About Us
Since 2008, we’ve tirelessly ironed out the wrinkles that go along with designing and making quality custom furniture so that your experience is seamless. With over 40 years of combined experience in the hospitality industry, whether you’re ordering in bulk or just a few signature pieces, our team has streamlined the process from design to manufacturing so that the only thing you have to worry about is where to put all your beautiful furniture.
About the Phoenix Team
Brad Cavener
Founder & Owner
You don’t have to know everyone; you just have to know Brad. Born and raised in Oklahoma, Brad Cavener has been an entrepreneur since birth. With over 20 years of experience in the hospitality industry, passion is his middle name. With a hawk-like focus on the details, customer satisfaction is Brad’s priority number one.
Starting in quality control and graduating to design and sales, Brad relocated to San Diego and founded Phoenix in 2008 with the goal of providing exceptional service while creating unique, top-shelf furniture designed specifically for each client’s needs. Hard-working, dedicated, personable, and loyal to the core, Brad is a man who can make things happen. When he’s not busting his butt designing and making furniture, juggling operations, or expanding his extensive network, Brad enjoys spending time with friends, tinkering on sailboats, dabbling in the kitchen, and attending comedy shows and concerts.
Gretchen Shearer
Project Manager
From every detail of your order to every hair on her head, Gretchen Shearer is all about style. With over 27 years-experience in the hospitality industry, if her career were a person, she’d buy it a drink. A Greyhound. Gin. On the rocks. With a cherry.
A self-starter who hails from Texas via Colorado, Gretchen has deep roots in design, purchasing, and customer service. Prior to joining Phoenix, Gretchen worked as an independent rep in design and purchasing for several manufacturers. She’s earned both a BA in Psychology and a license in Cosmetology, and she’s not afraid to use either.
Known for being responsible, persistent, creative, and compassionate, Gretchen is 100% Team You from start to finish and beyond. From carpet and lighting to fabric and flooring, she has taken care of it all. A proud mother, avid hiker, amateur special effects artist, and consummate friend, Gretchen currently resides in San Diego and has been a valuable member of the Phoenix team for damn near a decade.
Erin Kennedy
The West Coast Rep
The real deal, bona fide – that’s Erin Kennedy. Her ability to read a room, read a project, listen to the client’s needs, and present the best options are just a few of the reasons you want her in your corner. The granddaughter of a university president, Erin offers our clients on the West Coast the perfect blend of no-nonsense know-how and candid comedic candor.
A graduate of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo with more than 20 years of experience and a passion for textiles, Erin believes life is a long-term education and that showing up in person means something. When she’s not helping clients achieve their goals, Erin enjoys fridgescaping, singing “Lady Marmalade” with live bands on cruise ships, throwing out first pitches at San Francisco Giants games, and spending time with her big, beautiful, blended family.
Chip Norton
The Central and Southern States Rep
Whether he’s helping bring architectural design to life or cheering on the Astros, Rangers, and Yanks, Chip Norton is serious about having fun. Originally from Abilene, this West Texan started his career delivering bricks to construction sites in Dallas at age 17. Those early lessons from the jobsite helped shape who he is today: a hard-working, fun-loving, no fussin’-no fightin’ kind of guy with plenty of grit and gumption to go around.
A graduate from North Texas State University (now UNT) with a BBA in Marketing, Chip has enjoyed being an independent rep for the commercial architectural design and contractor market in Texas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas for over 15 years. A devoted dog dad of three and proclaimed “GM Lifer”, Chip is our go-to for all things in the central and southern states.
Moose Tyler
The Marketing Chick
Moose Tyler has sold everything from an international airline to the Bronx Zoo. With over 20 years of experience, she started her stint in marketing in New York where she worked in media and account service before becoming an award-winning copywriter. More interested in helping the little guy, Moose moved home to Oklahoma where she created a marketing boutique and became a college professor.
She has a Master of Science in Public Relations and Corporate Communication from New York University and is a third-degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do, instructor level in Jeet Kune Do, and a blue belt in Jujitsu. When she’s not busy kicking ass and taking names, she enjoys writing novels, mowing the lawn, drawing cartoons, refurbishing vintage toys, and zooming around town in her 1965 Volkswagen Beetle, Lily Bug.
Robyn Talbott
The Numbers Lady
Since she was a little girl, Robyn Talbott dreamed of being her own boss. For over 35 years, she crunched numbers and kept books for the big wigs in the corporate world before meeting her fiancé, who supported and coached Robyn into starting her own business.
A “Zonie” by birth but a Cali gal since she was 8 years old, numbers and puzzles are at the core of what Robyn does best – solve problems. With a flair for creativity and a deep love for her family and friends, this die-hard classic rock fan enjoys surfing Netflix, cooking, and taking her Maltipoo Corker on weekend adventures. A crucial behind-the-scenes member of our team, Robyn has been with Phoenix since the very beginning.
Jorge Alcala
The CAD Guy
When it comes to taking your design from vision to production, you’re in the very meticulous hands of Jorge Alcala. As a kid, he aspired to be a carpenter. Today, he partners with carpenters and designers as a CAD Engineer and helps transform ideas and drawings into tangible and elegant blueprints. He credits his parents for teaching him the importance of creativity and the value of good ole fashioned hard work.
Before joining Phoenix, he worked on independent design projects, and he enjoys the challenges of bringing designers’ ideas to life and always strives to create a genuine partnership. He’s an amateur photographer, a devout pizza enthusiast, a Tool fan, and an avid cyclist who enjoys tootling around San Diego and Silver Strand.
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