Brown's Concrete was originally established in 1907 by David L. Brown (aka “The Cement King” of Sudbury). Mr. Brown was the first manufacturer of concrete products in the Sudbury area. The concrete was mixed by hand and poured into wooden molds to cast the blocks. After removing the mold, the blocks were left in place to cure; water spraying was done to ensure the concrete would not dry out during curing.

Curing concrete blocks in the yard (circa 1910)

In 1958, Johannes Herold and Taisto Eilomaa acquired the company which was then located on Long Lake Road. At the time, the company used a small automated machine to cast the blocks; however, once cast, the blocks still needed to be moved by hand. Given the labour intensity involved, production was limited to 800 blocks per day.

Over the years, there were a number of landmark dates, including:

     1961 - upgraded to a fully automated block machine. Production increased to 5000 blocks per day
     1969 - relocated to the present location to allow for increased production and storage.
     1978 - manufactured the first metric sized block in Canada.
     1979 - became one of the first manufacturers of concrete pavers in North America.
     1989 - started manufacturing segmental retaining wall systems.

     2005 - awarded Business of the Year by the Sudbury Chamber of Commerce.

     2007 - introduced the AquaPave Permeable Paving System to Ontario

     2008 - started manufacturing the Rosetta by Brown's line, with distribution right throughout Ontario

Johannnes Herold presents the new automated block machine (1961)

Today, Brown's Concrete Products Ltd. manufactures a complete line of Concrete Blocks, Concrete Paving Stone, Segmented Retaining Wall Units, and other concrete items, with the products being marketed throughout Ontario and the northern US. Brown’s is also a local distributor of not only their own products, but also brick, designer stone, bagged cement products, and associated landscaping and construction materials.

With three generations of Herolds now involved in the company, and a staff dedicated towards the fulfillment of our mission statement, we at Brown’s look forward to what the future holds.