ARCA Woodworkers was founded in 1992 when two woodworkers, both named Michael, decided to start a wood shop of their own.  Graduates of Chico State University, they combined their expertise in design, craftsmanship and project management to build a company that today provides quality cabinetry and architectural woodworking from Big Sur to San Francisco.

Michael Trionfetti started his woodworking career as a teenager in the steel mills of Pennsylvania, where he practiced the hot art of casting molten steel, rolling steel plates and forging ingots.  The call of the West rewarded him with a passion for scuba diving and a job he loved, working with his hands to build beautiful and functional cabinets. Although Trionfetti spends most of his day now orchestrating the production of architectural elements as varied as the kiosks at the Monterey Bay Aquarium to hidden passageway door panels in an Atherton mansion, he still appreciates the rewards of wood working, even if means replacing chewed boards in the horse barn or pruning his orchard.

Michael Stark could be considered Trionfetti's first mentor, and remembers long lunches with him explaining the qualities of different wood species and special techniques of joinery.  Stark is now found interfacing with the architects, designers and contractors that comprise the wholesale customer base for ARCA. If not, he's either enjoying a musical on Broadway or trekking on the granite trails of the High Sierra.   

It takes many hands to make beautiful work.