Gilbert Block celebrates 75 years

LACONIA — “My father was the hardest working man I ever knew,” begins Brian Gilbert, remembering his dad. “He worked at the telephone company each day, then would go home at the end of every day to make 500 cement blocks at night.” Del Gilbert, who started Del Gilbert & Son Block Company in 1948, died in 2012. He left a legacy of caring, quality and community involvement, carried on today by second-generation family members who run the company that has grown to include four locations statewide.

Growth is a key component of the Gilbert legacy. Del began selling cement blocks from his home in Laconia, and purchased the first 10 acres of the company’s current location in 1957. “When he first bought this property, we were surrounded by farms,” recalls Brian. “When I was 8 years old, I was out in the precast plant shoveling concrete with the men. I was 8 – I thought it was great.” Gilbert Block’s original five employees ranged in age from 17 to 62, with some staying on for nearly 30 years.

Growth of the company spurred an increase in hands needed to run it and property necessary to support it, and the number of employees grew from five to its current nearly 50. The original 10 acres grew, with subsequent land purchases, to 30 acres on both sides of Route 107 today. The company eventually expanded to three more locations in Tamworth, Hooksett and Bethlehem.

Del’s legacy continues through the dedication and caring leadership of family members. Son Brian and daughter Joni Gilbert are partners in the business, where Brian’s daughter Chelsea Gilbert and Joni’s daughter Paige Knightsswin are also employed. “The work ethic that my grandfather used to launch the business was ingrained in our families right from the start,” explains Chelsea. “Early on my sisters and I would be here weeding, re-stacking brick, cleaning… it was an amazing landscape to explore and have fun in, but we also learned to take care of it.

“We educate consumers on the impact pavers have on the environment. How important permeability is to the land and what products to choose in order to ensure that water will run off properly,” she continues. Chelsea is currently studying to get a degree in landscape design from New Hampshire Technical Institute in order to enhance her ability to fully design both landscape and hardscape.

Currently, Gilbert Block manufactures one-third of the products they sell, while purchasing and re-selling two-thirds of the pavers, precast concrete, masonry tools and materials.

More recently-purchased acreage came complete with a natural swath of sand that is thought to date back thousands of years to when Lake Winnipesaukee extended over Gilford. According to Brian, the natural sand is fine, abundant and is still being used today.

Gilbert Block has established a reputation with contractors for being a reliable source for quality products. Just ask Earl Leighton, owner of Leighton Diversified based in Sanbornton, who points out, “I started doing business with Del at Gilbert Block when I was 20; I’m 68 now and still depend on them for my building products. As technology changes, so do building products. Gilbert Block always has the best and most up-to-date products the industry has to offer.”

Joe Rolfe, owner of Stone Mountain Masonry in Belmont, has been purchasing from Gilbert Block for 37 years. Why? “It’s pretty basic,” Rolfe explains, “when you’re offered a continual pursuit of excellence and quality of service, the rest takes care of itself.”

He recalls, “Back when Del Block referred to me as ‘young fella,’ I was notorious for showing up at the yard at five minutes to 5. Del once asked, ‘Young fella, why is it all my contractors show up at 7 in the morning, and you’re here right before closing?’

“I pointed out that while all the other contractors were picking up materials in the morning, I was on the job site, ready to begin. ‘That explains it.’ Del understood. He was a great example of how an entrepreneur can create a dynasty through hard work.”

Warren Dixon, owner of Warren Dixon Masonry in Moultonborough, has been purchasing building materials from Gilbert Block since 1988. “I started my business in Ossipee,” he begins. “When I moved to Meredith, I switched over to their Laconia location, and that is where I became acquainted with Del. I really admired him and the business ethics he practiced into his 80s. He really went out of his way to help me start my business, even sharing his home phone number in case I had any questions and needed help after hours. When I had a job in Massachusetts and needed materials, Del was at his lot for me at 5 in the morning so that I could pick up and head down to work.

“It would be easy to stay with the status quo, especially for a family business with a lot of years under their belt, but they are always looking to see what’s new. And the next generation has obviously learned from the older one.”

Chelsea points out that contractors enjoy coming into the showroom and to tour the grounds to see what’s new. “We want them to know all that they have at their disposal, and that we will facilitate shipping if necessary. We want them to succeed.” Her dad Brian adds, “We know if we don’t deliver — the product or the service — they will go elsewhere, and we don’t want that to happen. Part of our service to the homeowner is to recommend a dependable contractor, and we have cultivated them over the years.”

The 75 years that Gilbert Block celebrates this spring is not without a commitment of giving back to the community. From hiring locally, to promoting independent contractors, to donating money and time to community projects, the company’s roots are long and its impact on Laconia’s quality of life is felt by many groups. Monetary donations to the Colonial Theatre and the Sled Dog Association, time and materials to Hidden Valley Boy Scout Camp and Squam Lakes Science Center, property to Merrill Fay Ice Arena, as well as Brian’s time coaching girls basketball well after his own daughters had graduated, all add up to a company that thrived on hard work, prospered within a community, and embodies the value of supporting those around them.