Small Business Today Magazine NOV 2014 EXHIBIT NETWORK | Page 9

tight and she didn’t own a television so she frequently visited her
neighbor in the apartment complex to watch his television. One
night, a friend of Kathleen’s neighbor came for a visit while she was
there. Initially, she didn’t like him but eventually her feelings must
have changed because she ended up marrying him! That person
was Lenny Maartens.
Lenny had grown up in Long Island, New York with six siblings.
He helped the family financially with a newspaper route and a
part-time job after school. His older brother worked for a cabinet shop and at age 14, Lenny began manufacturing kitchen cabinets too. After graduating early at 17, Lenny continued working
in the cabinet business full-time.
At age 19, Lenny was in search of something more challenging
and also was considering joining the Coast Guard. He had taken
the test for the Coast Guard and completed all of the requirements short of signing on the dotted line when he saw an ad
from a company in need of a cabinet builder for creative cabinetry. As it turned out, the company was outfitting a Silver Eagle bus
to be used for a rock band. In addition, the company designed
and built custom trade show exhibits. This was right up Lenny’s
alley so he applied for the job and was hired.
After working there for several years, L