Monday, August 4, 2008

A Scranton Masonry Contractor: D.P. "Don" Shiffer

I watched a local masonry contractor put up some very large blocks as a retaining wall. Stone masons, bricklayers and others who build structures out of the stuff of the Earth used to be part of a secret guild. The way this particular contractor did it looked like magic to me.

One day, there was a stack of these impressive, ornate blocks ready to be fashioned into something useful. The next day, they were! It wasn't a particularly large job, but even a dozen of these blocks that were used reminded one somewhat of building the Pyramids in Egypt.

I stopped and introduced myself to Don Shiffer, the owner, telling him of my admiration of his work. "I've been a bricklayer since 1978," he said. There was a quiet pride in his eyes, something he'd earned from decades of skilled labor and a well-deserved reputation.

He doesn't have a fancy display ad in the Yellow Pages. A simple classified listing of his Clarks Summit location and phone number is enough. He gets referrals from other satisfied customers.

His son, Mark, has been thinking about getting a Web page or something for the business. Looking at the future of local business promotion, that's at least a better choice for this business than some others are.

Given the nature of how the Internet works these days, having a Web presence via a Front Door page could be the best solution for a Scranton Masonry Contractor. There's an example here: http://www.vincerunza.com/scranton/contractors/mason/ for Mark Shiffer to consider. It's new construction, will build to suit and no long-term lease!