Eric Gnippe is the general manager of Evanston Masonry, a masonry company located in suburban Chicago.
Originally from Hinsdale, Illinois, growing up Gnippe was a goofy jock, his comedy and his baseball glove equally slick.
After high school, Gnippe attended Rockford University, where he studied business administration and played catcher for the Regents baseball squad.
“I wanted to be an entrepreneur or go into a marketing position for a company,” says Gnippe, a lifelong White Sox fan (his uncle, the owner of the company, is a Cubs fan, ironically), whose eye contact throughout our conversation is direct, yet simultaneously intended to engender warmth.
After earning his degree, Gnippe began working for a carpet cleaning company, eventually ascending to the role of GM before his uncle called him with another opportunity.
“My uncle was preparing for retirement and was looking for just the right person to run the daily operations of his business [Evanston Masonry],” Gnippe recalls of a phone call that completely altered his professional trajectory.
But there was nothing nepotistic about Gnippe becoming part of Evanston Masonry, a community staple that has served homeowners in the Chicago suburb for the last 45 years.
“Early on, every three months was a trial period,” Gnippe shares.
“He [his uncle] had already built and established a profitable company within Evanston, so he didn’t need me, but he wanted me to be an extension of the brand, and I had no problem doing that.”
At first, the amiable Gnippe worked as an office manager, then he shadowed his uncle, the nuances of masonry slowly becoming entrenched in his everyday life.
Over time, Gnippe’s commitment convinced his uncle to elevate him into the role of GM, a move that has facilitated growth for Evanston Masonry, and Gnippe.
“It’s now to the point where I am a customer’s first point of contact, and I am taking care of them all the way until the job is finished and they are completely satisfied,” says Gnippe, who has been with Evanston Masonry for six years.
For context, Evanston Masonry’s scope of work consists primarily of chimney and parapet rebuilding, tuckpointing, stone work, and structural steel work, among other things.
At Evanston Masonry, their four-decade-plus run has endeared them to homeowners and business owners alike who aren’t chasing the lowest price, but are instead searching for a trusted resource for all things masonry.
“There are masonry contractors out there who just want to get a job and have a check be deposited into their bank account,” Gnippe says.
“For those companies, that’s their sole priority, and then customer service is a distant second. We don’t operate that way. We truly believe that we have to earn our customers’ business by being transparent and leading with information and value at the outset, but then also supplying them with a great service at a fair price.”
Adds the cerebral Gnippe:
“I have heard horror stories of homeowners working with other masonry contractors, and then halfway through the job they can’t get a hold of their contractor. That’s where we’re different because everyone in our company has clearly defined roles, and if there is ever an issue, a customer can contact me directly, and because we have already built that relationship, they feel confident not only reaching out, but also that their concerns will be addressed and rectified.”
Because masonry work has the potential to become very expensive, many homeowners are reluctant to entrust their property to just any masonry contractor, which is why reputation is everything.
As mentioned, with over 45 years of being in business, Evanston Masonry is at the stage where their body of work rings louder than a walkoff home run on the South Side of Chicago.
In that sense, Evanston Masonry doesn’t have to oversell how capable their staff is, which enables Gnippe to instead focus on enhancing the overall customer service experience.
“I live in Evanston. I can literally walk to some of my clients’ houses,” Gnippe says, “and the reason I bring that up is because I want people to know that I’m here for them. I’m the face of the company, but that’s not just online or over the phone. That’s in person too.”
For reference, Evanston Masonry is typically not the lowest price available to homeowners who are looking for a masonry contractor.
At the same time, the business isn’t aiming to compete on price, because they have seen firsthand how saving a couple hundred bucks today could cost homeowners several thousand dollars later on.
“Due to the fact that we have been around for 45 years, we know how to solve problems because our experts have encountered all different types of scenarios,” Gnippe explains.
“A masonry contractor who has only been in business for two years may not know how to handle certain situations, and if that happens, then you as a client are at the whim of that contractor, and how they ultimately decide to fix that problem.”
To be fair, sometimes electing to go with the lowest bid does work out for people, but all too often Gnippe says he receives phone calls from disgruntled homeowners who are faced with unnecessarily having to spend thousands of additional dollars because their initial masonry contractor cut corners in order to salvage profit.
“Brick work is expensive,” Gnippe deadpans.
“Therefore, you want to get it done right the first time; not only so that you save money over the long-term, but then you are also investing wisely in your property.”
Adds Gnippe, addressing perhaps the most relevant aspect of our entire conversation:
“For most, their home is their largest investment, and I always highly encourage people that even if they don’t work with our masonry company, they should go with competent professionals who have a proven track record of ensuring the work is done properly.”
Despite there being some urgency when it comes to partnering with a reliable masonry contractor, Gnippe never pressures potential clients into signing an agreement.
Beyond preparing estimates over the phone and online, Gnippe is also willing to travel to customers’ homes so that a full consultation can be conducted, allowing the homeowner to gather as much information as possible prior to making a commitment.
This extra step endears Evanston Masonry to many homeowners, and it also gives Gnippe an opportunity to adequately prepare clients for all possible contingencies.
“We think it is imperative to properly establish expectations at the beginning of a job so that there are no surprises once the work begins,” Gnippe states.
“We’re never just going to give you an estimate and then start doing the work. We really believe in the philosophy of consulting people at every step of the process so that they feel comfortable and informed about what is going to happen with their home.”
Perhaps to a fault, but Gnippe will even advise some clients to hire another masonry contractor if he doesn’t think that Evanston Masonry can best serve their needs.
“I want my clients to find a solution that is right for them,” Gnippe readily admits.
“Of course, I want to help as many clients as possible, but I won’t sacrifice the well-being of a client just to win more jobs.”
It’s this type of integrity that has indeed allowed Gnippe to develop into an extension of his uncle over the last six years, and also represent Evanston Masonry as if it were his own entity.
“I’m extremely confident in the work that we do,” Gnippe unapologetically remarks.
“My uncle has been in this business for seemingly forever, and again, I’m just trying to model what he does because I have seen firsthand how when you prioritize the customer, everything else just seems to fall into place.”
In the coming years, Gnippe is striving to continue his development as GM, but there may also be more in store for the Hinsdale product, provided he consistently embodies the core philosophies his uncle spent so much time refining.
“I don’t ever want to overstate my role because I’m just one part of the equation, but I genuinely want to help people. And right now, I’m in the perfect position to do so because my uncle is still actively involved in the business,” Gnippe says.
“One day my uncle’s level of involvement will likely change, and if I’m lucky, and depending on where life takes me, there may be a succession plan in place for me to potentially take over, but that’s not at the forefront of what I think about when I go to work every day. Instead, I think about the customers and how I can help them, and as long as that is the main focus, then everything else will organically take care of itself.” QS
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