Arriscraft Celebrates 70 Years: Part II
Welcome back! In this story, we’re continuing our 70 year celebration with a look at key events from the 1990s to today. Enjoy!
1990s: Commercial Success, Product Expansion and U.S. Opportunity
With a diversified customer base, Arriscraft faired decently through the major recession of the early 1990s and even opened a brick production plant in Quebec, in 1990. The company’s new architectural client base continued to grow and by 1993 the Cambridge plant was running 24/7, with only an 8 hour break each week. A third press was added shortly after.
In the early 90s, we offered a range of traditional Building Stone styles, including Citadel® , Laurier, Everest, and Old Mill in many colours. And our Renaissance® line also continued to grow with expanded finish and colour options.
Always motivated to maintain its momentum and avoid slowdowns that would affect employees, Arriscraft began a practice of product introductions to stimulate interest, especially during periods of market contraction. Despite being the only manufacturer of calcium silicate masonry units in North America, the company did not rest on this advantage and committed to offering new products for both residential and commercial customers. During this period, we proactively developed products that satisfied evolving commercial design trends and home styles. Because of this, we became known not only for our premium product but also for an impressive selection of style options.
2000s: Expansion to U.S. and General Shale
Energized by strong commercial appetite for their high performance, versatile stone, Arriscraft looked to U.S. border states (within reasonable shipping distance) for continued growth. Shipping costs made venturing further south less practical and so the company began looking at production locations in the southeastern United States. Fort Valley, Georgia was selected with a plan to not borrow for the investment; management set a timeframe of 7-10 years, using profits only for the new plant, and accomplished their goal in about 6 years!
The Fort Valley, Georgia plant was designed mainly for commercial product production and officially opened in 2002. Arriscraft relocated about half a dozen staff to set up and manage the new facility. In all, the Fort Valley plant has approximately half the production capacity as the Cambridge, Ontario plant and employed approximately 50 upon opening.
In 2007, General Shale, one of the oldest brick companies in North America, purchased Arriscraft. This exciting development provided access to additional resources and capital that enabled us to improve processes and make new investments. Arriscraft’s naturally made, stone was an ideal complement to General Shale’s brick offering, one of the largest in the U.S. market and all of our products were now available through the company’s extensive dealer network. For Arriscraft dealers in Canada, we were able to offer General Shale brick products which expanded their residential offering. General Shale is well known across North America and celebrated its 90th anniversary in 2018.
2010 – present: Continued Leadership and Product Development
General Shale and Arriscraft are part of the Wienerberger Group, a leading international supplier of building materials and infrastructure solutions. Amazingly, Wienerberger is celebrating its 200th anniversary in 2019! This development provides access to even greater resources and leadership opportunities, with a global perspective. And yet Arriscraft continues independently with its own proven traditions of employee championing and product development.
Little by little, big things get done
Consistent product introductions over the decades have resulted in one of North America’s most impressive stone product offerings. From traditional, old world styles to ultra-modern sleek stone, we truly have a stone style for every project. Whether an architect is matching 200-year-old stone or building a new-age opera house, Arriscraft can fit the bill. Our products include Building Stone, Thin-clad Stone, brick, cast accessories each with many style options.
In all, our phenomenal product line includes 26 different product styles and 122 colours.
In, 2019 Much to Celebrate!
In 2019, we’re proud to share the accomplishments of the last seven decades. Our unique culture and our ability to successful navigate economic ups and downs makes us proud. But, as in the Arriscraft way, we’re always looking for the next opportunity, and 2019 brings many great developments!
Product Introductions
We continue to expand our thin stone offering, given its design versatility and ease of installation, plus application for both new construction and renovation. Plus, we’ve introduced a lot of new colours, and a range of new Adair® limestone products:
- Adair®: Georgian Blend, Thin Adair®, Adair® Clip, Parliament, Studio
- Midtown and Stack Thin Building Stone – new production (Cambridge, Ontario)
- Architectural Linear Series Brick – new production (Fort Valley, Georgia)
- Metropolitan Building Stone
Building the Future – from ancient quarries to high-tech wall systems
It seems fitting that our future success may come from a combination of history and innovation. We recently celebrated the approval of our thin-clad wall system by the Florida Building Code, for use in High Velocity Hurricane Zones – working in collaboration with our long-time partner Laticrete. At the same time, we continue to find new ways to finish our gorgeous Adair® limestone which we harvest from our dolomite quarries in the Bruce Peninsula. The truth is, there is no substitute for Nature’s beauty and resilience, and here at Arriscraft, we continue to recognize the enduring impact of our extraordinary stone products – new or ancient – in the 21st century. To our employees, past and present, and to our fantastic community in Waterloo Region – thank you and here’s to another 70 years!