E. F. San Juan Celebrates 50 Years
By Jordan Staggs
The idea of the American Dream doesn’t always ring true today, but when a family business defies the odds and extends across generations, it’s heartwarming to see the dream become reality. E. F. San Juan, Inc., a custom architectural mouldings, millwork, and cabinetry firm located in Youngstown, Florida, is an inspiring example of how hard work, astute business practices, and deep values can build something that will last a lifetime or more. In January of 2026, the company celebrated its fiftieth anniversary—a milestone that only about 10 to 20 percent of businesses ever achieve. To those who know and work with the San Juan family, it’s easy to see how this fourth-generation family endeavor has continued to grow, evolve, and thrive through every season.
Eddie San Juan, a cabinetmaker in Miami in the mid-1900s, likely never imagined that his small business making wood cabinets would inspire his son, Edward “Ed” F. San Juan, to start his own mill and manufacturing consulting firm in 1976 after moving up to the Florida Panhandle. The family legacy was further cemented when Ed’s son, Edward A. San Juan—now the president—joined the business in the early 1980s. Shortly afterward, the mill evolved into E. F. San Juan, creating custom wood building products for homes and community spaces in the growing coastal town of Seaside, Florida, and the rest is history.
This beautiful home in Alys Beach, Florida, was designed by Khoury Vogt Architects, built by Hufham Farris Construction, and features interiors by Heidi Perry. E. F. San Juan provided a number of custom millwork products in addition to the stunning exterior windows and doors crafted in partnership with Loewen.
Photo by Chris Luker.
“You don’t buy any of these parts off the shelf,” says Edward. “These are all custom-made, specifically for each project. You won’t find them anywhere else. That’s what we bring in, and it’s what we live for.”
From its humble beginnings with a single Craftsman shaper and table saw to today’s 80,000-square-foot state-of-the-art manufacturing and warehouse facility, one thing has remained a constant for E. F. San Juan—family. Edward’s wife, Mary Kathryn, joined the company as controller. Ed’s son-in-law, Buddy Czubaj, became the vice president after retiring from a career in the military. Edward and Mary Kathryn’s children, Eddie, Lydia, and Mario, grew up learning the ins and outs of the business and visiting the plant, leading Eddie to his current position as operations manager and Lydia as coordinator for custom cabinetry orders. Other in-laws, spouses, and children have served in various roles throughout the years, building a network of care and dedication to the family business whose roots run as deeply as the trees from which they craft.
A Gulf-front dream home in The Retreat with E. F. San Juan custom millwork throughout, including custom beams and mahogany window casings. It was designed by Chris Stoyles of Archiscapes and built by Gulfview Construction.
Photo by Layne Lillie.
“The reason I’m here has a lot to do with the passion that my grandfather instilled in me from a young age and the apprenticeship and opportunity that I had directly after college,” says Eddie. “Wood, to me, is alive—it’s warm, each piece is so unique, and it really allows us to take that beautiful piece nature created and turn it into a man-made display of beauty. To me, it’s very cool to see that take shape in our facility.”
With over 120 employees today, from those in the sales department to the manufacturing floors, cabinet plant, warehouses containing over twenty species of domestic and exotic hardwoods, and even on-site kiln, painting, and priming facilities, the San Juans consider their team members like an extension of the family, and instill in them a sense of pride for their work. The company’s just cause, “crafting a legacy of exceptionalism, teamwork, and perpetual improvement,” guides its business practices year after year as its team evolves through continued education, passion, and dedication to providing the best service to every client.
Those clients include some of the top architects and builders in the country, if not the world. The communities of Northwest Florida, South Florida, and other areas of the Southeastern Coastal US have boomed with incredible architecture over the past few decades. From the New Urbanism towns along Florida’s Scenic Highway 30-A, such as Seaside and Alys Beach, to the quarter-billion-dollar homes in Naples and Sarasota and historic renovations and new-builds in Tallahassee, E. F. San Juan’s footprint spans far beyond its hometown headquarters. Its clients—builders and architects seeking unique, custom-made wood products that will transform a house into a one-of-a-kind artistic statement—include world-renowned, award-winning firms such as Khoury Vogt Architects (KVA), who were recently named Seaside Prize recipients, Forbes Best in State – Architecture, New Urban Guild Barranco Award recipients, and ICAA Arthur Ross Award recipients, among many other accolades.
E.F. San Juan’s own accolades include being continually recognized by industry organizations and publications such as the Woodworking Network, National Hardwood magazine, Building Products Digest, AIA Northwest Florida, the Institute of Classical Architecture & Art (ICAA), and more. Eddie San Juan has also been listed as one of Woodworking Network’s “40 Under 40” for wood industry leaders in 2021.
A family legacy home in Seaside, Florida, featuring E. F. San Juan paneling, trim, ceiling parts, and much more.
Photo by Romona Robbins.
Andrés Duany, cofounder of DPZ CoDesign and town planner for Seaside, Alys Beach, and Rosemary Beach along Scenic Highway 30-A, spoke at the 2026 Seaside Prize on how Seaside, birthed in the early 1980s, shaped not only New Urbanism town planning around the globe, but also the level of architecture and craftsmanship in the Northwest Florida area. The best of the best flocked there to learn, develop their skills, and grow in order to create Robert and Daryl Davis’s vision of a perfect American town. Now a proud platinum legacy sponsor of the Seaside Institute, which works to develop and celebrate New Urbanism principles around the world, E. F. San Juan was front and center on some of Seaside’s most iconic homes and spaces, like the Chapel.
“E. F. San Juan did an extraordinary job executing architect Scott Merrill’s vision on The Chapel at Seaside,” says Seaside cofounder and visionary Robert Davis. E. F. San Juan’s work on the iconic white chapel encompassed all interior and exterior millwork, including the columns, front door, and bell tower. “It’s extremely simple but very, very precise, so the requirements were pretty tough. You really had to be good at doing this kind of millwork.”
Edward, Ed, and Eddie San Juan—three generations of craftsmen who have led the family business for fifty years.
Photo by Kyle Carpenter.
The family business’s influence in Alys Beach is even more substantial through their collaboration with the KVA-based Alys Beach Town Architects and the select group of architects and builders who have created this world-renowned community. Strolling through the pristine town’s streets, parks, and pedestrian pathways, residents and guests are surrounded by a living gallery of E. F. San Juan’s work, from intricate latticework on the mashrabiya to warm and welcoming gates and doors, colorful shutters, and unique wood features you won’t see anywhere else.
“Andrés talked about how the skilled craftsmen were learning alongside the architects when they were building Seaside,” said Seaside Institute executive director Christy Milliken at the 2026 Seaside Prize symposia in February. “E. F. San Juan has put so much heart into the skilled craftsmanship they do and each project they’ve been part of. Along with being a supporter of the Institute and giving back, they also designed the new box that houses our Prize Keys, which was introduced at our thirtieth anniversary when Victor Dover and Joseph Kohl won the Prize.”
Seaside Prize Key mahogany enclosure designed by Ed F. San Juan.
Photo by Hunter Burgtorf.
The enclosure, handcrafted from mahogany with a custom Seaside Prize seal, was designed by founder Ed F. San Juan, precisely measured and cut to house the bronze-cast Prize Key. Each Seaside Prize winner, past and future, will receive a box. He recently crafted a second design specially for King Charles III, who will be awarded the Seaside Prize by Robert Davis and the Seaside Institute in a future presentation.
“What’s so amazing is to meet a family like E. F. San Juan’s and have kindred souls working with us in their craft and our craft, both creating the magic of products that have longevity, with a great sense of pride in how they’re produced,” says Seaside’s other cofounder and visionary, Daryl Rose Davis.
Viewers can learn more about the company’s involvement with the Seaside Prize, its incredible comeback from devastation after Hurricane Michael wiped out its primary manufacturing facility in 2018, and many incredible projects through its YouTube channel and social media. The video series Real Wood: Crafted Stories with Eddie San Juan is a particularly stunning look behind the scenes and into several completed projects featuring E. F. San Juan’s work, from custom Gulf-front homes to ZUMA Wellness Center at Alys Beach, a high-end butcher shop and market on Highway 30-A, and many more.
From the beginning through the course of the past fifty years, E. F. San Juan has cemented its legacy and continues to grow not only thanks to impeccable craftsmanship and passion for quality wood products, but also a deep appreciation for collaboration, service, and building relationships. All of these are reflected in the glowing testimonies of their partners through the years.
“My experience as a builder working with E. F. San Juan extends way past a typical customer relationship,” says John Brown, owner of Gulfview Construction. “I consider them a partner and also close friends on every single home I build. Their incredible skill, teamwork, quality, knowledge base, and level of service are simply outstanding. I would not be able to create the quality homes I do without their involvement in my projects.”
Nautical-inspired custom millwork by E. F. San Juan at the Gulf-front masterpiece home in The Retreat.
Photo by Layne Lillie.
“Collaborating with E. F. San Juan was a joy, from working out the details to the exquisite realization,” says partner Michael Morrow of Kinneymorrow Architecture, who brought on E. F. San Juan for an Alys Beach home featuring stunning Satina Tropical Hardwood screens that formed parts of the facade, railings, courtyard gate, and more. “These folks have forgotten more about wood than most people will ever know in the first place.”
“In 2001, when I started Geoff Chick & Associates, E. F. San Juan was already a well-known name in the industry,” says architect Geoff Chick, who has featured E. F. San Juan millwork, ceiling materials, decking, windows, and more in many of his custom home projects since then. “The thing that really struck me was the level of service that they give to architects and builders, making sure that what we drew became a reality. E. F. San Juan helps us be better architects.”
Mary Kathryn and Edward San Juan at Seaside Prize Weekend 2025.
Photo by Hunter Burgtorf.
Ed San Juan, now 87, looks back on founding the company with great pride. “You build something, and you want it to be something that continues past you,” he says. “I think what legacy means is that we want to do something here that is going to last forever and be beautiful.” Seeing E. F. San Juan’s growth, inspired by his own cabinetmaker father and now being shepherded into the mid-twenty-first century by his son and grandchildren, he adds, “The All-American Dream does exist.”
Facing the next fifty years with a new generation of San Juans well established in the fold, the sky is the limit for what they will create. One thing is certain: it will be beautiful.
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To learn more, visit EFSanJuan.com, follow @e.f.sanjuan on Instagram, and check out their documentary, facilities tour, and Real Wood: Crafted Stories with Eddie San Juan series on YouTube.
