OC Fiberglass is located at 1125 Asbury Ave. in Ocean City.

By MADDY VITALE

OCEAN CITY – There are no short cuts. There are no patch jobs. Just fine craftsmanship by the OC Fiberglass team.

They put customers first to deliver quality work when designing decks, railings, siding and renovations to homes throughout the region, said Edgar Rivero, who handles the company’s marketing.

OC Fiberglass, located at 1125 Asbury Ave., became a business in 2014. It started with a crew of three brothers and a friend.

Since then, and with the opening of the storefront in 2017, it is growing and has 18 people employed, including six carpenters.

Employees Edgar Rivero and Karen Wilchens look at a rendering of a job at OC Fiberglass.

Rivero, 23, of Ocean City, is the nephew of three of the owners and said he has some ideas why they are becoming successful.

“We have a reputation of turning down some requests because we want to do things right,” Rivero said. “We don’t want to Band-Aid a problem. Customers know that we want to fix it right the first time.”

He added, “I think that is why we have loyal customers. That has really driven our recommendations. They know we want to do the work the best way possible.”

From left, top to bottom: Carlos Rivero, Christian Hernandez, Eduardo Rivero, Javier Santiago. (Photo courtesy OC Fiberglass)

Honesty and integrity are what it is all about, Rivero said.

Carlos Rivero and his friend, Javier Santiago, started OC Fiberglass in 2014. They gradually built up their business and then Rivero’s brothers, Christian Hernandez and Eduardo Rivero joined the growing team.

Carlos handles sales, estimates and meets with clients and builders, while Javier, Eduardo and Christian do the work.

Customer reviews tell the story of what it is like when hiring the team to do a project.

Mary Ann Noss wrote a review with a five-star rating on the Facebook page for OC Fiberglass.

“Carlos and his crew just completed four decks and installed a French door for us and did an excellent job! Carlos was very understanding, extremely knowledgeable, and trustworthy. Their workmanship is meticulous, and the clean-up was fantastic. We highly recommend Ocean City Fiberglass!”

Bruce Hamlin reviewed Ocean City Fiberglass and also gave it five stars.

He put it simply: “Excellent work coupled with trained employees who clean up after themselves.”

This is a siding job completed by OC Fiberglass in Avalon. (Photo courtesy OC Fiberglass)

Over the years, as their workmanship has become more and more known, Carlos and his team decided to expand. Now, with a full complement of workers, OC Fiberglass can handle even bigger jobs and have branched out into renovations.

Edgar said they specialize in fiberglass decks, but definitely take pride in and do an excellent job on many projects.

“Deck work is huge here. All of the islands need fiberglass decks.” he said. “We can’t use regular decking. Fiberglass is an insulator and helps keep the space below dry.”

When it comes to family businesses, many succeed, some fail.

Edgar said this team knows success comes from working hard for the customer.

“We are really honest with ourselves. We keep ourselves accountable and make sure pride doesn’t get in the way of getting things done,” he said. “We are close enough to tell ourselves the hard truths and get it done in the end.”

And if the idea of learning the trade sounds appealing, Edgar said the team is always looking for new talent.

“We are always looking for talent,” he noted. “We need people to work. There’s an opportunity to learn the fiberglass trade.”

For more information or to schedule an appointment visit www.ocfiberglass.com or call (609) 938-6205.

 

Categories: Downbeach

Nanette LoBiondo Galloway

Award winning journalist covering news, events and people of Atlantic County for more than 20 years.