A STRONG AND LASTING LEGACY CUSTOM CONCRETE LOOKS BACK ON 50 YEARS IN BUSINESS
Writer / Christy Heitger-Ewing Photos Provided
Custom Concrete has been a staple in the Westfield community for more than half a century. The company was started in 1969 by Joe Carr, who originally had a different vision. He, along with his brother and a couple of his friends, decided they wanted to start framing houses, but soon found there weren’t enough houses to frame because builders needed foundations installed. A problem solver and entrepreneur at heart, Carr bought a set of forms and started pouring foundations so that he had houses to frame. Before long, he and his team found their groove in pouring foundations.
ready to wear, having all of its buttons, starched and ironed. He felt the same way about foundations - that they should be ready for building, excavated with footings and walls, waterproofed with slabs - so he brought Ready-to-Wear foundations to the Indiana market. Now, many years later, several companies have adopted this idea across the nation. “He invented that process, and in a lot of ways, he perfected it,” Ells says. Custom Concrete grew in the 1980s and 1990s, primarily as a residential contractor, as they installed thousands of foundations of all sizes. The Great Recession, however, hit residential construction hard. According to Ells, 75% of the work vanished.
“He called it the ‘Ready-to-Wear’ basement,” says Jason Ells, senior vice president of The team faced challenges and uncertainty, Custom Concrete. but Custom Concrete didn’t give up. Instead, they followed the example set by The concept evolved from Carr’s experience Joe Carr and diversified by offering multiple buying shirts, when he was a young man, services. For example, their Custom Truck and feeling frustrated by the fact the shirts and Auto division, originally intended to often didn’t have buttons or sleeves cut to service their own fleet, was made public so length. He liked the idea of a shirt being 2021 DIRECTORY AND RELOCATION GUIDE / 9
they could provide maintenance and repair for both small and large vehicles. They also dove into commercial construction, and now have a robust commercial division that pours foundations for large warehouses and industrial buildings, some of which are more than one million square feet. In addition, they have a foundation repair division. On top of all that, they tweaked their residential division to include room additions and special projects. “We can do the smallest of residential foundations to some of the largest commercial foundations,” says Ells, noting that they are always looking for ways to improve their ability to take care of customers, and bring them the best value. To offer the best, they have to hire the best, and they are intentional about doing so. Custom Concrete is dedicated to investing in their people - educating, training, mentoring and coaching them to be the best version of themselves. They often hire graduates who are fresh out of high school many from Westfield High School, the alma
