Family patriarch Richard Barbely began Tech Abrasives in 1976. Rick worked for many years in his Uncle's machine shop but after seeing a need for an Abrasive Distributor in the New Brunswick area he left and opened Tech Abrasive Supply Company.
But Rick didn’t become knowledgeable in the Abrasive Industry just by being an abrasive distributor.
Rick and his three sons were always engaged in projects. Whether reframing their shore house, adding a bathroom to their home, building an automotive garage behind their house, or engaging in his hobby of furniture making; Richard was constantly busy teaching his sons how to build or create, using the very products he sold.
Today all three sons are still involved in their own projects. His youngest son Justin has a career in Construction Management and when he is not working, he is doing his own reconstruction projects or he is busy restoring cars, boats, and fabricating just about anything. Middle son Jonathan went into the restaurant industry, but he still gets involved in many projects on the side, including the refurbishing his own home.
But perhaps no one has followed more in his father’s footsteps than the oldest son Jason. In addition to a career as an Electrical Engineer, Jason serves as the VP of Tech Abrasive Supply, providing customer support to our Tech Abrasive customers in his spare time, while his wife Michelle and mother Regina run the day to day aspects of the business. Just like his father, Jason is always busy with projects and he patiently works with his young daughters, teaching the next generation of Barbely children how to build and construct, just as his father taught him.
So why do we know so much about abrasives? Because we use them.
Through his many hobbies Jason has his hand in just about every industry that uses abrasives; construction, engineering, boat motor repair, automotive repair, woodworking and so much more. From reconstructing his grandfather’s former shore house to building wall units and custom book shelves for his children, Jason always has a project in the works. Jason's wife Michelle is very creative, making them a great team. Through all their family projects Jason, Michelle and the rest of the family have learned so much about the abrasive products they sell.
Don't get us wrong. We didn't learn everything we know about abrasives by using them. That knowledge comes from 40+ years in the abrasive and cutting industries. We learn the most from working with our wonderful customers, helping them find the best abrasive and cutting tools for all of their diverse industries. But our personal experience, using many of our own products in various capacities, does provide us with a unique understanding of the products we sell and it helps us to provide better customer service.
Stay tuned to this blog as we show you many of the projects we have completed or will be working on in the future and highlight all the abrasives and tools we used to make them happen. We are also hoping that this blog will have the opportunity to feature some of our customers and the amazing things that they create.
