A Millstadt woman with a long history in the remodeling industry recently began her own business, offering home improvement and design opportunities with a local, personal touch.

Karen Lawlor, owner of KML Remodeling, has lived in the area all her life, growing up in Columbia and having lived in Millstadt now for over two decades.

Her time in the remodeling industry stretches back 25 years. She originally worked for health clubs – largely doing sales throughout exceptionally busy weeks – before getting recruited into remodeling.

Lawlor first stepped into remodeling work in 1998 at Thomas Construction, and she added that many other folks she knows in the remodeling field similarly trace their careers back to the company.

She has since worked at a number of firms, doing a range of work in sales and design that began with an outdoor-living focus on patios and decks but soon expanded to kitchens, bathrooms and just about every other product that could fall under her purview.

Though she was originally recruited into the field, Lawlor said her interest in this sort of work first began when she was young as her dad personally did a great deal of electrical and construction work on the family’s house.

“I just loved that stuff, hammering the nails with my dad out in the garage,” Lawlor said. “I just really took to it. I love dealing with people, and the design aspect, I really love the outdoor living.”

With her many years in the industry, Lawlor shared her thoughts on customer service and general work she’s seen.

On her time at Thomas, Lawlor spoke about the transition in the company she saw after it was sold to a larger conglomerate, the personal touch fading.

She expressed a similar sentiment toward other remodeling outfits she’s worked for, and it was noticing this recurring issue as well as recognizing her own skill for the work that pushed her toward starting her own business.

“I just saw so many of these guys that would start the business, they lost touch, wanting to grow too big or not really taking care of the customer or not really taking care of their crews,” Lawlor said. “I felt like I just had that knack that I knew how to train all the sales people, I knew how to figure out all the pricing, and I just show the crews respect.”

Additionally looking to have greater control over her schedule and general business conduct, Lawlor began developing the concept for KML Remodeling about two years ago, with the business truly getting underway in the past year.

In starting her own business, she noted a strong desire to have good relationships with all parties she works with, from the crews that go out and actually do the remodeling to the customers whom she works with to best meet their needs.

“I just want to do this how I want to do it and show appreciation to the people I work with and the crews and the customer,” Lawlor said.

She offered an overview of the many services her business can help provide for customers.

Her affinity for outdoor living is still strong – she mentioned how people seem to have really come to enjoy “staycations” since the COVID-19 pandemic – but KML also offers other outdoor services as well as some interior services, most notably when it comes to bathroom remodeling.

“I just really want to be a one-stop shop for folks,” Lawlor said. “I have really good crews for decks, for vinyl fencing, aluminum fencing, vinyl siding, gutters, patio covers…”

Lawlor also expressed an interest in expanding her business’ capabilities when it comes to indoor and outdoor painting as well as sunrooms.

She spoke about a number of elements that help make KML stand out from other remodeling businesses, one of the larger aspects being the local, family-owned feel – her children are also involved in the business in various capacities.

Her knowledge of brands and relationships with suppliers also help the business and contribute to her goal of making sure customers don’t get bogged down in the design process and get something that they really want in the end.

“Just really thinking about what’s gonna be the best for them to work or their design in their bathroom or their kitchen,” Lawlor said. “‘Is this workplace/zone working for you?’ Just have a nice pop, a nice contrast of color.”

In the year KML has been active, Lawlor said things have been fairly successful with a good number of referrals and repeat business.

Lawlor expressed a particular joy with the reputation she’s started to cultivate, noting how she wants to be a part of the community.

“It’s the best compliment, saying ‘I really trust you Karen and your company and what you’ve done for me,’ and to call me back and refer me to a friend or neighbor because everybody around here, Waterloo, Millstadt, everybody knows everybody,” Lawlor said.

For more information on KML Remodeling, visit kmlremodeling.com or call 618-606-7608.