Evolution to Teaching
Though Krengel begins every class with butterflies, they soon dissipate as his enthusiasm for sharing his knowledge takes over. “If I can help this person have as much success as I have had, I am doing something,” he says.
Krengel was one of eight people Cheever trained to teach NKBA classes. “He had the ability to combine the educational component with showmanship. He keeps your interest — but not by intimidation,” she says. Though some refer to his style as “edutainment,” Krengel takes his responsibility to his students very seriously. “People are away from their business. It is costing them time and money to be away. If it’s not valuable, shame on me,” he says.
Bryan Zolfo of Insignia Kitchen & Baths in Barrington, Ill., has had Jim speak at the Chicago NKBA chapter every year for the past five. “He always comes up with something that is fresh and new,” he says. Krengel is ready and set up one hour before the presentation begins so he can spend time talking to designers during the networking hour. “He puts his finger on the pulse of the audience,” Zolfo says. Sherman has observed him standing by the door greeting people as they enter the room. “One of the reasons is to let people know that he is not just a voice at the front of the room,” she says.
Krengel also outlines what he will cover at the beginning of class and closes by telling students, “I hope you leave feeling more confident, competent, and knowledgeable.”
No matter how many times he teaches a class or the length of the class, he runs through the material the previous evening. Because the industry has such a range of talents and education, he now asks students to fill out a form on topics and special needs. He reviews the sheets during lunch and addresses as much as he can in the afternoon or following days.
That talent and attentiveness impressed Merillat’s Chase, who attended a Krengel class as a newcomer to the industry in 1991. “He spoke extemporaneously — responding to any question a student threw out,” Chase says.
“Having started in the business when it was in its infancy, I feel like I learned things as they were invented,” Krengel says. “That is why I can talk about anything.”
When it came time to train his distributors, Chase immediately thought of Krengel. The 75-person seminar received rave reviews, and Chase returned to Krengel to develop a training program for Merillat’s Masterpiece line. “We sent him a lot of information. When we met a few weeks later, he had it laid out and ready to go as if he had been dealing with us and our products for years,” Chase recalls.
After just one NKBA class with Krengel, Gregg began urging colleagues to sign up. “He is encouraging but also challenges people to look at things differently. He uses the gifts of communication and creativity to inspire you,” he says. The remodeler also notes Krengel’s enthusiasm to learn. “Good teachers are always the best students. I bet he would admit that he walks away with something from every class he teaches,” Gregg says.
Unstoppable The late 1980s and early 1990s were a hectic time for Krengel. He was traveling, running his business long distance, and working late when he was in town. “A number of times, my wife met me at the airport with Plan B and Clothes B, and I would trade with her for Plan A and Clothes A,” he recalls. Krengel had a great office manager at the time, but it was his daughter Lori Jo who gave him the confidence to pursue teaching full time.
Lori Jo graduated from college with a degree in business and came to work for her father while looking for a job. And just like her father, 40-some years before, she fell in love with the industry. She reached her stride just as Krengel’s teaching career began taking him away from the office for longer periods of time. “We were a ship without a captain,” she says.
When Krengel approached his daughter about acquiring the company, he applied what he learned from his acquisition from his father. Bill Krengel had continued to influence the company after he sold it. Krengel wanted to make sure this did not happen with Lori Jo. “The day Lori Jo acquired the business, I made it hers in title and made it hers in her mind. I never referred to it as my business or our business,” Krengel says.
Around 1999, the NKBA moved from outside instructors to in-house instructors and Krengel and other instructors felt distanced from the association. Krengel thought he would take advantage of the slowdown and announced his retirement — something many of his colleagues and friends did not believe.
They were right. When Lili Corman was hired as the new director of education for NKBA, she wooed him back. “During that transition, I looked to Jim Krengel to restore faith in the program,” she says. “I can teach the subject to an instructor,” she says, “but you have to live it and love it to communicate with students.”
Career and Business Highlights 1959 Kitchens by Krengel established by Bill Krengel
1966 Jim Krengel joins the company
1973 Earns CKD certification
1976 Serves as president of the Minnesota NKBA chapter
1984 Jim acquires the company from his father
1984—87 Serves as president of the Minnesota NKBA chapter
1987 Teaches his first NKBA class
1989 Daughter Lori Jo Krengel begins working at K by K
- Earns CBD certification
- Serves as NKBA president
1996 Lori Jo Krengel acquires K by K
1997—1998 With Bernadette Baczynski, co-authors “Kitchens, Lifestyle & Design,” and “Bathrooms” published for PBC International in New York
2002 Inducted into NKBA hall of fame and earns CMKBD status.