Russ Price began his training as a young teen working with his Dad who was a general contractor. At the age of 23, he became a licensed general contractor in California and opened his own company. For years, he designed and built custom homes, as well as many commercial buildings. He routinely built all of the interior cabinetry as well. Since he grew up in Northern California, he also learned how to sail at an early age and has had a lifelong love for sailing.
Although he had owned and raced many different types of sailboats, he had always wanted to build his own. In 1991 he started construction on what would wind up being the love of his life – a 70 foot catch. This boat called on all of his acquired skills – welding, plumbing, electrical, and especially woodworking, not to mention a few new ones, such as rigging, watermakers, and generators, to name just a few! Boats are extremely complex as the dimensions are much more precise and tight and the systems are involved. After building this boat, Russ spent the next 10 years building custom yachts and major repairs for others in Alameda, California. When Russ made the move to Arizona in 2006, his fate was sealed! Although he could no longer work on boats, he decided to focus on his true love which is wood and thus Exotic Wood Design was born.
Because of his background working on boats and his contacts in Northern California, Russ has the expertise to design and work not just with the woods everyone is familiar with – Cherry, Maple & Alder – but he really enjoys working with the more exotic woods, such as Mahogany, Teak, Koa, etc. He is especially skilled working with veneers which have become popular because they are considered a “green” wood.
Russ has worked with architects, designers, and homeowners to achieve the custom results they desire. His projects range from furniture to kitchens to closets to libraries – basically anything you can think of that’s made of wood!