Young entrepreneur continuing family masonry business in Monroe

Brick laying is in her blood, and now young entrepreneur Malloree Grove is continuing the family business with MG Masonry, Inc.

Just a couple of years out of college, Grove has started her own masonry business, located in Monroe, and already has several large projects under her belt.

“Brick laying has been in the Grove family for a long time. My dad started his own company, Grove Masonry, so I decided to start my own,” Grove said. “I decided I wanted to keep the tradition, I really like it. Just because I’m a girl doesn’t mean I can’t.”

Doing mostly commercial work, the company specializes in brick and block. Whether it is working on schools, jails or retail stores, MG can provide masonry needs of any kind.

Although she is thick in the business now, she didn’t always think her career path would lead her to masonry.

“If you would have asked my parents when I was 10 and 12, they probably would have laughed and said no way,” Grove said. “I was the type of girl that didn’t want to get my hands dirty and gross.”

It wasn’t until she was in college at William Penn in Oskaloosa the idea of continuing the family business really took shape.

“I knew I always wanted to go into business and I though, why not? I have been around it all of my life,” Grove said.

Under the guidance of her father, who had recently retired, Grove began putting pieces together to start her own business. After becoming incorporated, they started work finding a place to set up shop.

“When I was in school, we stumbled upon this place,” Grove said. “It looked like an opportunity to create from your own.”

That place is the former Midland Manufacturing Building at 108 N. Taylor St. in Monroe. The long-time vacant building was the perfect place for a family who knows how to be creative and rebuild.

“As a masonry family, you know you can always add to things and reconstruct,” Grove said. “A lot of people would have looked at it and thought, ‘oh this is a huge project.’ Yes, it is a huge project but we’ve been adding on as time and funds allow.”

The remodeling has been vast and noticeable. On the outside of the building, broken doors and windows have been replaced, the outer blocks have received a fresh coat of paint and a new front entrance has been constructed, showing off the masonry skills available by the company.

The interior has also received attention with a new office layout and uniquely constructed walls.

“The office area used to be all drywall, and we came in last winter and gutted it,” Grove said. “We had some leftover block so we used it to make walls. We also had plank board that weren’t any good to use in the business so we let them dry out and put them on the walls. It is kind of a neat different thing that most people haven’t seen.”

The rear of the building has also been addressed with new walls constructed to help close in the open area.

“Essentially we want to block it in so it is not an eyesore and not everyone can see all of our equipment,” Grove said. “It will be storage, but it will still look nice all around.”

Grove is continually working to build and grow her business. She recently completed work at Southeast Polk schools and has projects at the fire station in Carlisle and a maintenance building in Clive on deck.

“It is really cool to know, ‘hey we built that, we made that building possible,’” Grove said. “It is kind of an amazing thing to me.”

Contact Jamee A. Pierson at
641-792-3121 ext. 6534 or
jpierson@newtondailynews.com