Masonry Magazine January 1969 Page.40
CHICAGO
MCAAD
SHERMAN HOUSE
FEBRUARY 14-17
Fairmont Buys Dur-O-wal
On July 29, 1969, the assets, business and name of Dur-O-wal National, Inc. were acquired by the Fairmont Group, Inc. The Company will continue its operations with the same personnel.
The new operating Company will function as a subsidiary of The Fairmont Group, Inc., which, through other like subsidiaries, has acquired the assets and taken over the business of the other Dur-O-wal Companies. In this new arrangement, Larry F. Becker has been appointed President. Wil Brynjolfsson has accepted the position of Vice President, Sales.
The key officers of the Fairmont Group, Inc. are Martin and Eugene Isenberg. Previously, Martin Isenberg was a partner in the Management Consulting Division of Lybrand, Ross Bros. & Montgomery. Eugene Isenberg was a senior executive with Standard Oil Company of New Jersey.
Brochure by National Lime
The National Lime Association, Washington, D. C., has published a 4-page brochure, "Lime Dries Up Mud," which should be of special interest to contractors working on wet sites. By using hydrated lime, the contractor can dry the soil quickly, creating a firm all-weather working table. As a result, construction is expedited and valuable downtime is reduced.
The brochure describes the construction steps involved, as well as costs, safety precautions, etc. Copies can be obtained from the National Lime Association.
A story out of London tells of a carpenter who did his job so expertly that he was fired!
A London court upheld an employer's right to fire an employee-even if he performed his work too well. The court ruled that Septimus Welch, 54, could be dismissed because, as his employer claimed, his workmanship was of such an "unnecessarily high" standard that it slowed up production.
NCMA Moves in Arlington
The National Concrete Masonry Association has moved to new and larger offices in Arlington, Va. New address is P.O. Box 9185, Rosslyn Station, Arlington, Va. 22209. The telephone number remains the same a/c 703 524-0815.
Huron Cement Relocates
Huron Cement, Division of National Gypsum Company, is moving both its main business and Detroit District Sales Offices to the new Honeywell Center Office Building in Southfield, Michigan. The effective date of the transfer of operations from the Ford Building in downtown Detroit to this new location was October 1, 1969.
Mortarless Wedge Blocks
Norman L. Hancock (left), president of Wedge Block, Inc., St. Louis, discusses features of the revolutionary new building material with James Musgraves, president of newly-formed Future Designs, Inc., Leitchfield, Ky. Musgraves is the first franchise holder for Wedge Block, invented by Hancock. His new firm was organized for the purpose of manufacturing and marketing the mortarless blocks, which he termed "the best idea to come along in years." The blocks offer considerable savings to the consumer with greater profit to the contractor because they require no mixing or carrying of mortar. Joint striking and clean-up also are eliminated. According to Hancock, the product has the full endorsement of the Bricklayers, Masons & Plasterers International Union of America.
Koehring Marks 63d Year
From a small building under a viaduct to the upper floors of one of Milwaukee's newest downtown structures. This capsulizes the physical movements of Koehring, a 62-year-old manufacturing complex and one of the nation's 500 largest industrial firms. During six decades, however, other physical changes and many corporate adjustments have expanded this Wisconsin-based corporation into a world-wide business as well.
This summer Koehring completed a move into quarters situated on the 15th and 16th floors of the new 20-story Marshall & Ilsley bank building at 780 N. Water St. The 24,000 sq. ft. of office space available compares to the 19,800 sq. ft. at the firm's previous headquarters location on four floors of an insurance building, and one floor in a building next to it.
But there can be little comparison to the shop started by Philip Koehring in 1907, housed in a small rented building under Milwaukee's busy 16th Street viaduct. At that time there was only one product an improved concrete mixer. Koehring's product line now ranges from construction and farm implement equipment to plastics processing machinery and hydraulics with net annual sales of more than $221 million.
Melvin Heads Caretti, Inc.
Larry J. Melvin, who has been associated with Caretti, Inc. since 1961, has been elected President of the firm. His election came at a special meeting of the Board of Directors. Samuel Z. Caretti was elected Chairman of the Board, and Wendel M. McCraney was elected Vice-President.
According to a company announcement, the action of the Board was taken to place the company operations under the direction of Mr. Melvin. This will permit Mr. Caretti to devote more of his time to the increase and development of company business.
Mr. Melvin is the President of the Mason Contractors Association of Central Penna., Hershey, Penna. He is serving on the Show Supervision Committee of the Harrisburg Builders Exchange. He is a member of the United States Chamber of Commerce, the Harrisburg Chamber of Commerce and the West Shore Chamber of Commerce.
Home Construction Idea
Harold V. Gleason, president and chief executive of Franklin National Bank, New York, has proposed that Congress study the possibility of tax exemption for home mortgages coupled with the elimination of taxes on savings interest as a means of stimulating home construction.
"The first action could enormously increase the incentive of all financial institutions in every state by increasing the attractiveness of effective rates," he said. "The other would increase the incentive of individuals to save at financial institutions. The government will not suffer a tax loss since the elimination of the income derived from a tax on savings accounts will be more or less offset by the lower interest charge deductions claimed by home mortgage holders."