Kitchen Solvers of La Crosse transitions to new ownership

Lori Kaye Lodes

Contributor

February 17, 2025

LA CROSSE – With a full ownership change finalized and a move to a new, larger location complete, Bryce Crowley, co-owner of Kitchen Solvers of La Crosse, said the company is poised to support even more customers.

“It’s one of the most gratifying jobs out there, as the kitchen is the heart of the home and people congregate there,” he said. “When it’s efficient and updated, it brings people so much joy.”

Crowley said he now owns the business 50/50 with his partner and lead installer, Dan Kollauf.

The duo became co-owners about five years ago, buying into 30% of the business then owned by Crowley’s parents, Brian and Suzie.

Crowley said he and Kollauf purchased the remaining 70% of the business at the beginning of 2025 to become full owners.

And around the same time, Crowley, Kollauf and the Kitchen Solvers of La Crosse team finalized the remodel and build-out of its new, larger location at 528 Loomis St., La Crosse. 

“We’re fully open for business, and it’s been great to be in an industrial, fresh and modern space that can feature a lot of kitchens,” Crowley said.

The move, he said, took Kitchen Solvers of La Crosse and the separate, corporate business of Kitchen Solvers, from their shared location in downtown La Crosse to a bigger destination. Crowley said things were very tight in the former location, and they were running out of space. Readying the new space for occupancy, however, he said, did require gutting the showroom space to the studs and tearing out walls and ceilings to custom-build a showroom to the team’s specifications.

“We added 50% more showroom space to showcase more full kitchen displays and samples,” he said. 

Crowley said the new location also offers more office space and some space for growth – even as they brought the Kitchen Solvers of La Crosse cabinet manufacturing in-house as well.

“We had operations in a few different buildings across the city and are now under one roof,” he said. 

All under one roof

Crowley said the new location does continue to share office space and the showroom with the corporate Kitchen Solvers, which operates out of La Crosse.

“We’re one big happy family under one roof,” he said.

Though the corporate entity started in 1982, Crowley said his parents purchased their franchise in La Crosse from its original owner about 30 years ago.

He said he officially joined the team in 2014, though it wasn’t all new as he had grown up in the business.

“The workshop where we did the job (prep work) growing up was right behind my parents’ house, so I’d get off the (school) bus and help my dad in the shop after school when I could,” he said.

When he joined full-time, Crowley said he took on the role of lead new cabinet designer – creating new designs and kitchen layouts, in addition to performing project management and sales.

He said he knew when he started that the long-term goal was to purchase the business.

When he attended college for mechanical engineering, Crowley said he quickly discovered he really enjoyed the design aspect of that work. 

“One day I had an epiphany that I could be with people I like and design kitchens, doing design without mass scale and realized kitchen design would be a perfect fit,” he said. 

Crowley said his parents had set the tone for customers that kitchen remodels, whether big or small, should be enjoyable.

It’s a bit of an anomaly in the business, Crowley said, but consistent five-star Google reviews point to that happening consistently for Kitchen Solvers of La Crosse customers.

“We pride ourselves on the service we give people and make it seamless and fun,” he said. “We hear all the time about contractors creating heartache and headaches, but we make sure every project is handled with grace and efficiency even when there are unforeseen (challenges).”

Crowley said a key element of delivering a smooth and efficient remodel is adaptability.

“We do any degree of remodel, ranging from a refresh of the backsplash, cabinet facings and countertops, all the way to ‘rip down the walls to the studs and redo the kitchen,’” he said. “We take pride in not overselling. We work hard to hit the budget and end goal the customer has in mind.”

That mindset, Crowley said, has helped in Kitchen Solvers of La Crosse’s growth.

What started as a cabinet refacing company, he said, has evolved to become a full cabinetry and kitchen modeling company.

When adding the new offerings about 15 years ago, Crowley said business doubled every year for the first few years and has continued to have steady growth until the COVID-19 pandemic when “our business absolutely skyrocketed.”

“It grew substantially, and we’ve maintained that growth since then,” he said.

COVID brought with it significant supply chain issues and labor shortages, prompting Kitchen Solvers’ corporate office to create custom cabinet building in La Crosse.

“Now, any cabinet we sell, we custom manufacture in La Crosse,” he said. “Those cabinets are available to Kitchen Solvers franchises all over – we have the perk of being local to it.”

Crowley said an increasing number of customers opt for a full remodel, which can include a full demo and removal/moving of electrical and plumbing, gas line work, drywall repair, flooring, reframing, new windows, cabinetry, backsplashes, countertops and more.

The Kitchen Solvers of La Crosse team works with a core group of subcontractors they have worked with for more than 20 years to coordinate the project and add expertise as needed.

“These are people we have worked with for years, and we bring it all together, coordinate the project and put our name behind the craftsmanship they (the subcontractors) do,” he said.

Keeping pace with trends

Crowley said his franchise ownership encompasses two territories: La Crosse, which runs from Prairie du Chien to Black River Falls and everywhere in between, and the Rochester, Minnesota territory that reaches Rushford and Houston, Minnesota.

He said his parents acquired the Minnesota territory about five years ago when the previous owner retired.

Today, Crowley said he and Kollauf own both franchises.

He said the eight-person crew in La Crosse covers needs in the Minnesota market for now – but said that will change as both markets grow.

“La Crosse is definitely the majority of the business, because we’re a very established region and have a great client base,” he said. “We’re looking to grow Rochester in the future and make it even bigger, especially (considering) the population there.”

Appealing to customers, Crowley said, means keeping pace with trends, which he does by immersing himself in design publications and online.

In contrast to the 1990s, when customers sought out Kitchen Solvers of La Crosse for an aesthetic boost, Crowley said today’s customers want to lay out space in a way that works for their day-to-day lives.

“We ask how people use the kitchen – how they live and work in the space – and tailor each kitchen to their specifications,” he said. “We design a kitchen in response to their wants and needs, using 3D design software to share a digital rendering before we tear out a single cabinet or wall.”

Nowadays, Crowley said the majority of projects are full remodels.

He said he has also seen a return to natural wood (compared to a lot of white and gray over the past five to seven years), alongside natural stone. 

“We’re all carpenters by trade and we love working with wood,” he said.

Crowley said most customers have a two-part goal: Cupboards that include designated storage areas for appliances; and a “home” for everything from utensils to knives within the cabinetry.

“People really like the organizational aspect,” he said. “We have Instagram and HGTV to thank for people wanting that for themselves.”

Crowley said Kitchen Solvers of La Crosse has its customers to thank for spreading the word when it comes to securing new customers.

He said he credits its long-standing customer base with sending family, friends and co-workers as referrals.

Crowley said he and Kollauf are also grateful for the Kitchen Solvers of La Crosse’s small-but-mighty team that makes things happen every day.

“We couldn’t do this with just Dan and me,” he said. “We’re blessed with such an amazing team. We are able to delegate and trust people to do things right by our standards.”

For more information, visit kitchensolvers.com/la-crosse.