by Miranda G. McLeod
Staff Writer
Craig Pedroni’s workspace begins in a concrete bunker. Voices echo in the rooms and everything feels cold. But come hurricane season, this is the place to be.
“It’s a fortified shelter, that’s for sure,” said Pedroni, president of two stone working companies, Cast Stone and Precast Solutions. During this year’s hurricane season, Pedroni and his wife Pat (who’s also vice-president), along with friends and co-workers, will batten down the hatches if they need to.
The concrete bunker which houses the offices of Pedroni’s Cast Stone and Precast Solutions is just the beginning of the masterpieces created by the long time, family owned company.
In 1923, a new age of stone working was born in Jacksonville. Pedroni continues that tradition started by his grandfather, Andrew, an Italian immigrant who established a shop for quality pieces of art and functional pieces of decor for large and small buildings, homes, parks and more.
Pedroni keeps the tradition of family stone work using knowledge passed on by his family, as well as modern techniques that are consistently being developed.
There’s not much competition in the area for Pedroni. Locally, his is the only company (out of five area companies) that has been recognized by the two national associations for his industry — the Architectural Precast Association and the Cast Stone Institute.
“To be a member of these associations requires us to produce quality work and adhere to strict criteria of production,” said Pedroni, who says each piece goes through an extensive quality control checklist before being shipped or delivered to a customer.
“To make something and maintain quality may not always be the cheapest. We do the best work we think is possible. We won’t drop our standards because others (stone retailers) are cheaper,” he said.
Pedroni’s Cast Stone has produced pieces such as the Wilma Clocktower at Jacksonville International Airport, pieces of St. Joseph and San Juan Del Rio Catholic churches, elements of the San Marco Fountain and the Elliptical Fountain at World Golf Village. Pedroni’s also made a portion of the facade at the Jacksonville Museum of Modern Art. In September, the company received an award from the Architectural Precast Association in recognition of “superb craftsmanship of architectural precast products” for the work at JMOMA.
Precast Solutions, Inc. projects include the complete building restoration of cast stone elements at the Bolles School, the large scale fountain at the Ponte Vedra Inn & Club as well as interior and exterior cast stone columns at the Florida Yacht Club.
Pedroni said it is a satisfying feeling for him and his crew to see different aspects of their work in buildings around town.
He says his crew is an important aspect of the business. They’re mild-mannered guys who come in to do their work and leave at the end of the day, said Pedroni. “We’ve created an environment for work, not drama.”
Pride goes into the creations at the two companies, said Pedroni.
“It’s a great feeling for us to say ‘I made that. I worked the molds and poured the mud.’ There is a sense of pride. It’s real,” he said. “The Riverside Theater was my grandfather’s work. He died in 1960, but his work is still there today.”
Pedroni also credits his wife for the smooth operation of his companies.
“I believe a guy only goes so far before he teams up with a good woman,” he said. “I wouldn’t have what I have today without her. She has turned this place around.”