Kasten Masonry Sales

Year established:1895

Product or services offered: Brick, block, masonry supplies, pools, spas, gas-wood-pellet fireplaces and stoves, pellet grills, Big Green Egg

Number of employees: 80-plus

Location: Jackson, Mo., Carbondale, Ill., Bonne Terre, Mo.

Hours of operation: 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and 7 a.m. to noon Saturday

Owner: Stockholders

Phone number: 573-243-3591

Website: www.kastenmasonry.net

What makes your business unique?

Quent Kasten, assistant general manager: We service all the products we sell with factory trained technicians.

What future plans do you have for your business?

QK: We are always looking for new products to manufacture and new and exciting products for our distribution branch of our business.

What awards or special recognition did you receive in 2012?

QK: Master Spa Apex Award for being one of the top 10 dealers in the US. Business Leader of the Year from the Bonne Terre Chamber of Commerce for our Bonne Terre, Mo., location.

Does your business support any community organizations or events in a special way? How?

QK: Jackson, Bonne Terre, and Carbondale Chambers of Commerce. Boy Scouts of America.

What do you like about doing business in a small town?

QK: You get to know a lot of your customers on a first-name basis.

What may our readers find surprising about your business?

QK: Many people know of Kasten Masonry for our large selection of masonry supplies. What people don't often realize is that we sell many other products including pools, spas, grills, fireplaces, and stoves.

What was your biggest success in 2012?

QK: Winning the Apex Award from Master Spa. To be recognized as one of the best dealers for the leading spa manufacture in the world is a great achievement.