience McCauley made a
startling discovery.
“They’re really strong, good people,
and there’s a lot of people who are
homeless who are working, who are
going to school with our kids. It’s not
the stereotype,” McCauley said.
The realization she gained led to a
commitment, one she’s been true to
since 2010. For each of her remodels
McCauley donates a minimum of one
hundred dollars to the Center.
“If they need extra things I try to
help too,” she said.
gmhtoday.com
DESIGNS
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Written By Kimberly Ewertz