Staff

Alex Von Ahsen

Residential Interior Designer / Residential Co-Manager

Alex Von Ahsen joined Phelan's in 2009, the same year he graduated from Kirkwood Community College with a degree in Interior Design.  Prior to working at Phelan's he was the Store Manager and In-Home Designer at Interior Elements.

Alex has earned many prestigious honors, including being a finalist in the Norwalk Furniture Design Star contest, three consecutive years as a Best of Houzz for design 2012-2015 and has had his designs featured in two publications, Elements and Home and Garden.

For Alex, being a designer is all about the relationships he makes with his clients and other design professionals.  He feels strongly that getting to know the client's style preferences and personalities helps him to create unique, beautiful spaces that make the client feel at home. He helps guide clients through the process of finding all the perfect elements that fit not only the look but also the functionality of every family.

Candice Luter

Commercial Account Manager/Business Development

Candice began working At Phelan's in 2015 as a Commercial Account Manager and Business Development Executive. Prior to working at Phelan's she was employed at Intertrade, a Rockwell Collins company, for a little over 7 years working up to Customer Account Manager. During that time she was responsible for managing several of the company's largest contracts and was directly involved in the development, growth, and maintenance of strategic accounts in the American, European, and Asian markets. With each customer being unique, Candice has been able to fill customer's requirements by discovering those unarticulated needs by effectively communicating for the successful close and implementation of incoming sales bids. Through her years of experience at Intertrade, she proactively prepared for and managed unforeseen delays while remaining flexible to modifications, at the same time providing detail-specific project management that built lasting relationships. As a result she was awarded the Inside Salesman of the Year Award in 2014.

Ever since she was a little girl she has always had a love for design. "While my friends were playing with Barbie's, I was asking my mother to buy graph paper and I would draw mock-up blueprints and design layouts for furniture." In high school, she job shadowed at Phelan’s, considering becoming an Interior Designer, but eventually obtained a Fitness Development degree from Coe College here in Cedar Rapids. Years later Candice became more involved in the new movement of "upcycling" by repurposing furniture and home décor in her garage. It was at this point in time when she crossed paths again with Phelan's and the idea of combining her year of commercial sales experience and her passion for design materialized into a perfect fit – it felt like "Home".

Besides putting her hand to something creative outside of the office, Candice also enjoys spending time with her daughter, meeting up with friends and family to watch football, and remains an active member of her church by being involved as a teacher and a musician in the worship band.

Doreen Dodd

Residential Purchasing Specialist

Doreen has returned to Phelan's after having worked here in 2008 – 2010. The team at Phelan's was happy to welcome her back in 2015 as Purchasing Specialist. Doreen brings many talents to the table with experience working in retail sales, manufacturing, data entry, and small business management. She has developed a very well-rounded skill set that has proven to be very valuable. When she is not hard at work in the office at Phelan's, she enjoys gardening, reading, riding bikes, and spending time with her two boys and two granddaughters.

Jackie Kiracofe

Residential Interior Designer

Jackie joined the Phelan's team in 2016. She graduated in 2009 from Kirkwood Community College with a degree in Interior Design. Jackie most recently worked as an Interior Designer and Lighting Specialist in the Iowa City area.

She loves to work one on one with clients, helping them find their personal style and how to best incorporate it into their home in a fun and functional way. "My favorite part of the design process is when a client and I have those 'ah ha!' moments, when we find the perfect pieces that we both get excited about."

Jackie looks forward to really getting to know her clients, building great relationships, and providing outstanding customer service from start to finish.

Joanne Ungs

Residential Design Librarian

Joanne works at Phelan’s part-time as the Residential Design Librarian where she is busy updating catalogs and fabrics from various vendors and manufacturers. Joanne is famous in our office for her homemade cookies. She bakes a batch every Saturday that she works as our receptionist and lucky customers to the store on those Saturdays enjoy her creations.

Kayla Phelan

Vice President

Kayla began working at Phelan's in 2013 marking her the fourth generation to be involved in the family business. Her role is Commercial Account Manager and Business Development Executive. She enjoys working directly with clients to maintain existing relationships, foster new relationships, and help guide clients through the design process and installation completion. Kayla studied journalism and communications at the University of Iowa, then gained 3 years of corporate sales experience working at Hibu (formerly Yellowbook) as sales account manager. Through professional experience, Kayla has developed an ability to identify the needs of clients through careful listening and provide excellent customer service all the way through project completion. Outside of work at Phelan's, Kayla enjoys community involvement on multiple levels. She is a current member of Metro North Rotary club, board member and secretary of the Eastern Iowa chapter of International Facilities Management Association (IFMA), and is also a trainer and coach at Kosama Cedar rapids. Kayla is very excited to be part of the family business and aspires to continue the tradition of exceptional professional design services and quality customer care in the commercial department at Phelan's.

Kolene Acheson

Secretary/Treasurer

A twenty year veteran in accounting, Kolene has practical accounting experience in both retail and manufacturing operations. Her course work was done at Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids, and her career at Phelan's began in 1998 with our accounts receivable department. Kolene has mastered all of our administration positions and was promoted to Office Manager in 2008. Kolene is responsible for the smooth operation of the accounting office and the positive experience each vendor and customer receives.

Mary Akin

Residential Interior Designer

With 33 years in the fashion and interior design profession, Mary is proud to be associated with Phelan's. Her background includes over 15 years as an Interior Designer and Store Manager for Ethan Allen. Mary has won numerous awards during her career including Ethan Allen's "Circle of Excellence", and Top Customer Service. "Let me take the challenge out of decorating your home. I am committed to making it a fun experience while creating the ambiance you envision your family and guests enjoying. Whether it is an entire house or simply one piece I will make sure you receive the best service and great quality products. I look forward to helping you discover your style."

Nancy Birkicht

Commercial Flooring Estimator

Nancy Birkicht joins Phelan's from the flooring industry, with a concentration in tile distribution. Nancy has over 20 years of experience in operations, customer service, purchasing and inventory management; skills she uses to provide the most efficient flow of information between the commercial sales, design and operations departments. Her attention to detail ensures every commercial project receives the utmost care in the most efficient manner.

Paul Phelan

Paul Phelan

Paul entered the family business in 1983 after two years of retail management schooling at Ellsworth Community College and four years job experience in the home furnishings and jewelry industries. His first responsibility was the retail paint division, working with home owners and contractors. Experiencing numerous successful relationships with contractors, Paul was able to expand the products and services offered to our client base. As the company continued to develop commercial and contract clients, Paul was an integral part in the commercial department’s beginnings. Paul has continued to improve his management skills through volunteering for numerous community organizations. In 2001, he was president of Daybreak Rotary and earned Rotarian of the year for his Gearing Up For Kids initiative. He has been the recipient of the Betty Barry Volunteer Award, The Rotarians Service Above Self award, the Child Advocate Alternate Services Award, and the Community Services Trustee Award to name a few. Paul and his wife Kathy have three children, and Paul is active in his church community as well.

Ryan Copler

Warehouse Manager

Ryan Copler joined Phelan's Furniture Family in March, 2016 coming to us after several years at Smulekoff's before it's closing in 2015. Ryan has an AA from Kirkwood Community College and this past year he worked side-by-side his father general contracting his parent's new home. Besides working to insure your furniture is assembled, delivered and set up to your specifications, Ryan keeps busy doing any and all jobs that help insure a great client experience! In his spare time Ryan enjoys watching his beloved Packers and Oregon Ducks as well as deer hunting and boating.

Ryan Grafft

Warehouse and Delivery

Ryan comes to Phelan's by way of the United States Army. Capt. Grafft is a veteran of the Iraq War and Phelan's feels honored to have a decorated veteran like Capt. Grafft on its staff. In addition to his service to Country, Capt. Grafft studied at the University of Iowa School of Pharmacy prior to accepting his commission as an officer and volunteering for duty overseas. Leading his troops on a daily basis qualifies him to be responsible for your furniture's safe arrival in your home. If you ever see him, tell him thanks for a job well done. He has given a lot to ensure our freedom.

Stacie Reid

Residential Interior Designer / Residential Co-Manager

Stacie joins the Phelan's team after a lengthy stay at the Great Furniture Mart. She earned her Interior Design degree at Iowa State University and is very excited to work with Phelan's customers to help them develop the perfect style for their home. "I like to provide design solutions that create each client's unique style, which reflects their taste and personality. I feel it is important for the space to look beautiful and function well. It gives me so much pleasure when I interpret my clients' dreams into the home they have always wanted."

Tia Grabau

Commercial Interior Designer

Arriving fresh out of the Interior Design program through Kirkwood Community College, Tia Garbau joins our team at Phelan’s in 2015. This wasn't her first step though, as Tia has a Landscaping degree from Kirkwood as well. She has combined experience working with home accents and natural elements while employed 5 years in retail. Tia strives for creativity, functionality and excellence in ever project.

Tom Phelan

Chairman

Tom was raised in the family business from the time he was old enough to work. Through junior and senior high school, he worked afternoons and weekends learning the business from the ground up. After serving for four years in the Air Force during the Vietnam conflict, Tom returned to the business in 1974. Assigned to the newly formed "Design Studio", he worked under various designers while attending the interior design curriculum at Kirkwood Community College. In 1976, Tom assumed the responsibility for the wholesale division, traveling eastern Iowa and western Illinois providing decorating products to other retail establishments. Enjoying the travel and helping other retailers develop their product offerings, Tom was simultaneously employed by the Valspar corporation for seventeen years. While employed by Valspar, he received the Duane Sevyrud Sales Excellence Award and was named Salesman of the Year in 1985. Working for Valspar as well as the family business was an experience that serves him well to this day. In early 1990, Tom was responsible for co-developing the commercial aspect of the business that presently serves fortune 500 companies locally as well as nationally. Tom continues to be actively involved with customer development leaving the day to day operations to the extremely capable management staff. Tom and his wife Kathy have four grown children. He has been active in the community in numerous volunteer positions including the Boy Scouts of America, Equipping Youth, Aid to Women, and the Cedar Rapids Police Department.