Family Heritage of Masonry Continues
Antonio and Son Contracting Builds Community
Today, fourth-generation mason Dominick Antonio carries on the legacy of his great grandfather who came from Italy in the early 1900s to build churches in Philadelphia. That legacy is Antonio and Son Contracting, LLC, a family-owned masonry restoration company that has been serving Erie, Pennsylvania, and its surrounding locations for more than 40 years.
Masonry Skills Passed from Father To Son
“My father, Donald (Don) Antonio, started the company from nothing when he moved to Erie,” Dominick says. “He would be the hardest-working guy on the site by far—even as the owner. He believed if you want something, work hard. If you’re not getting it, work harder.”
While Dominick learned everything he knows about masonry from his father, he did not dream of working as a mason as a career. He actually tried to get out of the construction field, attending Pennsylvania State University for a while. “I thought when I got my degree, I would get out and have an office with a secretary and make six figures, which really wasn’t the case,” Dominick recalls.
He tried a handful of things—from prison guard to mortgage broker—and didn’t get any satisfaction out of those roles. “I realized that at the end of the day after doing a job, I get a lot of pride and sense of accomplishment from the masonry work we do,” Dominick says.
Name Change Reflects Family Structure
In the mid- to late 1970s, Don changed the name of his company to include Dominick. Prior to that, the firm was called AIM Contracting. Their slogan was “Aim for the Best,” with a company logo featuring a target and an arrow.
Today’s company logo symbolizes the business’s masonry work, with a stone arch and crossed masonry tools at the center, and “Serving Erie for over 40 years” as the slogan. The new name reflects the aspect that most sets Antonio and Son Contracting apart from other construction companies—a family business that provides its employees with an opportunity to grow with the company and to take personal interest and fulfillment in their work. The training and standards passed down by Don are ingrained in the company’s work methodology.
Hard Work and Community Service
Antonio and Son Contracting specializes in foundation and brick repairs, building restoration, stone patio repairs and basement waterproofing. One of the company’s signature projects is Mercyhurst University, where the crew’s capabilities made Dominick particularly proud. “We refined our methods (which we prefer not to reveal) at Mercyhurst,” Dominick says. “On the Mercyhurst University restoration project we were able to do more for less cost. Our techniques helped us stay on budget and complete five to six times the production as several of our competitors that had previously worked on sections of the project,” Dominick continues. The large project gave Dominick the opportunity to showcase the rewards of not just working hard, but working smart. The crew finished the job in three months and more than quadrupled the six-month production of the competitor that worked there before them. “Our employees work harder and use better techniques,” Dominick says.
The company also doesn’t mind taking on projects to aid members of the community. Recently, Antonio and Son Contracting helped a family whose home flooded in Erie. The family’s situation came to light in the form of a tragic, high-profile local news story—the foundation wall of the home had collapsed due to flooding from a rare tornado touching down, killing two men in the family. “We generally keep our charitable work under the radar, but the news media showed up on the first day of this undertaking and we couldn’t keep it quiet,” Dominick says. His employees partnered with other contractors to lift the house, rebuild the wall and try to put the house back together. A. Duchini, Inc., a long-time partner of Antonio and Son Contractors, is one local business that stepped forward to supply necessary materials for the project.
All time and materials for the endeavor were donated. The community support was not surprising given Erie’s disposition toward lending a helping hand. As Antonio and Son Contracting expands into new marketplaces, its owner will naturally encourage finding ways to implement his hometown’s perspective on service.
The Next Generation and New Beginnings
After officially retiring in September 2017, Don turned the business over to Dominick. “I had been a part of it for about 10 years before that. He’s the ‘Antonio’ and I’m the ‘Son,’ but as the crew jokes, they’re my sons,” Dominick says.
To further the family business atmosphere, the company has a barbecue/pool party once a year. Also, every Thursday, Dominick and his staff meet for a beer and dinner and talk about where they’re headed. The topic of late has been the Raleigh, North Carolina, extension—their first opening of a branch outside of Pennsylvania “We are investing quite a bit in setting up there and discussing plans for each of their roles there,” Dominick says.
Presently, they have a staff of five during their slow season, but Dominick believes his employees are ready to take on the responsibility of running at least two additional crews themselves. He considers the employees’ ideas valuable and many of them have taken initiative to research the market in the Raleigh area. Expanding into this marketplace is not just good for Antonio and Son Contracting, but also an excellent opportunity for employees.
“Adam Weismiller, my foreman, will be heading up the Raleigh branch. He will be a percentage partner in the business there,” Dominick says. “At this point, we are setting up the licensing and networking with a couple of general contractors so we can hit the ground running after the end of the year.”
Relationship and Career Growth
Since Dominick has completely taken over, he has created a structure so that his employees can consider their work a career, not just an occupation. Benefits include profit sharing, bonuses and commissions. Also, employees who have been with the company long enough (and who have clean driving records) get a company car. “As we expand into different areas, if someone has the ambition to do what I do, the opportunity is there,” Dominick says. “I feel I get more out of my employees by making them feel like they are part of something rather than just telling them what to do,” he adds.
This arrangement also helps his employees grow as people and tradesmen—gleaning knowledge and skills from others and applying what they’ve learned. They can feel like they’re each a partner taking personal pride in what they do and how they act.
Investment in Each Other
The role everyone plays is equally important. “When I’m on the job, I am a mason. I work right next to the men, from the brand-new laborer to the person who’s been with me five to 10 years. No one is above the bottom assignment,” Dominick says. The more experienced employees will make use of any chance they have to teach the newer ones. At their discretion, they can take that time to help others develop their craft.
Although Don has retired, he still comes in on Saturdays to help train new staffers who want to learn more than what they can on the job. “Dad met one of the guys at the shop and taught him brick-laying techniques and the right way to do things that the more skilled men didn’t have time to slow down and teach him,” says Dominick. The group as a whole generally follows a common-sense, problem-solving approach where if they don’t know how to do something, they find someone who does and learn from that person.
“They definitely take pride in their work,” Dominick says. “Invest in your employees like they are family and what you get out of them will make you successful.”