The Highland Woodworking Staff

The mission of Highland Woodworking is to help our customers become better woodworkers. To accomplish this, we depend on the wide-ranging skills and experience brought to the job by our exceptional staff.

Chris Bagby, Owner & CEO
A 1973 graduate of Georgia Tech, Chris co-founded Highland Woodworking in 1978 with Sharon Bagby. He originally provided custom millwork services before focusing mainly on marketing. His other interests include photography, tennis, snowboarding and thru-hiking backcountry trails, including the Appalachian Trail, Pacific Crest Trail and Continental Divide Trail. He's also a registered yoga teacher, and his oldest yoga student is 93 years old! (It's never too late to start.)

Sharon Bagby, Owner & CFO
Sharon graduated from Georgia Tech in 1974 with a degree in Management Science. She and Chris worked together at King Hardware in Atlanta before starting Highland Hardware in 1978. After retiring in 1995, she rejoined the company in 2008 where she manages day-to-day operation of the business.

Ben Arthur, Sales
Besides owning and operating his own industrial CNC machine, Ben is an expert on all of our woodworking power tools, particularly our Festool line and the Carvewright CNC machine. A natural born carver imported straight from the Bayou, he carves reproductions, replications, and sometimes "half gone crazy" sculptures. Be it relief or 3-D, cut or grind, slice or gouge, power or pressure, he can accomplish it with a minimal loss of blood. A challenge is a thrill that cannot be put in a pill, so give him one.

Terry Chumbler, Sales and Education
The son of a cabinetmaker, Terry has been involved in woodworking and construction almost his entire life. After extended periods as a professional photographer and building submarines, Terry came back to cabinetwork and construction. He now provides excellent customer service and takes care of logistics for Highland's weekly woodworking classes and seminars. He's always happy to share his knowledge of woodworking no matter what the topic.

Phil Colson, Assistant Manager
Before joining Highland Woodworking in 1984, Phil was a dancer, stained glass designer and horticulturist. His father was a master craftsman, and Phil has worked with wood all of his life. He's always ready to share his vast reservoir of woodworking knowledge. Visit his woodturning website at www.philcolsonwoodturner.com.

Mike Couch, Sales
With a BA in Interior Design from Georgia State University, Mike has done remodeling, worked in and owned custom woodworking shops, has been a CAD draftsman for a local architectural firm, and has worked as a computer graphic artist and as a potter. He has studied Tai Chi and enjoys biking, hiking and sailing, but woodturning has become his passion.

Sidney Dew, Sales and Purchasing
Sidney came on board 24 years ago after a landscaping career. His woodworking interests have included picture framing & finishing; the latter has steered him into studying faux finishing techniques, which he puts to good use helping customers. He is locally famed for an unusual sense of humor and unfailing willingness to lend a helping hand whenever & wherever needed.

Blair Downing, Purchasing Manager and Sales
Blair graduated from Georgia State University in 1996 with a BA in History. When he's not reading, golfing, or going to Atlanta Falcons games, he is turning on one of the five lathes in his basement. He also owns a 1963 Mustang whose restoration is a longterm work in progress.

Patty Elder, Shipping
After a decade of bartending, Patricia Ann found herself in the local Atlanta Arts Festival. Now she's appearing daily at Highland Woodworking, putting the HIP into SHIPPING!

Michele Grenet, Graphic Artist
Michele started off as our catalog cover artist, but now she helps handle production of the entire Highland Woodworking catalog--and she's the reason it looks as good as it does. A BFA graduate of the University of Georgia, she went on to study art in Italy before returning to Atlanta. She enjoys traveling, gardening, tending her horses and playing tennis.

Alexandra Lovinger, IT Customer Service
Alexandra was blown across the ocean by a cold winter storm in the month of February. After walking barefoot on Atlanta's fabled Stone Mountain a few days later, she decided to make Atlanta her new home, went back to Germany, packed a few pots & pans and has been with us ever since. She takes care of Internet orders and issues related to Customer Service. In her spare time she tends to her growing Bonsai collection and spends as much time as possible with her furry & feathery friends.

Bullett Manale, Shipping
Bullet is a Texas native. He arrived in Atlanta 4 years ago after a 3 year stint in the United States Navy. He is a RUGGER, that means he loves to play RUGBY! GO BUCKS! Receiving and tidiness keep him busy around the store. Productivity is his forte.

Sabiha Mujtaba, Wood Carver and Instructor
Sabiha has been a full-time woodworker & carver for 20 years. She is a member of the Furniture Society, and her work has been shown in American Craft Council Shows, in the Decatur Arts Festival and the ACC Southeast. She was featured inFine Woodworking Magazine Design Book Seven. She is represented by Shidoni Gallery in Santa Fe, NM. Visit her website at www.chrysaliswoodworks.com.

Billy Rhoton, Sales and Education
A salesman at Highland for more than two years, Billy also assists with logistics in our education department. After several years as a cabinetmaker, Billy opened W. R. Rhoton Guitarworks in 2008 where he handcrafts acoustical instruments. A student of Ivon Schmukler, he has studied at the Leeds Guitarmakers School in Northampton, MA. He is currently a member of the Athens, GA based supergroup, Lake City.

Sam Rieder, Assistant Manager
A savvy woodworker and lover of fine tools, Sam rejoined the Highland staff in 2008 after returning from a few years of living in Denmark. He previously owned and operated retail stores on two different continents. When not busy assisting customers, Sam works tirelessly making our Atlanta retail store a delightful showplace for fine woodworking tools.

Ed Scent, Highland Woodworker cardholder since 1995
Ed began his woodworking career by studying boatbuilding at the Landing School in Maine and worked for an architectural woodworking firm building curved stairs. He avoids breathing dust and pollen to keep his voice sharp for the voice recordings you hear upon calling our store.

Bill Worden, Sales and Purchasing
Bill worked for many years as a professional counselor before coming on board at Highland back in 1990s. In addition to serving customers, Bill also manages our extensive woodworking book department. He's always receptive to hearing about new woodworking books to add to our selection. In his leisure time Bill enjoys gardening, hiking, writing music and playing the guitar.