Arlington, Texas Joe Mitchell - Owner 1992- Present

We have done ceramic tile, marble, slate, and granite installations for many Dallas-Ft. Worth Area builders.  Some of these include: · Gold Star Homes · Sotherby Homes Shaddock & McNaught · Thayer Construction And remodels too numerous to mention ...

Some noteworthy projects I have worked on over the years include:

• Sea World - San Antonio, Texas.... As you enter the park you will see some games ( hopscotch,etc) made of stone and embedded in the sidewalk. I installed several of these, working right through the night before the park opened. The stones are hand-carved from central Mexico. This is pretty interesting: http://www.seaworld.org/
• The Palm Beach Country Club - Palm Beach, Florida.... The Texas Pink Granite used at the Porte Cochere(driveway)had to be installed twice. The day we finished a tropical storm blew in and washed much of our work away. The Italian Travertine on the second floor was installed and then filled with a white cement to give it a sort of polka dot look. The Italian marble stair handrail was partially fabricated in Austin,Tx. It was shipped to the site in 3 foot sections, each section having six seperate parts which we then put together on the job. Three-two man teams took three weeks to install the complete rail.
• Orlando Convention Center - Orlando, Florida

• California State Railroad Museum - Sacramento, California.... I worked on this when I lived in Sacramento. I think I was working for Mc Dermott Tile at the time.
• The Nugget Hotel and Casino - Sparks, Nevada... Worked on one of the add-on phases, third and fourth floors. The owner, John Ascaugua, was a very nice guy. He regularly gave us drink and meal coupons and got me a great price on a room while I worked there.
• Ford Motor Company Test Track and Experimental Lab - Dearborn, Michigan... This was a great job! We got to see a bunch of prototype cars and see them put through their paces on the track. We put seamless epoxy flooring on the lab floors. The materials we used have since been banned by the EPA.
• Detroit to Windsor Tunnel - Detroit, Michigan... I did some repair work in the tunnel. We sprayed epoxy on the walls of the tunnel at 3:00 am. It was a very wierd job, as the tunnel walls leak somewhat and give the appearance of failing.
• The Dallas Cowboy's Valley Ranch - Irving, Texas... I got to do the punch - list for the Cowboys' training facility. Met a bunch of them including Drew Pearson, Randy White, Danny White, Doug Cosby, Tom Landry and a few more.

Other Companies I have worked for: I wasn't born a tile setter!

• Ford Motor Company: I worked at the Dearborn, MI. River Rouge Plant when it was the biggest manufacturing complex in the world. It was actually a very exciting place to work. The were divisions that made iron, steel, coke, glass, tires, paint, and also put the cars together and shipped them out. We made Mustangs, Thunderbirds, Cougars, Mavericks and Comets at that time (1972). I had many different jobs while I was there. I poured iron into molds for bell housings, I inspected windshields, worked in a clean room that shaped the plastic that goes between the two layers of glass on the windshields. I drove the new cars off the line, welded radiators, and worked cleanup on the roof of the foundry. I met Lee Iaacoca when my dad's crew remodeled his office.
• B&G Crafts: We made shadow boxes and picture frames for Pier 1 Imports. I got to run the shop when the lead man cut his fingers off. Bad way to get a promotion.
• Pine Engineering: Ran a pushbroom for a few weeks at this place. They made models of prototype cars from wood and clay. Saw a prototype of the Mustang II a year before it was anounced.
• Little Ceasar's Pizza: Met Mickey Lolich (Pitcher - Detroit Tigers) when he bought a share of the company. It was a small company back then. I still remember the pizza dough fight we had when an Inkster(MI) police officer took one in the head. Bad timing - and he had no sense of humor.
• Passages: Played in this band while I lived in Sacramento. Biggest gig was opening for Mike Bloomfield at a New Years Eve party at Slick Willy's. There was a big brawl in the parking lot after the show - mostly bikers. As I wheeled my equiptment out the back door, several bikers stopped fighting long enough to help me load up. Very surreal scene.
• Dearborn Cab: Drove a cab for a couple of years off and on. Most memorable fares: #1. Sugar and Dave - late for a plane after doing a commercial for Ford trucks, I gave them the ride of a lifetime in ruch hour Detroit traffic. Got a big tip and an autographed picture and they made their plane. #2. The Chieftains - They all piled into my cab with thier manager and never stopped talking and joking the whole ride. They were a riot.

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Last revised: June 11, 1998