Rock Solid Business Weathers Rough Economy

Left: display at Putnam Stone shows what a homeowner can do with their products. Right: the business is located on Route 6 in Carmel. Bill Dring, owner of Putnam Stone and Mason on Route 52 in Carmel, credits his father, William Dring Sr. for his success. “He was the hardest-working man I ever knew,” Dring said wistfully. “He taught us to keep working and not to quit.”

Years on, Dring, a lifelong resident of Putnam County, had raised a family as a landscaper and contractor. In 2004, after two decades of laboring behind lawnmowers and snowplows, he decided to become a retailer.

Putnam Stone and Mason supplies concrete, cement, brick, and stone for hardscaping. But the shop also supplies knowledge. Dring says that his two decades as a contractor have really influenced how he runs his store now. “Instead of just working for the customer, I’m able to teach both the contractor and the homeowner how to do these things.” “We have homeowner seminars, and contractor seminars,” Dring said. “We teach them how to build and construct patios, walls, walkways. We usually get twenty to thirty people to come. It’s a free seminar and we do it twice a year.”

MICHAEL BRENDAN DOUGHERTY Dring said that the tough economy has been hurting his business, and that he’ll be the first to see the turnaround coming. “When the building permits are pulled” Dring explained, “they’ll need concrete. We’ll know right away. But right now nothing is being built in Putnam county.”

“Things won’t pick up until the banks start letting the money loose.” Dring said.

And there will not be help riding in from Washington. “The stimulus money, the $800 billion. It doesn’t trickle down to people like me. It’s for the major highways,” Dring said, “We deal with the public.”

In the past few years, Putnam Stone has been involved with several major construction projects, even pouring the concrete for the new courthouse in Carmel. But public word is drying up, as well. “They were going to build sidewalks in Kent. Now they are delaying that until 2010,” Dring said.

Business may be down but Dring isn’t. “It’s not all about money,” Dring explained. Earlier this year, Dring witnessed his brother passing away. “It gave us a lot of perspective. When we were on top, we were thinking about the money. So we do things in the community, with the boy scouts and girl scouts and the teams. It takes your eyes off the money and that’s a good thing. I’ve been a resident in this town for 52 years.”

Dring has made Putnam Stone and Mason more than a family business – it is a vocation that gives his work meaning, and integrates him into the community.. The seminars, and the hands-on consultations he does with contractors and customers gives him joy.

“The satisfaction comes in when people bring pictures of the work they did with our products and our recommendations,” Dring explained, “They say ‘I didn’t know I could do this myself’ and they feel better about themselves. They have something for their families.”