Meet Us

Chip Yawney

Owner Chip Yawney founded A Cut Above, Inc in March of 2005, fulfilling a dream of creating a company where he could bring together his passion for custom woodworking, his uncompromising standards of quality in all aspects of what he does, and his interest in building beautiful, one-of-a-kind custom built-ins for customers who share his old-fashioned values of quality, honesty, and integrity.

Chip holds a Bachelor of Science degree in business from The University at Albany in New York. He spent 28 years in a variety of sales and management positions at IBM, Stratus Computer, and Lucent Technologies. The management, planning, and operations skills he developed during this time have been a significant factor in the success of A Cut Above. He also brings to A Cut Above more than 40 years of experience working with wood, beginning in a high school shop class and continuing as an evening and weekend activity during his years in the information technology business.

Chip loves what he does and it shows in his work. Appreciating the beauty of natural wood, Chip is an expert in designing, building, and installing custom wood furnishings for the home using high quality raw materials. He has an eye for design: the custom cabinetry he creates will look just right in the room where it is installed. He sees to every detail, from ensuring the proportion and style are right to matching the existing color and profile of the room’s molding and trim.

Chip has a passion for customer service and has the flexibility with A Cut Above to meet the functional and esthetic needs of his clients. He enjoys every aspect of his small company and strives every day to find new ways to improve the quality of his product and the overall customer experience.

“I started this business from scratch – no clients, no shop, and no portfolio. Today, we have more than 125 clients who enjoy the results of our work every day and will remember us forever.” – Chip Yawney

Lorri Yawney

Lorri has provided tremendous support to A Cut Above since her husband Chip founded the company in 2005. She is an important contributor to the development of the annual business plan and works part time in the office taking care of the administrative side of the business.

Lorri holds a BA degree in Music and French and an MBA degree with a specialization in arts administration from The University at Albany. Lorri moved to the Washington, DC area in 1981 to take a position at the American Orchestra League. During her 17 years with the League, Lorri was responsible for a wide variety of management duties and support to the CEO and the national board of directors. In addition to helping her husband Chip with A Cut Above, Lorri teaches piano and is employed as the choir accompanist at Christ Memorial Presbyterian Church in Columbia, Maryland.

Bob Cherry

Bob Cherry played a pivotal role in the early years of A Cut Above. A skilled and avid woodworker, he helped complete several important projects during the company’s first two years and continues to offer his assistance when he can.

Bob is a member of The United States Army Field Band and is a member of the TUSAFB Brass Quintet. His military background helped establish the high standard of quality A Cut Above is known for.

Brian Yawney

Brian joined A Cut Above in June of 2008 and spent his summers assisting with the millwork, finishing, and installation activities of the company while attending Messiah College in Pennsylvania. His skills grew each year and Brain came to be a valuable summertime and vacation time contributor at A Cut Above.

Brian graduated from Messiah College in May of 2014 with a bachelor’s degree in Music Business. He was a member of the Messiah College Concert Choir for four years and performed with several other groups during college. Immediately after graduation he toured Italy with the choir performing at venues that included St. Peter’s Basilica. Upon his return from the tour he started his career by landing a stage technician position at Sight and Sound Theaters in Lancaster, PA. Keep up the great work!