Kountry Kraft names Jeff Jacobson sales and marketing director

Kountry Kraft hired Jeff Jacobson as sales and marketing director on June 5 to deepen dealer education, strengthen kitchen-designer relationships and align sales with marketing. The move comes as longtime sales manager Roger Yiengst prepares to retire after 49 years with the Pennsylvania cabinetry maker.

Why it matters: - Kountry Kraft is leaning harder into dealer training and kitchen-designer support as custom cabinetry sales depend on close coordination between manufacturers, dealers and design professionals. - The leadership change also preserves continuity as Roger Yiengst prepares to retire after nearly five decades with the company.

What happened: - Kountry Kraft named Jeff Jacobson sales and marketing director on June 5, 2026. - Jacobson succeeds Roger Yiengst, Kountry Kraft’s sales manager, who is preparing to retire in August 2026. - The company said the appointment supports its investment in relationships, education and communication between its Pennsylvania manufacturing team and its authorized dealer network nationwide.

The details: - Jacobson brings more than 20 years of leadership experience in sales, marketing, product management and business development in the woodworking products and industrial distribution industries. - His new role will focus on strengthening relationships with kitchen designers. - Jacobson also will work to bring sales and marketing into closer alignment. - Dealer education and product training are part of the job. - Dave Riebe, Kountry Kraft president, said Jacobson brings industry knowledge, collaborative leadership and respect for craftsmanship. - Riebe said the company wants to strengthen the education, tools and communication it provides while building on the relationships Yiengst developed. - Yiengst remains with Kountry Kraft until his retirement in August 2026. - Kountry Kraft was founded by Elvin and Helen Hurst in a small garage in rural Pennsylvania in 1959. - The company now operates a 96,000-square-foot manufacturing facility and employs more than 100 people. - Kountry Kraft sells made-to-order cabinetry nationally through authorized dealers. - The company also serves homeowners, builders, remodelers and design professionals directly from its Newmanstown showroom. - Kountry Kraft makes custom framed and frameless cabinetry for kitchens, baths, offices, closets, entertainment spaces and other residential and commercial interiors. - Clients can specify inset, beaded inset, full overlay and frameless construction styles, plus door designs, wood species, finishes, storage solutions and custom details. - Kountry Kraft said that breadth of choice lets each project be developed around the client’s needs rather than a limited selection of standard options. - Jacobson lives in the St. Louis area and will relocate with his wife, Laura, and their family to the Reading, Pennsylvania, area this summer. - Jacobson said he looks forward to listening, learning and working alongside the team and dealers. - Jacobson said aligning sales and marketing and expanding product education can give kitchen designers clearer information and stronger support. - Jacobson enjoys woodworking, home renovation and building projects, and said he has remodeled at least nine bathrooms. - More information is available in the company's announcement.

Between the lines: - Kountry Kraft is signaling that dealer relationships are not just a sales channel, but a core part of its brand and growth strategy. - Putting sales and marketing under one leader suggests the company wants a more unified message to dealers and designers as custom projects become more consultative.

What's next: - Jacobson is expected to relocate to the Reading, Pennsylvania, area this summer. - Yiengst’s retirement in August 2026 will complete the transition in the sales leadership team. - Kountry Kraft is likely to keep expanding dealer education and product-training efforts under Jacobson's leadership.

The bottom line: - Kountry Kraft is betting that stronger dealer education and tighter sales-marketing alignment will help deepen its reach in custom cabinetry.