Officials cutting the ribbon to declare the Kohler Premier Showroom officially open at Modern Homes in Cole Bay. From left: Kohler Sales Representative for the Caribbean region Michael Montalbano, Modern Home co-owner and Sales Director Marc Morand, Justice Minister Anna Richardson, Modern Homes Managing Director and co-owner Vaughn Bahadur and Kohler Marketing Manager for Latin America José Luis Araujo.
COLE BAY--Modern Homes has expanded its product line with quality items for the kitchen and bath with the official opening of a Kohler Premier Showroom at its Orange Grove, Cole Bay, location on Thursday evening.
Attendees checking out the collection in the new Kohler Premier Showroom at Modern Homes.
A scene during the launch.
Justice Minister Anna Richardson assisted the team in officially cutting the ribbon to declare the showroom open.
Modern Homes Managing Director and co-owner Vaughn Bahadur, who runs the establishment with co-owner and Sales Director Marc Morand, told attendees that when he and his business partner started Modern Homes, they shared a vision that Modern Homes would provide quality building products that were different to what was already available in St. Maarten. “We felt that builders and homeowners wanted products that were modern, sexy and, of course, great quality. We build our product range around this underlying principle,” said Bahadur.
“We started with beautiful tiles and doors as our two primary product lines, but strategically we always wanted a kitchen and bath company to complement our vision. ‘Modern, sexy and great quality’ was our mission and I must admit when you line those criteria up I could only think of one company that did that extremely well. That company is, of course, Kohler, a company that I have admired from far for a very long time.”
He explained that he had vigorously pursued the relationship with Kohler and was happy to be associated with the brand.
“They always say if you want something bad enough never give up and keep trying until you achieve your goal," he said. He was impressed with how seriously Kohler takes product knowledge and branding. “As soon as we got anchored with Kohler, we started weekly training sessions and following each training session we were required to sit an exam. … We are truly excited to be aligned with such a great company and we look forward to a very long and successful relationship.” He thanked everyone who had made the showroom preparation and opening a reality.
Marketing Manager for Latin America José Luis Araujo told the audience that Kohler’s story is one of love, entrepreneurship, resilience and innovation. He gave a brief history of the company and its founders. The Kohler Company has a long history in supplying quality, having been founded in 1873 manufacturing farming equipment made from cast iron and moving into the kitchen and bath industry in 1883.
“Here in St. Maarten, we are honoured to be celebrating with you the grand opening of this
new Kohler Premier Showroom and welcoming Modern Homes to the Kohler family. We have a very rigorous partner selection process to guarantee our customers will experience the highest levels of customer service and support, aligned with our company standards. We are confident Modern Homes is the right partner and representative of Kohler for this market,” said Araujo.
Kohler Sales Representative for the Caribbean region Michael Montalbano described the opening of the showroom as a very important day for Kohler Co. “St. Maarten now officially belongs to the list of the many new worldwide markets that we have expanded to. We are very honoured and excited to plant a new flag in St. Maarten,” said Montalbano.
He said Modern Homes and Kohler have established a rock-solid permanent marriage/relationship that will endure for decades to come. “As far as the Kohler products here in St Maarten, we have surgically hand-picked our local products portfolio to meet local design and installation preferences. You will all see this on our beautiful display. … One thing to keep in mind, however, [is] that what is shown here is only a sample of the vast offering of brand products that we have in our global portfolio,” he said.
Kohler can offer a complete kitchen and bath solution, from lighting to mirrors to vanities, accessories, faucets, showers, tubs, toilets, commercial and other products, he said.
