Page 2 - Demo

2 | August 2024
Block Tops Inc.
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Because of the predominantly wholesale markets Block Tops serves, there is really not much use for extensive showrooms, said Kolenski. “We offer in-home design service, and our sales team would be doing that. Even if it’s a walk-in, we would sug- gest that we meet in the customer’s home where we can evaluate their needs.” Block Tops is tapped in to another lucrative niche, he said. “We also work with a few differ- ent cabinet re-facing companies. They sell the job, they do the re-facing and we supply the countertops. This is probably the sec- ond highest volume part of our business, behind big box.”
Go Wet, Young Man!
From the very beginning, Kolenski didn’t know about the silica issue, but knew he didn’t want all the dust, he recalled. “Some were saying that we needed a way to dry cut reinforcement rods or whatever, and we simply said no dry cutting or grinding at all! It has to be done wet. This one decision really helped us when the 2016 OSHA reg- ulations came out. So we were ready, and when we started getting air testing, being a fully wet shop really helped, especially when the public health guys came into our shop for tours, saying it even smelled dif- ferent in here! For us, being wet is not only
Slippery Rock Gazette
the most effective manager we have. He
Above: Block Tops Anaheim, California office staff. The Anaheim office is the original and main branch, and is setting standards in terms of wet fabrication and dust control. Right: The Anaheim shop fabrication team in front of their BACA SawJet.
exudes Block Tops, and I would put him up against anyone in the industry. Products and machines you can buy, character you can’t teach. It is part of our people.”
Big on Big Box
A major percentage of the company’s output is to multiple big box companies such as Home Depot, which is currently their biggest customer, and has been doing business with Block Tops since 1990. Approximately 90% wholesale, Block Tops also caters to other revenue sources such as kitchen and bath dealers as well as a wee bit of commercial and contrac- tor work, explained Kolenski. “We try to keep our commercial work to jobs that get done quickly, because one of our priorities is a low level of debt. You actually have to pay us if we do a job, and some of the big commercial jobs just string-out the money too long! So we focus on the smaller, quick turn jobs.”
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Left: The Sacramento Block Tops fabrication crew. Both locations use BACA machines, and also Park Industries equipment.
Below: The Sacramento install crew, and a locked and loaded full- size slab ready for transport to a nearby jobsite.
healthier, it turns out it’s also the better, faster option. You just have to figure it out, and once you know, you know! BACA and Park Industries are our go-to equipment manufacturers. Parts are readily available, they are reliable, and both companies have done a really great job for us. They are good guys, too!”
According to Kolenski, company team members are always kept below 100, and all are considered family. “Some of them have been with us for 35 years, many for over twenty. A lot of our newer guys have
the most potential while learning the trade, and are very excited about it. We have a certain way of doing things, and very sel- dom do we bring anyone in from another company. So most of our shop guys are home-grown, and once they learn the craft, they feel like part of the team, because they were taught by their peers and success- ful because of their peers. Our plant man- ager came from Honduras 15 years ago not knowing anything about fabrication. He learned the language, learned the craft, and now runs our Sacramento location. He is
NSI CEO Jim Hieb joined ISFA board president Ted Sherritt for a meeting of California pub- lic health officials hosted by Nate Kolenski at the Block Tops Anaheim facility, which is an NSI Accredited fabrication shop. The meeting helped officials understand what a silica-safe shop looks like, and showcased industry training resources available to stone companies.