United Millworks: Born from hard work, dedication, and determination

“No matter how large or small the job, they have never turned a client away, and they never will. That is just the kind of hard working, dedicated people they are,” says Ryan Virden of Thuan and Angie Nguyen, both of whom own and operate United Millworks, a premier manufacturer of custom wood doors, windows, and cabinetry. “They’ve built their business, and they’ve equipped their manufacturing facility to accommodate builders who place large orders for 100 French casement windows, for example; but, they also cater to individuals who are in the process of building their dream home and want a unique, custom designed door for their main entrance,” explains Virden, a long time friend and colleague of Thuan and Angie. “Thuan is a true artist and a gifted craftsman. He thrives on projects that allow him the opportunity to bring someone’s vision to life.”

As is true for many immigrants who fled South Vietnam in the late 1970s, Thuan and his wife, Angie, had to surrender their country, their language, and their close-knit network of friends and family to confront an uncertain destiny in a foreign place. The young family’s harrowing escape from their native land is the stuff of which movies are made, complete with a near miss as their cramped hideout in the dark underbelly of a boat was compromised by a hungry, screaming child just moments before they were set to depart. Though they eventually arrived safely in the port of New Orleans, they arrived with nothing. Since then, the Nguyen family has worked tirelessly to secure their future, and in 1999, after many years spent adapting, experimenting, and exploring any and all opportunities that were presented them no matter how minute or extraneous, United Millworks was born.

“Thuan used to sweep the floors at a millwork shop when he first arrived in the states,” Virden recalls. “As he swept, he observed everything. He used to go home after work and practice carving in a makeshift shop he built underneath a staircase in the crowded apartment building where they lived with the other immigrants. It didn’t take him long to learn how to run every machine in that shop, and eventually he managed the entire operation.”

Now Thuan oversees and participates in the production process of his own business while Angie manages the finances. Builders and individual homeowners alike seek out United Millworks because their reputation is based on a solid foundation of professionalism, respect, quality, consistency, and 100% total customer satisfaction. On any given day, the scent of fresh cut Spanish cedar or mahogany wood permeates the air of their 20,000 square-foot warehouse, and Thuan can be found quietly, patiently hand carving the egg-and-dart detail along an Ionic column capital crafted from antique cypress for a custom order. Or, he may be busy designing the special knives necessary to complete a custom molding job set to be installed in a grand estate on St. Charles Avenue in New Orleans later that month. Either way, the Nguyen family is always hard at work, day in and day out. Their level of dedication to their chosen craft, even despite their trying circumstances early on, remains a constant reminder to all that hard work really does pay off. ✦

United Millworks
9912 Mammoth Ave.
Baton Rouge, LA 70814
225-218-1134
www.unitedmillworks.com