General Info:
Brothers Tony & Carmen Ruta For 40 years, the Ruta's have been paving their way around Bergen County. The family, the late Vincent and his sons Carmen & Tony came to this country from Italy on the ship "Michaelangelo" now 53 years ago. Vincent began working for his uncle in the Oranges learning about concrete and asphalt. From there he ventured out and decided to open up his own business. In 1969 the family moved from Paterson to nearby Hawthorne where they have been living since. Vincent started V. Ruta and Sons in 1974. "We do asphalt and concrete work, Belgium Blocks and hardscaping." said Carmen. "There is no job too big or too small". The brothers are also very active in the local community. Tony, 55 was a member of the Mohawks Athletic Club for 10 years and Carmen, 57, is a past president of the Lions Club. Carmen was previously on the Hawthorne Board of Adjustments and is currently serving as a member of the Hawthorne Planning Board. The bulk of the Ruta's' work - about 75% of it - is residential. One of the more visible jobs is the St. Anthony's Church parking lot in Hawthorne, NJ. "We have a great referral base" - Carmen said. "I would say 90% of our customers are referred to us by word of mouth". With the onset of spring comes the annual season of con artists and Carmen warns about the dangers of using fly-by-night paving companies. "We usually have to come in and redo the job that they were paid to do" he said. Carmen and Tony started helping their father in the business when they were in high school, but Carmen had different plans for his future. He attended William Paterson University for a few years and then transferred to the Culinary Institute of America where he earned his degree in culinary arts. After working for a while in the restaurant field, he went back to the family business to help out his father - always thinking that he could go back to cooking in a few years. "But I'm still here - because it's what I enjoy doing" he says. Tony is a graduate of Somerset Community College and has an AOS degree in drafting and construction. These owners are not the type to sit back and give orders from the sidelines. You can find them out on the job sites working the machinery. The asphalting season lasts from March through October but stops at the first sign of the first frost. The ground becomes too hard to work with and they have to wait until next season to begin working again. "First we remove the old asphalt or concrete. Then we lay large stone down and let the customer drive on it for a few weeks to make sure that the stones are secure. Then when we come back and add smaller stones and then finally the asphalt." The used concrete and asphalt are then recycled and resold to the Ruta's and other paving companies. Some intricate jobs take more time. Brochures full of different blocks are available at the office and photos are also displayed on this website. Some of the blocks and pavers have a smooth surface while others are "antiqued" to look like old brick. "There's an instant gratification when you see your work done and the customers are happy" Carmen says. "When they are happy, we're happy". Call them at 973-423-1349 for your Free Estimate today.