Race car champion’s drive to create fuels new business

After an exciting, winning career in motorsports Colin Thompson, a young man on the move, is making a living out of what he calls a dying art—the demanding, meticulous and artistic handcrafting of exquisite woods.
He is making furniture but he thinks of it as art.
Thompson is carefully building his high-end business, Paramount Wood Co., from the ground up—literally. His workshop occupies the basement floor of a building at 6162 Lower York Road in Solebury Township.
Next will come his showroom on the first floor, to display his handsome handcrafted, one-of-a-kind pieces. Then, he’ll be turning the top floor into his home. That’s the physical part of his business plan.
The business got off to a start that could only be considered a nail-biter. Although he founded the company Feb. 1, 2020, as the pandemic hung heavy, turning much of the business world into a wasteland, his winning spirit has carried him through.
“I never gave up, and now I have a handful of employees helping to grow the company,” he said. “I want to make a local impact in our natural environment while hand-making custom furniture. We use rare wood species from around the world.”
Thompson is 27 now and already retired from a winning racing career. Growing up in Doylestown he had two passions, woodworking and racing. “I was doing both when I was 5 years old,” he said. “My father had a woodworking shop and so did my grandfather, and later I took woodworking classes.”
Thompson’s passion for racing came naturally. His grandfather was the late Jack Thompson, founder of the Thompson Organization, and a racing fan. Colin Thompson first competed in quarter midget racing, and when he was 15 was one of 2,000 drivers entered in the Grand Nationals. He captured the winning trophy. He promptly got his pro license, and then drove for Volkswagen, Audi, Porsche, McLaren and a prototype manufacturer named Norma, winning four more championships.
“I retired from racing that year and decided to pursue my second love—making a sustainable difference through a creative talent I have,” he said.

As Thompson offered a brief tour of his 2,500-square-foot workshop, pointing out joiners and planers and a dust-free sterile room for finishing, the reverence he holds for wood was palpable.
“We don’t cut down trees,” he said. “We only use those that have fallen naturally or been damaged by storms.” He said all of his wood, which comes from around the world as well as from Bucks County, is ethically sourced.
He feels so strongly about the environmental problems created by deforestation, he has pledged to plant 10 trees for every piece of furniture he makes. He also is working on a planting program for Doylestown Borough parks.
Thompson glowed with pride as he pointed to several works in progress, a handsome conference table awaiting a contrasting wood insert, another table made of rare box elder with butterfly joinery. “We use only finishes safe for the environment,” he said.
The company has just shipped two pieces of furniture to Norway, a table to California and a bench to Indiana. Some of Thompson’s work is available on Etsy, the online marketplace, and there are smaller pieces as well, such as chopping boards and wall art.
For large custom projects Thompson generally works with interior decorators. Clients who plan to buy custom work may take part in the design process if they wish, so their special project becomes not just a collaborative effort but a personal luxury.
Thompson’s co-owner/girlfriend, Alexandra Andresen, is the lead designer. Ryan Taylor, who has worked with custom cabinet shops for years, is the lead woodworker, and Marcus Kay, who is based in London, is head of marketing for the company.
“I wanted a small team, a boutique business,” said Thompson. He has those, and he definitely does have his eye on a global market

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