Pumilite Building Products

In 1947 Pumilite Block and Supply Company was formed as a partnership. The basic inventory and intent was to supply and promote masonry materials, with emphasis on lightweight concrete block. The target market was Salem and the central Willamette Valley.

Our location was the 1600 block of Edgewater Street in West Salem. This is still the location of the Salem branch with considerable ground and building expansion.

There was a strong market, and having enough product was a problem early on. Cement was rationed and difficult to obtain for a new company. Gradually, the supply situation improved, and increasing emphasis went into sales and promotion rather than inventory.

1967, Stanley H. Hammer, Pres., Pumilite Building Products, 1690 Dallas Hwy. NW, Salem., 2007.001.0941

The original company had three partners. By 1955, Stanley Hammer had purchased all shares and was the sole owner.

The 1950’s were good years in the construction business, and the business expanded rapidly in inventory and added product lines. A major expansion was into the lath and plaster line. Also added were concrete specialties and steel items.

The late 50’s and 60’s were periods of growth and expansion. In 1958, a first branch of Pumilite was built and opened in Corvallis. This was the first experience in seeking and purchasing a location and building on a new site, seeking a new manager, and establishing procedures and controls. Vern Ratzlaff, a Salem employee, was chosen as manager. Vern was young, capable, and ambitious, and this first branch experience went very well and established patterns and procedures that were used in later expansions. We retained considerable control in Salem and did much of the reporting, bookkeeping, financial management and planning, to allow the manager’s time and responsibility to focus on inventory control, personnel management, sales and promotion, and account receivable management. Corvallis was successful from the very beginning and gave us encouragement into further expansions. Each branch was a separate corporation.

In 1962, Salem Masonry and Supply Co., an existing business and a competitor, was acquired. This business in North Salem was also successful and much effort went into ground and plant improvement. The inventory and sales efforts were very similar to Pumilite, West Salem. However, a competitive spirit existed and both worked at customer service and satisfaction.

In the 1960’s there was good growth in Salem and both plants were successful.

In 1966, a plant in Albany was opened. We acquired raw ground and improved the site and built a sales office, shelters, and warehouse. There was considerable cooperation with Corvallis with respects to purchasing and inventory. Albany also was successful from its beginning.

In 1971, a branch was opened in Bend. We started in an old Brooks Resources building as tenants and later acquired ground and built at a new location. Tom Hammer was the manager of this plant, until we built a plant in Tualatin that he opened as the first manager. When he left Bend in 1973, he was succeeded as manager by Tom Such. Paul Hammer became manager in 1976.

The other and last Pumilite was the acquisition of an existing hard materials plant in Springfield in 1978. This gave us seven locations.

In the late seventies and early eighties, high interest rates had a major effect on construction and on our outlook. This, along with the purchase in 1984 of the Smithwick and Western Block (later renamed Westblock Products) manufacturing plants in Portland, made for closing of some Pumilites and, today, the remaining plants are in West Salem and Tualatin. This also signaled a major thrust into manufacturing. This was increased by the acquisition of ground and the construction of a new plant at DuPont, Washington. This was a major commitment. Jim Hammer had joined the business in 1984 and become the manager of the DuPont plant. In 1995, the manufacturing plants of the North Portland area, East Portland area, and DuPont entered into a joint venture agreement with Pacific Coast Building Products of Sacramento. The company was renamed Westblock Pacific, LLC. In 1997, a packaged concrete manufacturing plant was built adjacent to the concrete block plant in DuPont. The major customers served by Westblock Pacific are home improvement centers, masonry contractors, and retaining wall contractors.

Another business, Westblock Systems, operates as a licensor of patented and trademarked concrete retaining wall products. This is a successful business directed by Jim Hammer and has licensed manufacturers with a constant effort at expansion. All current licensees are located in the United States, with several international licenses pending,

Tom Hammer, Paul Hammer and Jim Hammer are the principles in these businesses.

Researched and provided by Stanley Hammer, Pumilite Building Products, 1999

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This article originally appeared on the original Salem Online History site and has not been updated since 2006.