Collin Trimmingham of Emmauel Woodworks is probably best described as one of St Vincent and the Grenadines “master woodworker”.
Having been exposed by his father who was a builder to creative woodworks as a young boy, Trimmingham recalls that he and his brother began experimenting by constructing small wooden houses and he even made a guitar at one time. This talent to showcase the beauty and creativity of wood construction and design intensified after he left school at an early age and went to work with one of the leading firms in the industry, where he learnt much more to the art. He, however, branched off and catered to individual orders and it was through this avenue that his work was recognized, paving the way for him to become a furniture supplier to one of St. Vincent and the Grenadines’ leading furniture stores.
From kitchen cupboards to beds and wall units and tables, Trimmingham specializes in household furniture and boasts of “style, innovation and selection that stand the test of time”.
He says he always strives to produce not only furniture that are beautiful, but that are also strong. He expects the local woodwork industry to expand over the next few years. He is also hoping that other local woodworkers will lift their game to meet regional standards.
“I have a vision for a regional market but I think here in St Vincent we need to get serious about our business and lift our standard in the woodwork industry”, Trimmingham says.
Trimmingham attributes his success in part to the guidance and assistance he got from CED. Although he did not get a business loan from a financial institution, he has benefitted from various training programmes offered by CED and even attended the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) Caribbean Technological Consulting Services (CTCS) 
Network Sub-regional workshop on Management Techniques for Artisans in St. Lucia. He urges others to seek assistance from CED so that they too may be able to start and operate successful businesses.
“I’m very much satisfied with CED because there are a lot of things that I as a young entrepreneur was taking for granted until I started going to CED’s training and they started showing me different things. I will encourage other young people to come to CED and get the training and necessary assistance to get their business going or upgraded."