Start small and grow big

GT Stoneworks should be a familiar name to most architects and builders, and maybe even a few establishment owners like buildings and malls.  If you’re not familiar with the name, don’t fret, I wasn’t aware of this company myself until I had a need for their superior products.

In our line of business, we have regular outdoor events that require tents.  These are our outdoor motor shows and test drive festivals, so I am by now a veteran of such events.  Dressing up a tent usually entails the services of a designer who would prescribe the basic necessities like air conditioning positioned strategically, flooring to cover the entire space, etc. And that is how I got wind of GT Stoneworks and eventually got to meet the owner, a young entrepreneur by the name of James Gary Go.  The story of the start of his business is quite interesting and inspiring, which is why I am sharing it here with you.

Eleven years ago, Gary was just one of the many suppliers of Wilcon Builders Depot. Wilcon had allocated a space in Balintawak for their many suppliers who wanted to go into the retail business, and Gary luckily got a stall for their fledgling company.  He confessed he really did not know what to expect from this venture with Wilcon when he got the stall.  He had a few designs and colors that, at that time, were not considered popular colors, and that was about the summation of his product lines. But like all successful entrepreneurs, one is never daunted by challenges of the unknown.

His products were wall claddings made of stone they manufactured in a small factory, and their flagship product was called manufactured wall claddings.  This was already extensively used by architects and builders at the time, but GT Stoneworks was a virtual nobody in the industry.  Understandably, the builders were not interested to deal with a newcomer and preferred to place their orders from stable, reliable suppliers who had a respectable track record in the trade.  In the first two weeks in their stall in Balintawak, they did not have a single sale. On the third week, though, they had one sale, and Gary remembers it was a “eureka” moment for him.

Well, that single sale on his third week of operation broke the ice for GT Stoneworks, and today, just 11 years later, GT Stoneworks is now a top choice for builders.

For us, what we really needed was a type of flooring we could use and reuse two or three times a year, every year, so we needed something very durable and can be stored for months. Someone suggested using faux grass.  I see this in malls, on outdoor walls, even in shower cubicles and thought this was the answer to my perennial problem.

Gary’s artificial grass has a wide spectrum of choices, from colors to length of the grass stalks. The taller grass stalks, which are used more for wall claddings, look like the real thing until you touch it.  So realistic are they that they are used widely anywhere—for outdoor walls, indoors, as hedges and, like us, as flooring.  I thought it was a stroke of genius for someone to manufacture intelligent alternatives that look so natural and pleasing to the eyes but do not require any maintenance at all. No cutting of grass, no watering required. By the way, the artificial grass is manufactured here using raw materials from Belgium.

Gary looks back with gratitude to Wilcon Home Depot which, at that time was not as big as they are now.  Back then, they had only two locations and they themselves were still finding their niche in the construction industry.  Having Wilcon as their retailer was a blessing for this businessman as both GT Stoneworks and Wilcon Home Depot have grown exponentially over a relatively short period of time.

The other major product line of Gary is the stonework wall claddings which most of you would be familiar with. These are the decorative natural stone works that you see in many houses and the choices available here are even more extensive than the artificial grass product line. Dressing up a bare wall with decorative stone can spell the difference between plain and stylish. Eleven years ago, our OFWs were already a force to reckon with, and many of them have started using their earnings to invest in real estate, in building their first home. Gary recalls this was also a factor in their success as Filipinos are wont to have good finishes on the exterior of their homes.

Maybe, the fact that they have so much variety in their designs, with over 60 profiles and 500 color combinations for their wall claddings is a major factor in being accepted by so many architects and builders.  With this, a customer can actually personalize his stone finishes that manifest his own personality or style.

From artificial grass and wall claddings, GT Stoneworks has now added new lines to their menu like their decorative concrete stamping where they add colors to concrete floors, and granite wall claddings that simulate the look of granite, minus the cost.  They also now have products like admixtures and sealers, and also pavers (inexpensive options to concrete floors). They now even have a line for outdoor furniture called Lifestyle Furniture. And with the help of the internet, Gary can come up with designs that are just starting in the US or Europe to preempt most everyone. 

From a strategic partnership with Wilcon Home Depot, they have forged other partnerships with the likes of Siam Cement Group and the Home Building Market and with foreign partners for coated steel roofing and fibre roofing material separately. Nothing’s impossible.

Kudos to this company for reaching this far in so short a time.

Mabuhay!!! Be proud to be a Filipino.

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