Weckesser Brick: A family business with a solid foundation

Their name is on the building -- Tim and Tom Weckesser are shown on a rainy early May day in one of the company’s display areas where Navastone Stone Tile and Navastone Hadrian’s Wallstone RT were used to create the landscape feature. Tom Weckesser said the family business has supplied materials for construction throughout the area. “There’s a lot of pride in having the privilege of supplying sound masonry products to our customers,” he said. Photograph by Walter Horylev.

Spencerport resident Tom Weckesser and son, Tim, relax on a patio set up of South Bay Quartzite Cottage Wallstone leading into a circle of Hanover Appian Tumbled Circle stone, which surrounds a raised circle of Fire Pit-Navastone Wedgestone RT. Tim is a fourth generation Weckesser, following in the path of original owner Joe Sr., Joe Jr. and father, Tom. The first company store was located in Rochester, where the company was founded in 1934. The business moved to its Gates location in 1972. Photograph by Walter Horylev.

Weckesser Brick: A family business with a solid foundation

Their business seems modeled after the bricks they sell - understated, yet solid as a rock.

Brick by brick the Weckessers have built a family business of which they can be justifiably proud. It began in August of 1934 when Joseph L. Weckesser, Sr. made the decision to put down his bat (he was a semi-pro baseball player) and pick up a brick. He started Weckesser Brick Co., Inc. out of the dining room of his Aberdeen Street home.

The business moved twice from there. First it was on the corner of Exchange Street and Clarissa Street in Rochester and then nearly 60 years after it started, the business moved to its current location at 450 Trabold Road in Gates (just 10 minutes from downtown).

In the 1960s, the next generation began to play a leading role in the business. Joe Jr. and his brother, Bill, were fixtures at the brick company. In 1972, just six months after moving to Trabold Road, Joe Sr. died. Before his death, he made an important business decision that would guide the company’s future.

Marcy Suda came on board in 1970 as a receptionist. At that time she had joined a company that was experiencing some hard times. As a result, business was slow and Marcy and the company were questioning her future.

“I was ready to leave. It was so boring,” Marcy said. There was talk of laying her off, but Joe Sr. would not allow it. “He told them if they let me go they would regret it.” Thirty-seven years later, Suda, now vice president and co-owner, is quite a fixture.

Tom Weckesser, (Joe Jr.’s son) Suda’s partner, said while unrelated, she adds tremendously to the family atmosphere at the store.

“She is like a mother to the group,” Tom said. “She cares about their (the employees’) families and their aches and pains.”

In Tom, Suda sees a brother who shares her philosophy on business.

“We have a remarkable, almost ESP-like relationship,” Marcy said. “I don’t think we have had a fight in 35 years.” Part of their secret may be that they share a birthday. In fact it was on their birthdays in 1992 that Joe Jr. announced their elevated roles within the company. Joe Jr. remained active in the business until he died two years ago.

Through the years, other family members have contributed to the business including Tom’s brother, Greg, who drove truck, and Tom’s sister, Joanne Jay, who still works at the company. The business has experienced changes including a diversification in the products they carry, more of a focus on landscaping materials and the addition of an outdoor gallery that allows customers to shop at nearly any time. Today, Tom and Marcy oversee 12 employees including the fourth generation of Weckessers, Tom’s son, Tim.

Tim has been with the company for more than seven years and is happy to be contributing to his family’s business legacy.

“I take a lot of pride in being a Weckesser and in having the Weckesser name on this building,” Tim said.

While family is most important, the Weckesser Brick crew takes relationships with customers to heart. All staff are encouraged to be active in trade groups and building and landscaping associations.

Tom and Marcy said they really appreciate close ties the company has been able to establish with Rochester-area organizations. Weckesser Brick has done a lot of work for Eastman Kodak, Wegmans, local school districts, Rochester home builders and contractors and the area colleges, especially Rochester Institute of Technology.

RIT, a brick-filled campus, is home to Weckesser’s largest display. They have sold the college 14.3 million bricks, which includes a one-time order of bricks in the 1960s of 7.5 million.

While the popularity of brick brings big opportunities, Weckesser Brick Co., Inc. has focused on small, controlled growth. The largest area of growth has been in the sale of landscaping materials.

“Bigger isn’t always better,” Marcy said. Instead, the company prides itself on always delivering on promises and on being true experts in their craft.

“We’d rather stay where we are and service people the way they want to be treated,” said Tom, who learned a lot about the business from his father, Joe Jr.

“Even when his health started to fail, I could say to my dad, ‘Remember the job you did at ... ’ and he would immediately tell me what kind of brick he used.”

Now, Tom is able to fill that role with customers, providing insight that they couldn’t get elsewhere. For Tom, one of the biggest thrills of the business is the product’s lasting appeal.

“I love being able to drive down the road and think ‘Boy, I supplied that brick 20 years ago and it still looks great,’ ” he said.