FACT SHEET

New Image…New Opportunities

  • Coinciding with an aggressive expansion of product offerings,a leading manufacturer of one of the world’s oldest and most durable building materials has a shortened name and new logo to more accurately reflect the scope of its operations.
  • General Shale Brick is now General Shale – symbolizing a significantly expanded product line.
  • The General Shale product line not only includes brick, but additional items such as concrete block, building materials, thin brick, thin rock and outdoor living items such as fireplaces, fire pits, pizza ovens, benches, water features, mailboxes, clay and concrete pavers, segmental retaining wall block, landscaping stones and more.
  • New and expanded outdoor living showrooms are opening at General Shale locations across the nation.
  • Four sub-brands have been added to the company’s corporate brand: Building Products, Outdoor Living Products, Renovation Products, and Arriscraft™ Building Stone, Brick and Limestone, a subsidiary of General Shale.

Growing Trends…Expanding Markets

  • During the third quarter of 2011, U.S. spending on home improvements was 42 percent higher than single-family home constructionexpenditures (Wall Street Journal).
  • Homeowners and professionals are increasingly adding outdoor living areas to home designs and remodeling projects, as more people opt for less formal spaces and rooms.
  • According to research by the American Institute of Architects, requests for outdoor living space increased 56 percent from 2010 to 2011.
  • A2011 survey by the American Society of Landscape Architects revealed that more than 94 percent of landscape architecture professionals rate fire pits/fireplaces, installed seating and grills among the five most popular items for outdoor living spaces.

Milestones…Measurements of Success

  • General Shale was founded in 1928 – and for the past 84 years has been the nation’s leading brick manufacturer.
  • Wienerberger AG, Vienna, Austria – the world’s largest brick company and the largest manufacturer of clay roof tiles in Europe – acquired General Shale in 1999.
  • In 2006, General Shale acquired Denver, Colo.-based Robinson Brick, strategically expanding the company’s business footprint in the western U.S.
  • In 2007, General Shale expanded its masonry portfolio via its acquisition of Arriscraft International, a leading Canadian producer of building stone.
  • Celebrating its 80th anniversary, General Shale moved into its new 42,166-square-foot, state-of-the-art corporate headquarters in Johnson City, Tenn., in 2008.
  • General Shale is America’s largest brick, stone and concrete block manufacturer, supplying a wide variety of masonry materials for residential, commercial and specialty architectural projects.
  • Over a span of more than eight decades, General Shale has produced over 50 billion bricks – available in approximately 250 unique combinations of sizes, colors and textures.
  • With more than 1,100 employees, General Shale operates plants in nine states and provinces throughout the U.S. and Canada, in addition to a network of 35 distribution centers across the U.S.
  • Throughout its 80-year history, General Shale has been a generous corporate and philanthropic citizen, donating brick-related materials to a variety of worthy causes within the communities where its operations are located.

February 2012