Masonry Magazine March 2001 Page. 10
CONTRACTOR
CONTRACTOR TO CONTRACTOR
A Member's Perspective
Contractor to Contractor is submitted to bring contractors closer together. By sharing thoughts and ideas, mason contractors will find that we all have common bonds and can benefit by sharing with each other. Contractors featured in this column are all members of the MCAA and vary in size, type of masonry performed, and operations style. The purpose of the column is to bring out the common problems, concerns, and positive experiences in the industry. If you would like more information about having your company featured, please contact Jeff Buczkiewicz 1-800-536-2225.
What is your biggest challenge that you face as a mason contractor?
Our biggest challenge is finding and keeping quality journeyman bricklayers. As a society we don't encourage our children to learn a trade, we encourage them to go to college. Consequently as an employer, we have a very limited supply of quality craftsmen to hire from. We end up training most of our bricklayers in-house. This increases our cost of doing business, which increases our prices to our customers and makes us less competitive against other industries or construction methods.
If I could change one thing about the industry it would be ...
The lack of quality journeyman bricklayers.
What do you like most about being a contractor in the masonry industry?
I like the fact that masonry is still an art. The masonry industry is not one that just anyone can perform and hopefully will never be replaced by automation. It takes a special type of person to be a mason and being in this industry allows me to be surrounded by dedicated, talented people that take pride in the work they do. The projects that we work on, when finished provide a great amount of pride just knowing that our work is unique and will probably last longer than us.
What project are you most proud of?
The Calley Lane project in South Russell, Ohio. West Island Architects of California designed this home for a local doctor and his family. It is a two and three story brick veneer with grapevine mortar joints, custom shaped barn stone panels, custom cut stone lintels and sills, round turret walls, a very detailed fireplace face and chimney, all custom cut and shaped with very intricate details.
The home was sold two years after completion and the new owners added a swimming pool behind the home. The new owners insisted that Kline Construction perform the masonry work around the pool because of the quality of the workmanship performed on the original home. The pool and patio included brick walls with stone accents and steps that mimicked the original house. The stonework included various natural shapes chiseled into the faces. Our masonry work blended with the pool.
COMPANY: Kline Construction Corporation
LOCATION: 9385 Hamilton Drive Mentor, Ohio 44060
SALES VOLUME: $1-$5 million
NO. OF EMPLOYEES: 45
YEARS IN BUSINESS: 20
Laurence A. Kline
President
Kline Construction