DWI

About

The Company:   

    Dixon Woodworking is located in North San Diego County on the outskirts of the "Friendly Village" of Fallbrook, California.  Best known for their Custom Woodworking, Dixon has provided Custom and pre-manufactured Doors, Windows, Mouldings and Hardware to the Finish Building Industry for over 4-decades.

    Along with their Manufacturing & Materials Supply Business, Dixon has been a leader in the Finish Carpentry Installation side of the industry since their early beginnings in the 1970's. 

    Dixon Woodworking has had the good fortune of providing "Turn Key" Millwork & Finish Carpentry Packages to some of the finest homes throught-out Southern California including Homes for; Bill Gates of Microsoft, Nancy Callaway of Callaway Wines, Mike Scioscia Manager of the Anaheim Angles, Cy Young winner Rick Aguilera, Hall of Famer Tony Gywnn and dozens of other high profile Clients.

    Dixon Woodworking is also well versed in the Commercial side of the industry providing and installing Finish Building Products for; The US Post Office, US Marine Corp, US Navy, Scripps Hospital, Fallbrook Union H.S. District and the Elementry School District and many other commercial businesses.

    Dixon has had tremendous employee loyalty over the years, many putting in over 20 years and some with over 30 years of dedication to the company.  Often only leaving at the encouragement of owner Rocky Dixon to venture out and start their own businesses by utlizing the knowledge and skills developed at Dixon.  "There have been at least a dozen companies spawn from our operation" says owner Rocky Dixon.  "Something I'm very proud of. I have been very lucky to have worked with what I consider some of the most skilled craftsmen in the industry".

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The Owner:

​   Raised on the border of Newport Beach and Costa Mesa in Southern California, Owner Rocky Dixon was ​intrigued and inspired at a very early age by his Creative and Crafty next door neighbors. 

 "Growing up next door to the Walter and Virginia Johnson Family made a huge impression on me as early as the 2nd Grade" states Rocky. "Walter and his two sons, Mike and Roger were highly talented and were always involved in a project whether it was creating funiture, canoes, kayaks, surfboards or restoring Model-T Trucks. The gifted family exposed me to a World of Craftmanship that to this day still ranks at a level I've never seen matched".

  These early impressions stuck with Rocky throughout his school days and lead him into the Yacht and Boat Building Industry that was so prevalent around the Newport Harbor area at the time.

  Not long after entering the Boat Building Trade, Rocky was recruited by High School Classmate Marshall "Duffy" Duffield.  At the encouragement and backing of Duffy's Dad, Marshall Sr. (3-time USC Football All American) the two teenagers and a hand full of other selected Classmates Launched the 1st Electric Boat to hit the harbor.  Pieced together from an old golf cart, an abandoned 20 foot boat haul mold and using sand bags for ballast, this original boat, properly named the "Edison 20" grew into a industry that to this day is known to be the "Bay Cruser" of the Elite from the California Coast to Florida and hundreds of lakes in between.  

"We were very young and adventurous" says Rocky, " we negotiated multi-boat deals with Disney World when they were just getting started, built a Sailing Racing Yacht for the California to Hawaii "Trans-Pac Race"  and still have some Sabot Sail Boats (that designer Duffy has not built since the early `70's) finish 1st thru 5th in the "Sabot World Cup".

  Rocky left the company in the early `70's and opened a Wood Shop next door to the electric boat yard.  "I started building cabinets and doing small bathroom and kitchen remodels.  Then one day my best friends sister called and asked if I would be interested in doing the Finish Carpentry Work on two homes her boss (a restaurant chain owner) was building on the beach in South Laguna, Calififornia. Rocky took the bait even though he knew this was way over his head.  Looking for help, Rocky got lucky when he called a friend of a friend named Larry Snyder.  Larry was known in the area to be a top rate Finish Carpenter and 10 years Rocky's senior.  Larry had just finished up a project and was looking for new work.  "We hooked up and he taught me what a real Finish Carpenter was.  He was a Door Hanging expert and showed me all the tips, techniques and tricks for hanging doors, building staircases, running crown moulding and all the other facets required of a top rate Finish Carpenter".  Rocky and Larry worked together for several years doing finish work and restaurant and bar interiors until a pending project was shut down when Indian Artifacts were discovered on the site. 

  In search of new work, Rocky contacted a former Co-worker, Jack Elliott who was builiding a house in San Diego County.  The former co-worker had mentioned in passing that Rocky should come down and do the finish work on his home when the time came.  When Rocky contacted the co-worker he said he hadn't even got the foundation pored yet.  Rocky, who had just acquired his Contractors licence talked him into letting him come down and build the house.  "Larry wasn't interesting in going to the town of Fallbrook in SD County so I coaxed two other buddies from the trades into moving onsite into traliers and motor homes while we built the 4200 sq.ft. home". 

  After the house was built (which was a stunning design and the talk of the town) Rocky decided to call Fallbrook his permanent home and moved into a 600 sq.ft. house on 24 acres with a 1500 sq.ft. Barn, which he quickly set up shop in and soon after relocated and married his long time girl friend from Newport, Heidi Illingworth. 

  Rocky got his next big break when he met Tibor Fekete, a Hungarian Woodworker who had been schooled in the trade via the European Apprenticeship Program since the age of 11.  "Tibor was a true "Master", Rocky says. Tibor migrated to Manhattan when he was 35 years old where he rose to the top in his field amongst many European trained craftsmen of the time.  When he got to California he was in his 60's.  Rocky and Tibor met in 1979 shortly after Tibor moved West from Long Island to Fallbrook and they became partners about a year later.  "I though I was a pretty good workworker until I met Tibor.  He humbled me quickly.  His was a Mistro Conductor when it came to wood.  He would tell me 'anything you can steal with your eyes is legal'.  "I became the biggest thief you've ever seen". Tibor and Rocky turned their focus toward Doors and Windows and that's pretty much where Rocky has stayed ever since.  
Tibor died way too young at the age of 69.  "I owe him so much and think of him almost everytime I push a board through the saw" states Rocky.

  Rocky went on to open one of the first "Door and Trim" Shops in San Diego County providing the building industry with "Turn Key Finish Packages and Installation".  He has also personally built over a dozen Speculated Custom Homes and Commercial Buildings in San Diego's North County.

 

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