The NORTHERN Group
Almost everyone has seen the familiar Northern trucks with a big “V”
logo traveling the highways carrying top-quality ready-mix concrete,
concrete blocks, bituminous, aggregates and building supplies to construction
sites throughout Central New York.
Where do they all come from?
Most likely the point of debarkation is the sprawling headquarters site
of The Northern Group of companies at the intersection of NYS Route 3
and Silk Road in the Town of Volney, just north of the City of Fulton.
It all started almost fifty years ago when a young man from Fulton
graduated from Christian Brothers Academy with an entrepreneurial
spirit and his sites set on starting his own company. His idea was to
supply the building trades with the basic building blocks -- not only the blocks but also the sand and gravel, and the ready-mix concrete -- and supply these materials to specifications, at competitive prices and provide top-notch delivery service.
Thomas V. Venezia started with a couple of mixer trucks, a small ready mix batch plant and a small mining operation. At the onset, Northern Concrete Block and Northern Ready Mix experienced several hard-fought years to break into a very competitive business.
After starting Northern Ready Mix in 1960, the establishment of Northern Concrete Block and Northern Aggregates followed in 1969. The block plant grew and the company’s own quarries supplied several grades of aggregates to the building trades, as well as various mixes of topsoil. Tom got his big break in the late sixties when his company won the contract to supply ready-mix concrete to the first massive Nine Mile Point nuclear plant. That multi-million dollar contract and subsequent major contracts spurred the company’s growth.
Northern Bituminous Mix was started in 1972 and grew to manufacture asphalt paving materials for private, commercial and state applications. It was a new and progressive endeavor for the company but one that proved quite successful. The senior Venezia built his company into what came to be know as The Northern Group ---comprised of Northern Concrete Block, Northern Ready-Mix, Northern Aggregates, and, later, Northern Bituminous Mix.
Throughout the early building years of Northern, management was a real family operation. Tom’s only son, Thomas S. Venezia, started at the company part-time during high school, working alongside his father, and continued the tradition that the Venezia family had established. When his father died in 1998, Thomas S. Venezia quietly stepped into his father’s office and continued to grow the company, imbued with his father’s entrepreneurial spirit.
THE NORTHERN GROUP TODAY...
Today, The Northern Group of companies has fulfilled its promise formed in the early years but continues to strive for excellence in product quality and service. Northern Ready Mix manufactures and distributes concrete for industrial, commercial and residential
application. Five ready mix batch plants are now located in Camden, Oswego, Clay, Rome, and Fulton. Northern Concrete Block is not only a manufacturer and distributor of blocks, but all types and styles of masonry units, architectural units, a virtual rainbow of colored and light weight units, and split face. Northern Aggregates operates their own quarries in the Central New York area. They supply several
grades of aggregates to the building trades and supply the raw materials for manufacturing Northern
products. The Northern Ace Hardware and Building Supply Center, consisting of a complete hardware and tool
center and an extensive lumber yard, was established in the ensuring years and is today an integral part
of The Northern Group.
In 1999, the Northern Landscape and Lawn Center was established and features a complete line of John Deere equipment and parts; Ariens snow removal equipment; and a landscape design center with a complete line of landscape pavers, walls and curbs to enhance the driveway, walkway, patio or plating area of any home or business. Landscaping with interlocking stone has become increasingly popular with homeowners to enhance outdoor living and to add substantial value to their properties. Our experts at Northern’s Landscape and Lawn Center work hand-in-hand with customers to achieve desired results.
Since the turn of the century, another growth spurt occurred at The Northern Group when management acquired several other companies.
Northern Concrete Block of Cortland was added in 2000 extending our market to the south. North Country Concrete & Block in Pulaski followed in 2001, with a ready mix plant in Pulaski, and an aggregate processing plant located in Panther Lake which supplies a number of aggregate products to builders and landscapers. Rome Ready Mix and Block was acquired in 2002 and extended our market area to the east and the lower Adirondacks.
In 2004 Northern Rental, an equipment rental service specializing in Caterpillar® equipment, was expanded by Northern Concrete Block and provides homeowners and contractors with both small and large Cat® as well as other types of construction equipment and tools.
Today, all of the companies in the family known as The Northern Group are majority owned and managed by Thomas S. Venezia. The Northern Group has grown to become a major supplier of building materials to individuals, municipalities, homebuilders and construction firms throughout the Central New York area.
We have grown but our people are grounded in the principles that helped to nourish that growth --- to manufacture and distribute top quality building materials to specifications, sell at competitive market prices and provide top-notch, on-time delivery service.
