Employee Owner Spotlight: Chuck Ramdin

Employee owner name: Chuck Ramdin

Department/Job at Work: Woodshop / Spray Finishing

Number of years working at Bark: I started in May 1987 – so about 38 years!

Hails from: Guyana, South America

What did you for work do before you worked at Bark Frameworks?

I worked at another frame shop. My cousin had frame shops, so I was working at one for about five years before I started looking for a bigger shop, and arrived at Bark. My cousin’s shop was small, only about three people – I did cutting, joining, filling, etc. Some oak, lacquers, formica frames, and mouldings.

What is the biggest challenge in your area of work at Bark?

For me, its to achieve the level of perfection we’re always looking to accomplish within the confines of a busy shop. There’s a lot going on in a woodshop – different lighting, different temperatures, dust, and that all affects what I do. It can take a lot of time for spray finishes to dry between coats. Even elements like the weather outside the shop – different humidity and temperatures – can cause finishes to take longer to dry. We only use water based paints (heavier than spray cans). Curing the paint to get the flawless finish we need to achieve with every frame can be time consuming.

What do you like best about working at Bark?

I started out in this business – I like making frames! I like to see all the different artwork too. I’ve gained a lot of knowledge and experience learning about new artists — and about all our different clients — over my years here. I fell in love with framing and art, after doing it for so many years — over three decades at Bark, alone. In May, it will be 39 years I’ve been employed here! When I started at Bark, I was doing deliveries with [current Bark colleague] Paul Jeffries…we have a lot of stories from those days, including meeting some celebrities to whom we delivered framed art — but I can’t mention client names, clients are confidential (laughs)!

Chuck (light blue tee shirt) with Bark’s woodshop staff, 2015.

Is there a particularly memorable job you’ve worked on?

Any job we did that involved cladding — brass, copper, aluminum – are always my favorites. It’s a challenge, because adding metal cladding to wood is more complex, but turn any profile we can mill in wood into a metal frame! I also like the patinas and tones we can add to metal finishes. (See samples of Bark metal and cladded frames, below).

How has your life in- and outside of work changed as a result of the recent pandemic?

It was stressful for everyone – there was a lot going on in the world. We had to miss work for a while, but I’m glad we’ve resumed. I hope we don’t see something like that again.

What does being an employee owner mean to you?

Just being an employee-owned company is unique. If you work here for so long, and are spending years at a company, why wouldn’t you want to be involved in the ownership? Instead of working for a single owner or public Board of Directors, you can work for yourself and your colleagues. I like what I do every day!

Chuck (left) and Lars Jacobson hand sand frames in between layers of spray finishing, circa 2014.

Any outside hobbies/interests you have when you’re not making frames?

Back in the day, I used to DJ, for some 15 years! I played Flushing Town Hall in Queens, City College, and at weddings and parties. It was really fun. I’m also an avid football fan, I was definitely invested in the recent Superbowl – I’m happy Seattle won!

Are you an artist?  

Not formally, but I am developing some small painting projects, and had art in the annual Bark staff art show, “Barkus Articus,” last year (images below).

Thank you Chuck!