National Block and Ready-Mix has come a long way since 1946 when four childhood friends decided to go into business. The four veterans of World War II returned home and started a concrete block operation on a scale that resembled a cottage industry. Their inspiration came from an old immigrant Czech Farmer who was making block one at a time with a Sears Catalog purchased block mold.
Within three years it became clear the backyard operations could never keep up with the demand. The present site of nine acres on Ford Road in Westland was bought in 1949. The purchase gave National Block the space for plant, equipment and storage necessary to become a major player in the concrete block market and by 1952 the Ready-Mix concrete field.