Highland Landscape Supply Co-Owner Has the Entrepreneurial Spirit

James Alfieri is all about hardscape – the patios, sidewalks and retaining walls that lure people outdoors to enjoy the landscape. He’s got the businesses to prove it. And by the time he’s finished, he’ll likely have more.

"My problem is I’m too entrepreneurial," Alfieri said. "I want to do lots of things."

He bought his first business, Pave Ohio Inc., in 2000, at age 30, after learning his business how-tos by working at his father’s company, Alfieri Trucking and Contracting, and getting a business degree at the University of Akron.

"School gave me the organizational skills necessary to running a company, but working with Dad was more well-rounded," he said. "Dad always involved us four kids in construction at a young age."

In 2003 he bought his second business, , 5860 Wilson Mills Rd., Highland Heights. He and Bob Stone co-own the property, and Alfieri runs the bulk materials and hardscape materials division while Stone runs the nursery.

In 2008, after buying the domain name paverliquidators.com for $12, he launched Paver Liquidators to sell overstocked or discontinued paver bricks discounted $200 per pallet compared to regular retail price. The company serves Ohio, western Pennsylvania and eastern Michigan.

"Paver Liquidators is booming. When financial conditions improve, I’ll continue to expand the business."

In February he bought Arrow Builders Supply in South Euclid with partner Jesse Singh and rechristened it Green Builders Supply, both for its location on Green Road and its focus on environmentally friendly products. Their greenest product is permeable pavement that protects the groundwater supply by letting rainwater seep through it into a draining system.

Alfieri is planning his next venture, selling joining sand that hardens to minimize weed growth and decrease maintenance. He’s already developed the formula with a chemist.  

"We’re about two or three years out on this," Alfieri said.

He’ll launch the business when the economy improves.

"Three years ago the phone was ringing off the hook. Everyone was spending money," he said. "But when people don’t have money, they put in concrete, not pavers.

"The recession hit us pretty hard, but we’re making it."

Alfieri lives in Kirtland with his wife, Cynthia, and their two children, ages 11 and 8.