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How to avoid being swallowed? Independents try consolidating
By Don Callahan
Big red cement trucks--with the dry weather we've had of late, the town has been able to work on street repairs. Concrete has been pouring from those big red concrete mixers owned by Central Concrete Supply Co. Inc. Central Concrete is owned by brothers, Bill and Tom Albanese, raised and still living in the local area ... the same Tom Albanese who owns Campo di Bocce, by the way. I recently saw the movie Extreme in which surfboarders, windsurfers, snowboarders and snow skiers went to the extreme in turns of their adventures--on 30-foot waves, on more than 10,000-foot-high mountains. The one major theme that I picked up was that they stayed ahead of the danger by going with the flow and becoming a part of the ocean and mountain rather than fighting them. Bill and Tom have done just that.
The company was incorporated in 1948 by their dad, Carmen Albanese. Bill and Tom worked at the plant part time during their high school and college days and went to work full time in the mid '60s. When their dad passed away in 1976, the brothers took over the operation. The company has grown to be one of the largest cement manufacturers in the valley, with a reputation for quality service and good treatment of employees. Among the numerous plaques of appreciation that cover their office walls, there is one that stands out among all the rest; the one with the names of those employees who have retired and the number of years they have served the company; 15, 20, 30 years of loyal service.
As with many industries, large companies are beginning to swallow up smaller ones. To prevent that happening to their company, Bill and Tom have joined with another San Jose concrete company, Walkers Concrete Inc., started in 1949, and a number of smaller concrete companies around the United States to form a consolidation called U.S. Concrete, with its initial public stock offering on the NASDAQ last week. The local companies will still operate independently, as they always have with the same quality service and care. "We do not want to be swallowed up by a big national firm. The community means too much to us for that. This consolidation will prevent that kind of a takeover, and we will have access to a much larger pool of capital to make equipment and operational improvements," Bill says. Going with the flow and becoming part of the environment in a manner that enables them to maintain their high standards and deep regard for their community.
The Town of Los Gatos Chamber of Commerce is about 300 members strong, boasts a dedicated board of directors and a big commitment to help solve parking problem. Executive director Sheri Lewis is a Los Gatos High School grad; membership director is Linda Masters and information specialist is Pattidawn Horn. Funnel your opinions through the Chamber for stronger business voice. Call 354-5951.
The office building going up at 15575 Los Gatos Blvd. is quite a big project. Builder is Lexmar Development Co. L.L.C., the same company that built the office building at the site of the razed Pace Optical building at 15827 Los Gatos Blvd.
Morgan Stanley Dean Witter will hold an open house on Friday, June 18, from 4 to 7 p.m. and Saturday, June 19, from 9 a.m. to noon at its newly constructed offices, 16000 Los Gatos Blvd., in the Cornerstone Shopping Center. "The general public is invited, refreshments will be served, but more important, stock market specialists will be there to answer any and all questions you may have about your favorite stock(s) or the stock market in general," according to Andrew Clift, general manager.
The new comes in and the old retires. Mabel C. Lai, owner and operator of Mabel's Lantern House Mandarin Restaurant, known to most as "Mabel's," has closed her restaurant doors and retired. Mabel's was in business--just one door down from the theater--for 18 years. Lai was also an author, having penned a Chinese home cookery book called Mabel's Table, published in 1974.
To help the traffic problem at the corner of College Avenue and E. Main Street, the Town Council moved to have that intersection controlled by three-way stop signs. And it works. Unwittingly, maybe, the council also made Kelly's Coffee & Fudge Factory the most visible business location in Los Gatos. Staring you right in the face is the front entrance and the front and side windows of Kelly's when you make that stop going east on Main Street.
For Mark Dawson, it's a dream come true. The owner of Frame It Art & Design at 651 University Ave. for the last 10 years is leaving the area for Bainbridge Island across Puget Sound from Seattle, Washington. For many years, Dawson, his wife Rebecca and daughters Deva and Bryn have enjoyed camping in the Northwest. So much so that about three years ago they started to look for a home in the Seattle area. Last December they bought that home right on the water's edge from which they can sail their sailboat and relax until it's time to find another vocation. Mark has sold his business to John Agg, a watercolor artist by avocation. Having been a CFO for many years, Agg says it is time to use the artistic creative side of his brain. Join Mark and John at an open house on Sunday, June 27, from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. The theme will be "The Spirit of Los Gatos" and will feature three local watercolor artists and their interpretation of the "Spirit."
Got a business news tip for Don Callahan? Fax him at 354-3917 or send an email to lgwt@svcn.com.
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Los Gatos, California Since 1881
