Koy is a native of Wytheville, Virginia, where his father served with the Virginia State Police and his mother was a high school teacher. It was from these public servants that he was taught that “A grateful heart is the beginning of greatness” and he was instilled with the virtues of serving others. He has learned the lesson well. Koy has the heart of a servant and is always willing to give a helping hand whenever and wherever it is needed. Now, how did Koy find his way to Ideal Cabinets ? That’s a good question. It went something like this …
Koy Farthing’s relationship with Ideal Cabinets began many years prior to officially joining the Ideal team. Before coming to Ideal, Koy worked for HAFELE, an innovative company that sells many components that work with and enhance our cabinetry. Koy started as a sales representative for HAFELE and had many cabinetry clients in his twenty plus years with the company – including us of course.
Over the years of visiting our stores and providing great customer service, a relationship was born and appreciated. “I kept noticing that people who worked for Ideal stayed with the company,” reminisced Koy. Then, he continued, “I noticed that there was a passion at this company to get the job done with excellence. There was something special about Ideal Cabinets.”
As the years passed, Koy advanced at HAFELE becoming Regional Sales Manager, and then Key Account/Dealer Manager. He developed sales strategies for the new dealers, and trained designers on the product lines. He presented CEU educational programs for the National Kitchen and Bath Association (NKBA) chapters in Virginia and North Carolina. Koy enjoyed his job at HAFELE, but the more he advanced with the company, the more he was on the road, and away from home.
One day Koy noticed an ad for a “Project Manager” at Ideal, and just out of curiosity, called and talked to Ken (Rakes) about the job. Ken was thrilled about the prospect of having Koy join the Ideal team, as we all thought Koy’s personality and work ethic fit so well with the Ideal dynamic. A few phone calls later, Koy was here for an interview, and walked out with a job. It was a big decision for Koy to leave HAFELE after so many years, but he was ready to stay close to home and spend more time with his family and do it at a place he knew he would be happy – Ideal Cabinets. He now has a fifteen-minute commute and can have breakfast with his lovely wife, Lisa, almost every day.
Koy and his wife, Lisa, own and operate a local Roanoke veterinary clinic, Brandon Animal Hospital. Koy’s wife Lisa and daughter Sara are both grads of Roanoke College and Virginia Tech (VT) School of Veterinary Medicine. Koy and Lisa also have a son, Wilson, who also graduated from Roanoke College and VT, and is a clinical research coordinator with VT Carilion School of Medicine. (Koy also has a degree from VT in Business Management) Nothing but Hokies in this family! Of course, Koy loves Hokie football, and cheering for the Hokies in every athletic event. But what really brings a spark to his eye…
Cars! It’s easy to see the spark in Koy’s eyes when the topic of conversation turns to this mode of transportation. He is a classic and antique car enthusiast. He restores, drives, and thinks about cars with almost every waking breath. He keeps Ideal’s fleet in tip top shape and is quick to provide the answers or where to find the answers when called upon. He is our resident transportation “fix it/solve it” extraordinaire.
In addition to transportation, Koy also works as our Safety Director, Human Resources Recruiter, and he helps in accounting with the Accounts Receivable, He also helps our Sales staff with Special Projects that need to be managed, and warranty work. Then of course, there is his regular job, Project Manager.
He occasionally delivers cabinets when called upon, watches the front desk in Christiansburg, helps out at the Salem Shop, or goes to Charlottesville to measure a job. Wherever, whenever he is needed, he is there. Koy proves that “Titles mean nothing. The one with a servant’s heart is the leader. … The first and most important choice a leader makes is the choice to serve, without which one’s capacity to lead is severely limited.” Robert K Greenleaf. We are very grateful that Koy is a leader on our team.
