These ought to be good times for Wayne Garraway. He has spent almost half of his 38 years in the hollow block business. His 389 Cemetery Road, Mocha Cement Factory manufactures cement blocks and Garraway himself has, over the years, developed considerable expertise in decorative blocks, spindles and concrete columns.
The hollow block industry is widely believed to be a lucrative sub-sector of a building sector that is in the throes of a boom. Still, Garraway says, times are tough. The construction sector, lucrative as it may seem, has become more competitive and more clannish.
When Stabroek Business spoke with Garraway earlier this week he was stockpiling blocks at his factory. There were no orders to fill but he was hoping to be ready in the event that he received a call.
The market is a complex one. Garraway says the businesses that do best in the construction sector are those “with connections.” All too often, long before a major project commences, decisions are made on who gets what. Garraway concedes that in the trade “you have to be well-connected.” When the calls don’t come Garraway makes trips to work sites himself. Invariably it’s the same story: they have the blocks covered. An investigation is likely to find that the supplier is a friend of a friend.
Garraway says that if perchance a contractor agrees to do business, he attempts to “push you down” below the prevailing market price. The current market price for hollow blocks is $80 each. Garraway says that if a contractor
