Montgomery Block Works owner Mark Donaldson said the business is directly tied to the construction industry, so when the weather or the economy are bad, business suffers. The company deals both wholesale and with private contractors.

MERCER TWP — Montgomery Block Works has been around for years and continues to weather the unseasonable weather and the economy.

"Our business is 100 percent tied to the construction market," said owner Mark Donaldson. He works with wholesale customers and private contractors.

Ten years ago business was "busting busy," but now the company has slowed since the construction market took a dive. Now, he's just trying to stay afloat.

The business opened in 1946. It includes 20 acres along Route 8, just outside Harrisville. About 10 acres is developed.

The company makes concrete blocks. Dozens of styles, colors and sizes are available to order. Ready-mix concrete also is produced at two mills there. The store stocks masonry products and other accessories. Donaldson offers pre-cast items like stairs available to order. Those are made off-site.

Donaldson said he would like to expand the ready-mix plant.

In addition to fighting the economy, Donaldson often finds himself fighting the weather. Business is seasonal, he said, with the peak between spring and November. Orders ebb and flow with the weather.

"A handful of snow can cut business in half," he said.

He does 90 percent of his business in nine months of the year. He uses the winter to do facility maintenance.

With a number of uncontrollable factors driving his business, he said customer service is the key to success.

"Especially to the small projects we can cater," he said.

The blocks made at the plant have been used throughout the county, including in the Butler County Prison, Slippery Rock University and the Butler Veterinary Hospital. HPStarr is the plant's largest client, so when it orders blocks, Donaldson often doesn't know where they go.The company said detail is important to making a quality block.To make blocks, mix is poured down a line and into molds. Then a machine shakes them to get the air bubbles out.The blocks then move along a conveyor to palates and then to inside storage, where they are steam-cured overnight. There, the temperature is about 100 degrees and the humidity is high.Then, the blocks can be moved outside for a minimum of 28 days of curing. Donaldson said it will take a block six to seven years to fully cure.At full use, the plant can produce 4,000 to 6,000 blocks a 24-hour period. Donaldson said about 1 million blocks are made each year. They are offered in 40 styles."Our manufacturing crew takes great pride in what they put out of our machinery," Donaldson said.To keep the blocks a consistent size, the tolerances are tight at the plant."If there is a problem, we immediately try to rectify it," he said.Because of that, complaints are few, he said.Even though business slows when it snows, Donaldson keeps the place open all year."If it's something we don't have, we can probably get it," he said.

<B>Name: </B>Montgomery Block Works<B>Address: </B>4275 William Flinn Highway, Harrisville<B>Owner: </B>Mark Donaldson<B>Product: </B>Cement blocks<B>Number of employees: </B>Seasonal<B>Quote: </B>"If there is a problem, we immediately try to rectify it."— Mark Donaldson

photography by JUSTIN GUIDO/butler eagleMontgomery Block Works in Mercer Township, just outside Harrisville, opened in 1946. The plant, with about 10 acres of developed land, makes concrete blocks and ready-mix concrete.