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Van Wert Native Contributes to Restoration Activity in Ohio

Ask Joe Redd, the network administrator for The Durable Slate Company in Columbus if computers are vital to a construction company. "A computer is to the office staff member as the slate hammer and ripper are to the roofers," says Redd, a 1998 graduate of Lincolnview High School in Van Wert.

Redd couldn't have foreseen that he would end up working in the field of historic restoration when he got his associate degrees in accounting and information systems from the University of Northwestern Ohio in Lima. However, as a lifelong history buff, he's enthusiastic about Durable Slate's purpose of preserving historic properties using old-world restoration techniques.

Redd, who was born in Sidney and lived there for 15 years before moving to Van Wert at the beginning of high school, must have a bit of the Ohio pioneer spirit.

Unwilling to spend his day sitting in a cubicle performing the same functions day in and day out, he says, "I get to be the all-in-one person and do something different every day. It feels like what I do has more impact on the company because my duties are so diverse."

Having an impact is important to Redd. While he is currently attending DeVry University in Columbus, he is also learning the Hubbard Business Administration system in Durable Slate's in-house classroom.

One of the principles of this administrative technology is that an employee in any position can have such an impact as to affect the company's success. Redd clearly envisions how he can accomplish this at Durable Slate, which performs the restoration and preservation of some of Ohio's architectural treasures - including, among others, the homes of former presidents Harding and Hayes, the addition to the Neal Armstrong Air & Space Museum in Wapakoneta, and the Frank Lloyd Wright Westcott House in Springfield.

Redd says his biggest challenge is getting a group of people who have worked in construction all their lives to understand how computers can have a terrific impact on the company. "This isn't immediately obvious to everyone here because many are not the type to go home after work and fool around on a computer.

"However, there is a potential for growth in having the right software and people trained to use it to the utmost. Computers can have a big impact on efficiency and production in any business.

"Before I came to work here I was in a comfortable job, but with no great prospect for the future. Now I feel that I can be a part of what Durable Slate does. I make it possible for the company to do more projects because the company is more efficient."

Doing more projects means needing more people. Durable Slate would welcome more fine employees who, like Joe, hail from the Van Wert area. Durable Slate was recently seen in Van Wert salvaging slate from the Glenmore Grain Elevator which was being demolished. This slate is destined to be used for the restoration and repair of slate roofs in Ohio.

Have You Seen The Durable Slate Ripper?

A slate ripper is a forged steel tool which is specifically designed to remove slate from a roof. The long, thin bar slides up under the slate, and the tip is specially designed to engage the nails for removal.

John Stortz & Son, Inc. of Philadelphia, PA. manufactures a variety of tools, including slate rippers. Over the years, Durable Slate's craftsmen would purchase and use Stortz rippers on their day-to-day slate repairs and provide the manufacturer with feedback about the ripper's performance. Stortz listened and modified the design, resulting in the new "Durable Model" slate ripper named for the helpful crews of The Durable Slate Company.

Durable Slate Employee Wins National Award

Jeremy Decker, a native of Hillsboro, a graduate of Hillsboro High School and a lead slater for The Durable Slate Company, received the Most Valuable Player Award at the International Roofing Expo in Orlando, Florida on February 17, 2005. These annual awards are sponsored by the National Roofing Contractors Association and the Roofing Industry Alliance for Progress.

Nominees are judged on specific criteria: "outstanding on-the-job performance, attracting new roofing workers and helping retain existing ones, contributing to a team effort, and community service and volunteerism."

Click here to see why Jeremy won this award.

Durable Slate Contracted to Perform the Ealy House Restoration

The New Albany Plain Township Historical Society has chosen Durable Slate as the prime contractor for Phase One of the historic Ealy House restoration. The house is located at 6359 East Dublin-Granville Rd. in New Albany, Ohio.

Both the interior and exterior of the building will be restored to its original beauty. The brick exterior will be cleaned, and 50% of the masonry will be repointed with lime putty which will be analyzed and custom-blended to match the original mortar. The slate roof and flashings will be repaired and new copper gutters will be installed as well.

Furthermore, the original windows of this house will be preserved. Wood restoration techniques will be employed to repair many of the existing wood windows, and replacement glass panes will be matched as closely as possible to the existing historic glass.

As for the interior, the hardwood floors will be refinished, plaster walls and ceilings will be repaired and replaced as necessary, and in some rooms wallpaper may be removed and the walls and trim painted. In addition, the electrical systems will be updated and modern heating and air conditioning units will be installed.

Phase One is expected to be completed by October 2005.