Sudbury Living - Spring 2008 - 19

■ at home Canada’s ongoing housing boom kept things busy for retailers of building materials last year. That is why, rather than a done properly; that is where a contractor lawn and garden products, standard catalogue, Brown’s pubor equipment operator really helps out, lishes a design guide focused on advises Herold. “But after that, it is like including lumber and other leading homeowners through the Lego for the big kids.” design and planning of their outAs part of its continued efforts to be building materials, had the door escape. They also constantly on the leading edge, Brown’s Concrete fastest growth rate of all update the comprehensive Ideas has retained the Ontario rights to pro(photo) Gallery at the brownduce Rosetta landscape products. These commodity groupings. sconcrete.com website. stunning quality retaining walls and step These tools help Brown’s staff systems look like real rocks but are easier Sales for this group surged work with the homeowner to and less expensive to install. realize their dreams, be it a func“They look like they come from a quar9.9 percent to $27.3 billion. tional patio or pool deck, unique ry,” Herold says. (He has heard lots of That’s an average of $836 on entranceway or walkways, imjokes about making “rocks” in Sudbury.) pressive driveway, or stunning The Rosetta wall collection is an ena per capita basis. Canadians garden or retaining wall. gineered system comprised of interlockOnce the plan is in place, ing components weighing an average of spend an estimated $8-billion Brown’s staff can then introduce 220 pounds per square foot of face. This annually on their gardens. homeowners to the wide range weighty character allows Rosetta walls of quality products available, to achieve impressive heights without including ﬂag stones, interlocking pavers, garden wall units, reinforcement. The Rosetta wall collection features a variety segmental retaining walls and steps. of stone faces, according to the sales brochure. Each stone “Stone products last longer than asphalt or poured concrete, is made of architectural grade, precast concrete of the ﬁnest they are cooler in the summer, and the esthetic value is unlimit- quality, the integrity of which will not be compromised by ed due to the variety of colour, pattern and sizes,” Herold says. weather’s unpredictable elements. Although Brown’s Concrete makes most of its stone prodBrown’s Concrete celebrated its 100th anniversary in Suducts right here in Sudbury, it also imports several items from bury in 2007. The company was established in 1907 by David other reputable suppliers. Lester Brown. It was later purchased by Johannes Herold and “Whether you want to accent our quality products, or have Taisto Eilomaa. Three of Johannes’ sons, Manfred, Gordon something truly unique to our marketplace, we have alterna- and Glenn now run the company, located on Herold Rd., at tives available,” he says. the southwest overpass on Highway 69 S. When it comes time to building your dream, Brown’s ConThe company manufactures concrete blocks, paving stone, crete experts can help homeowners realize a do-it-yourself segmented retaining wall units and other concrete items for project, or put them in touch with contractors and certiﬁed markets in Ontario and northern United States. Brown’s is also installers. a distributor of brick, designer stone, artiﬁcial stone veneers, If a patio is installed properly, it should last a lifetime (or bagged cement and associated landscaping and construction longer). The most important thing is to make sure the base is materials. SL Spring 2008 Sudbury Living In 2006, sales of hardware, 19

Sudbury Living - Spring 2008

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