At a table inside the Dunkin' Donuts on South Washington Avenue in Bergenfield, N.J., two middle-aged adults sip coffee. They both have sun-bleached blonde hair and tan skin. They have on shorts and matching T-shirts. Both are rather short, yet their booming voices fill the room as they call to the other patrons. "Oh, there he is! Hey, Bob!" or "You're moving a little faster this morning!" They're seated side-by-side. Between them, an unwrapped muffin lies on the table, and periodically each one picks a little bit off to eat. They're telling stories, smiling and laughing.
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At a table inside the Dunkin' Donuts on South Washington Avenue in Bergenfield, N.J., two middle-aged adults sip coffee. They both have sun-bleached blonde hair and tan skin. They have on shorts and matching T-shirts. Both are rather short, yet their booming voices fill the room as they call to the other patrons. "Oh, there he is! Hey, Bob!" or "You're moving a little faster this morning!" They're seated side-by-side. Between them, an unwrapped muffin lies on the table, and periodically each one picks a little bit off to eat. They're telling stories, smiling and laughing.
It may come as a surprise that the two are married and they work together every day. Gary and Lisa Horvath started A.T.C. Hardwood Flooring Inc. in February 1992 (Gary remembers the year, and Lisa clarifies that it was in February). Through the years, they've developed a keen business management system, something akin to one boss with two heads and eight limbs. Ahead of them lies a day chock full of client meetings and wood floor work spread throughout the dense metropolis that is Bergen County, N.J., just across the Hudson River from New York City. Also on the schedule is a visit to Real Antique Wood Mill, the couple's new reclaimed wood manufacturing company. That's right: During a recession, the owners of a successful wood floor contracting company were so confident in the demand for antique reclaimed wood flooring that they opened their own manufacturing company. They were kind enough to let Hardwood Floors tag along for a day in August in order to see what makes them tick, and it was immediately apparent that these two love their work and each other.
Most work days, Lisa and Gary start off at Dunkin' Donuts. They usually share a small breakfast and sip coffee while they converse and banter with the other regulars.
6:30 a.m.Gary and Lisa say goodbye to all their friends at the coffee shop and drive to A.T.C.-that's "A Touch of Class"-headquarters: their two-story home in Bergenfield. It's the same home to which Lisa was brought home from the hospital; the couple bought it from her parents seven months after starting the business. Sitting on the front stoop when they arrive is Foreman Pete DiMarco; he'll help Gary load up the work vans with all the supplies they'll need throughout the day. Gary hands DiMarco a list and they go over the day's itinerary, which Gary and Lisa made last night. Even with a plan and a list, Gary advises the itinerary is "always subject to change … without notice!" Buckets of finish, bundles of flooring and buffers get loaded into the van. Gary takes a minute to situate things, and he stuffs the shelves with old sheets, which he says cuts down on the racket when he and Lisa are on the road.
Next he goes into the basement to round up a few sundries. "When Hoboken Floors broke up [in November 2007], they made us kind of have to go to a lot of places" for supplies, Gary explains. "It's not like a one-stop shop like it used to be. We sometimes go to four or five different distributors in one day. That's how close they are around here." To date, it seems no company has been able to entirely fill the void left by the large distributor's bankruptcy. "A lot of guys want you to just buy from them, but in today's market you just can't do that. Different people have different things." While Gary talks and grabs supplies, two of his other employees, Cesar Nieto and Manwell Barrera, arrive to help finish packing the vans before heading out.
Gary works on an installation job alongside Foreman Pete DiMarco.
These days, Gary and Lisa have three full-time employees and two vans. DiMarco, Nieto and Barrera are young, but Gary says they have that old-school work ethic he cherishes. Often, Gary refers to days gone by when he and Lisa employed 15 to 20 guys. "The economy was good back then," Gary says. "If I had bought some property in Hoboken, I wouldn't be doing floors today. Then the brownstone was $55,000 for all five floors, but today you can't even get a closet for $55,000!" He also used to push himself a lot harder those days, "when I was crazy." "Seven days a week, we used to work 12 to 15 hours a day. We would start a sanding job at 5 at night and work until 10." Then, Lisa joined the field crew after 9/11, when the couple decided they basically wanted to be by each other's side 24 hours a day. Before that she had been working in the A.T.C. showroom, which netted them a Wood Floor of the Year award in 1999.
Gary uses the chop saw to cut end pieces.
7:30 a.m.The first stop of the day takes the whole A.T.C. crew-Gary, Lisa, DiMarco, Nieto and Barrera-south to Teaneck for a buff and recoat job for a repeat customer. Traffic about this time isn't crazy, so the trip only takes 15 minutes. They completed a whole-house sand and finish job at this same home eight years ago. "We're gonna put a Band-Aid on this one," Gary says, meaning that it's just a recoat instead of a full sand-and-finish. Leading up to the job, Gary attempted to lower the customer's expectations appropriately. Soon, the kitchen-measuring not more than 20 by 10-comes alive as everyone begins bringing in supplies and equipment.
9 a.m.With work in Teaneck started, Gary, Lisa and Nieto hit the road to begin the day's second job. After a 15-minute trip west across the Hackensack River, they arrive in River Edge. With the vans parked in front of the house, they begin hauling in supplies for a 200-square-foot install, sand and finish job with white oak. This is more repeat business; six years ago they installed wood flooring in the kitchen here.
Making a stop to check on some equipment repairs, Gary pauses to share a laugh with Bob Sidoti (left) and Kevin O'Leary, owner at KO Floor Supply.
In the living room, the subfloor lies exposed and the acclimated wood floor bundles lie next to the wall. All three begin preparing the job site. The air compressor is placed in the adjacent hallway and the chop saw is stationed just beyond the home's front door. Next, their voices go silent for the most part, and each takes to their own tasks, moving about in careful synchronicity, grabbing boards, racking, cutting, measuring and finally nailing. After a little while, Nieto gets into a good groove, and Gary and Lisa leave for the next stop in Paramus, about 20 minutes west.
By now it's clear how Gary and Lisa run their business. They bring their workers to a job site, set up, begin work, and then they'll take a smaller contingent-or just themselves-to begin work at the next stop. They'll get that job up and running, and by then the workers who stayed behind at the first stop catch up with them. Then, Gary and Lisa go off and begin preparing the next job site, or maybe they'll go do an estimate or stop in with a distributor. Inside the work van, Gary drives and Lisa navigates, or Lisa will make phone calls, or take a phone call, or check in with DiMarco, or discuss schedule details with Gary. They tell each other stories and laugh a lot.
Lisa confers with Real Antique Wood Mill shop manager Mike Ciosek about a custom kitchen table he's making.
"Lisa is my right-hand personal assistant," Gary says before rambling off a shortlist of her duties: "She helps work with homeowners, she helps me keep the schedule straight, and she'll check things at the job sites. When she's not here it makes me a little hyper."
Or, "a little maniac," as Lisa puts it.
Lisa adds that she is also the company "go-fer." "I know their process, and I know what they need next," she says. On the job site, she's often scurrying to grab supplies, sweeping, or chopping boards, acting as the right-hand assistant to all the workers, really. But when Gary and Lisa are alone, her ultimate role is clear: She's the even keel to Gary's hyperactivity.
"Gary is ever-thinking. As soon as he opens his eyes, he is thinking," Lisa says. Even at 4 a.m., Lisa says her husband's mind is often dozens of hours ahead. "When he starts, I can pull him back to be just in right now … It's pretty much how we live our life."
Gary shows off some of Real Antique Wood Mill's stock—including pine, hemlock, oak, chestnut and other species—most of which was taken from old barns.
10 a.m.After they arrive in Paramus, Gary and Lisa begin preparing for 850 square feet of finish application; last week the crew sanded the floors here. This home belongs to a Russian couple, and Gary and Lisa originally got the job through a referral from the homebuilder, who is also Russian. Gary says it's not uncommon for contractors to work within the same ethnic or cultural circles-regardless whether they share ethnicity or culture with the clients or were referred into the circle-but the trick to building your business in this area is breaking into new circles, and contractors do that via referrals. This is exactly how Gary and Lisa met the day's first two clients; the homeowner in Teaneck is Jewish, and the homeowner in River Edge is Japanese. This is why they don't advertise A.T.C. much.
After a little while, DiMarco and Barrera arrive in Paramus, and they begin the finish work, so Gary and Lisa leave for a callback in Upper Saddle River, an affluent neighborhood in northwest Bergen County.
11 a.m.The clients in Upper Saddle River have called Gary and Lisa to remedy some bubbles that have appeared in the oil-modified polyurethane finish of their recently installed maple kitchen floor. For the past few days, Gary has been on the phone with the finish manufacturer trying to find a solution. The bubbles appeared in between the boards and on the surface of the boards. Gary's view of the situation is a common one among contractors: He's convinced that finish manufacturers are discreetly tinkering with product recipes due to changing environmental guidelines. While Gary doesn't get a straight answer on his hypothesis from the manufacturer, he's told to wait a month for all the bubbles to "come up" and then screen and recoat the floor, so that's what he tells the clients he'll do. With confidence, Lisa reassures them: "We'll make this disappear."
Real Antique Wood Mill now boasts its own on-site wood-drying kiln.
Back in the van, Gary laments, "The code of silence in the industry about a change in product is kind of tough on our end. It would be nice if they sent out an update to let us know the recipe changed a little bit, and what to do to help offset potential problems."
Lisa is socially adept as she interacts with clients-she's naturally friendly and seems to be comfortable around anybody. Part of it comes from growing up in the city, but another reason for her conviviality is her former line of work: booking limos and handling customer service for worldwide limo company Music Express. With that job, Lisa would call on people like Mariah Carey, Dom DeLuise, Michael Bolton, Mexican actor Anthony Quinn and Bernie Taupin-Elton John's songwriter-every day. She says those experiences have made her more than comfortable talking with clients, especially over the phone.
At this point, it's clear Gary and Lisa are really hustling today, both at the job sites and on the road. Whenever Lisa hangs up the phone, it seems she's back on it 10 seconds later receiving a call from a client or potential client; they're tying up a lot of loose ends today. "We're treating this kind of like a Friday," Gary explains. Tomorrow, on Tuesday, Gary and his crew workers will be attending an Install, Sand & Finish school put on by the NWFA and hosted at the New York City District Council of Carpenters headquarters. Gary will assist as an instructor, and his crewmen will be students.
Gary racks out a floor at a home in River Edge, N.J.
NoonGary and Lisa make a quick stop back in River Edge. Nieto's installation work has been progressing smoothly, and they take about 20 minutes helping him complete the installation. All three again go quiet and do their installation ballet, racking, chopping, nailing and so on. When the job is nearly complete, Gary and Lisa begin loading up the van. After the wood floor school ends on Thursday, A.T.C. will return to this home for the sand and finish work.
1 p.m.Next thing you know, Gary and Lisa-or LeeLee, as Gary affectionately calls her-are back in the van, on their way to make two distributor stops. Stop No. 1 is at KO Floor Supply in Riverdale, where Gary checks with owner Kevin O'Leary on some router and face-nailer repairs. Unfortunately, the tools were deemed beyond repair, so they went "to the graveyard," Gary says. Then it's off to All State Flooring Distributors in Fairfield, where they pick up some sealer and natural oil finish they will use on an upcoming reclaimed flooring job.
Foreman Pete DiMarco finishes a wood floor in a home in Paramus, N.J.
2 p.m.So far today, Gary and Lisa have hit nearly every corner of Bergen County, but now they're ready to stay in one place for a little while. They've just arrived at the headquarters of Real Antique Wood Mill in Irvington, a good 30-mile clip south of their home in Bergenfield. On this spot Gary and Lisa have thousands and thousands of square feet of lot storage-and it's already near full. There are all sorts of reclaimed wood species, including pine, hemlock, oak, chestnut, maple, Doug fir and wormy chestnut. From the storage lot, the sound of woodworking fills the air.
Gary and Lisa first started doing reclaimed flooring install jobs three years ago, with a local flooring manufacturer that would also sell the jobs. But Gary and Lisa began thinking they were missing opportunities by not expanding on the history behind the wood flooring they were installing, so they decided to go it alone.
As the homeowner's cat looks on, Gary inspects a callback floor in Upper Saddle River, N.J.
"People would always ask, 'Are there photographs? Where did the wood come from?' They would say, 'It would be really nice having literature on my new flooring project, or my new beams.'" Then they began tearing down buildings themselves; a home from 1746, several 19th century barns, an old jail, a school, churches and an old psychiatric ward are just some of the buildings the couple have recycled into reclaimed timber.
"Now we're putting that building back into a floor and creating new history," Lisa says. "It's in your floor and you can talk about where it came from." But their product offerings do not end at wood flooring; their mill also offers hand-hewn beams, molding and trim, 20-foot mantels, tables, gazebos and arbors, and more. By the looks of their warehouse, it seems they've left nothing behind at the demo sites, save maybe the foundation. It's a veritable antique warehouse, with old barn doors, milking machines, antique saws and many more odds and ends culled from dilapidated buildings. The company's slogan-which Lisa created-is, "Where history repeats itself."
To grab some sealer and natural oil finish, Gary and Lisa make a stop at All State Flooring Distributors in Fairfield, N.J.
"We've been slowly but surely gathering product and inventory, and paperwork, on all these projects that we have been taking down," Gary says. "Our next real step is to start the marketing process to get the word out there." As part of their reclaimed product package, Gary and Lisa will offer original historical documents, photos and pamphlets.
Inside the plant, Gary and Lisa check with Mike Ciosek, the plant manager. Ciosek is making a run of flooring while directing the other plant workers. There is a re-saw, straight-line ripper, planer, shaper and molder. It's a complete operation; Gary and Lisa are even testing their own wood-drying kiln. It's not perfect yet, but they're determined to make this a successful operation. They believe in the business so much that they've invested all of their life savings in it. Talking about the new business gets Gary excited; his voice gets higher and he talks a little faster: "Good things are gonna happen. Why not us!?"
Toward the end of the work day, Gary and Lisa grabbed lunch at famous burger joint White Manna in Hackensack, N.J.
4 p.m.Toward the end of the workday, Gary and Lisa finally decide they should grab some lunch at White Manna, a famous burger joint in Hackensack. The phone has been ringing off the hook, they've covered more than 100 miles on the road, and on their way to the diner they hear from DiMarco that the crew has wrapped up all the jobs it started today. They were even able to pick up a 12-foot custom stair tread for Gary. In the van, Lisa reviews today's itinerary. Big Xs splatter the page, signifying all they accomplished.
While they share a platter of hamburger sliders (they never seem to order individually), Gary and Lisa discuss the key lessons they learned when they first started installing reclaimed flooring. "We had to persuade the customer to let us design the layout," Lisa says. "We would put certain boards at a focal point the way we would want to see them in our own house."
Gary and Pete DiMarco discuss the itinerary and supply list at the day's outset.
"We hand-select the coolest boards for the optimal wow factor," Gary adds. "We've had contractors ask, 'What side do I install?' You know, sometimes you have a rough kerf mark of saw blades on one side and you have a clean bottom. They thought you would be putting the rough side down, but I would tell them you want the rough side up!"
That attention to detail and willingness to help others has culminated in a successful wood floor contracting company for Gary and Lisa, and they hope they can do the same with Real Antique Wood Mill. Ultimately, they felt compelled to open the new business so they would not have regrets later in life. "I don't want to be 80 and say, 'You know, I wish I would have done that when we were 40,'" Lisa says. They finish their burgers and then head home to unload the vans and plan for the workdays following the flooring school.
Gary's last order of business for the day is inspecting this 12-foot custom stair tread.
No matter whether they're discussing business plans, telling each other stories, sharing a muffin, or having a mild disagreement on driving directions, Gary and Lisa are always quick with a smile and a laugh, or some goofy activity (Gary recalls that they thumb wrestled on their first date). In fact, they get along so well, some people don't think they're married. "People think we are brother and sister," Lisa says. "I tell them we're husband and wife, and they're like, 'No way, you can't get along like that all day long!'" But, they do. For some people, working alongside their spouse all day is unfathomable, but Gary and Lisa wouldn't have it any other way.
Editor's note: Hurricane Irene knocked out power to Gary and Lisa's home near the end of August, so for a few days they lived in their beach house on the Jersey Shore. This meant they had to commute an hour to Bergenfield to begin each workday. They were able to return to the home in Upper Saddle River on the Friday before Labor Day weekend. They padded the floor and then applied two coats of water-based finish. "It came out beautiful," Lisa says.
