October 30, 2025
Welcome to the eighth issue of our newsletter.
Fall is here and now is the perfect time for pumpkin pie, hayrides, apple cider, and a new issue of our monthly newsletter. As always, if you have a project that you would like to feature in the next issue or know someone that would be interested in receiving our monthly newsletter, let us know.
Thanks for reading,
Ravenna Gemignani
Editor in Chief
Media Consultant
Project Spotlight
This month, we’ve been working on a beautiful home for Carlos Santos in Ringoes, NJ. This home has a wide open space and is located in a peaceful, rural part of the state. There are some horses right next to the house which make for the best neigh-bors.
Spotlight on Your Favorite Employee at Louis & Sons
In this section, we hope to get you familiar with some of the great people we have working here
Javier Rangel has been working at Louis & Sons for seven years! He is a drywall foreman on our team and manages his crew every day. He checks warranties, drops off supplies, and does the green tape and blue tape for our current projects with Toll Brothers. Outside of work, Javier likes to spend time with his family, watching movies and going to the park with his little ones and his wife, Dulce. His son, Javier is five years old and his other son Esaia just turned one! We are so happy to have Javier on our team and appreciate his dedication to the LNS crew.
Kula Urban Farm
Recently, we’ve been working with Interfaith Neighbors to expand Kula Urban Farm in Asbury Park, NJ. This place provides on-site job training, educational programs, farm to table dinners and free fresh produce to neighbors in need. They have fun, weekly events for the community and transform vacant lots into community gardens. They also sell their produce to the public and restaurants. There’s always something fun going on at Kula Farm so you should definitely check it out.
To learn more, visit: https://interfaithneighbors.org/kula-urban-farm/
Pets
Meet our furry friends at Louis & Sons and from our builders and suppliers
If you have a pet you would like to feature in our next issue, email ravennagemignani@gmail.com
News
Housing Market Index Findings for October 2025
The NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI) is a monthly survey that asks single-family builders to rate present sales of new single-family homes, expected sales of single-family homes for the next six months, and traffic of prospective buyers of new single-family homes on a scale of 0 to 100. A rating above 50 indicates that builders feel confident about the current housing market. Lower ratings suggest less optimism.
For October, the builder confidence score was 37, which is up five points since September and the highest it’s been since April. Current sales conditions also increased four points to 38. Sales expectations in the next six months jumped nine points to 54 and traffic of prospective buyers increased four points to 25.
Source: nahb.org
News
NJEDA Approves Redevelopment Plans to Create 1,146 Housing Units Throughout the State
The New Jersey Economic Development Authority (NJEDA) has approved five redevelopment projects across Essex, Mercer, and Middlesex counties, which will create over 1,146 housing units, including 544 affordable units.
The projects, supported by the Aspire Program and the Historic Property Reinvestment Program (HPRP) are:
Newark (HPRP): $12 million to convert the former St. Michael’s Hospital into 144 co-living bedrooms.
Newark (Aspire & HPRP): $93 million combined to convert the Firemen’s Insurance Company Building into 196 affordable units.
East Orange (Aspire): Over $297 million for a new, 420-unit mixed-income building.
Trenton (Aspire): Over $66 million to renovate the 196-unit Rowan Towers.
New Brunswick (Aspire): $120 million for a new 300-unit tower, with 20% affordable housing.
State and local officials, including Newark Mayor Ras J. Baraka and Trenton Mayor Reed Gusciora, praised the investments for revitalizing communities, expanding affordable housing, and preserving historic buildings
Source: njeda.gov
About Change
In this column, I usually hand out advice or helpful tips. I was going to write about frost on the pumpkin means it’s time to start thinking about heating your projects again. But as I noticed the leaves starting to turn into their beautiful colors, I can’t help but reflect on change.
It’s election time again and I urge everyone to vote. Vote for whatever change your candidate is promising that best reflects your values. Don’t be disappointed if nothing really changes. It still is important to have a voice.
Some changes are good. I actually think changes in the building codes have made houses safer and have provided opportunities for us.
Some changes are good, but at the time, we didn’t think so. Who can remember going to the restaurants that allowed smoking? At the time, I was a smoker. Thankfully I’m not anymore. I remember coming home with my clothes stinking of smoke even if I didn’t smoke then. I can’t imagine going to restaurants that allow smoking now.
Some changes are bad. Some of the new codes are ridiculous and make housing more expensive and not actually better. Also, does anybody remember New Coke and Clear Pepsi?
Big changes are coming to Monmouth County now. Many of you know that Netflix is taking over Fort Monmouth. For some, this is good, but others fear the change. They fear the traffic and the people it will bring.
I for one am excited about this and welcome the opportunity and changes that will come. I hope we can be a part of whatever is coming. Fort Monmouth has been at this location from 1917 and provided many innovations to the war effort and employed thousands of civilians. It closed in 2005, leaving a huge vacuum in its wake. Many civilians were forced to move or retire. Most of us remember after 9/11 they closed the entrance from Oceanport to Rt 35. Although I look forward to all the changes that are to come. I am a little sad to see things go too.
You see, my father was held as a prisoner at Fort Monmouth during WWII. Ironically, he would say that was probably the best years of his life. My father was from Italy. He was drafted in the Italian army like everyone else those days. He hated Mussolini, but he had no choice. At least he got off the farm he was working on for what amounted to be slave labor. He ended up with the Italian Army driving a truck in Africa. It was towards the end of the war, he would recount how one crazy drunk Englishman on a motorcycle approached their unit. Everyone gladly surrendered. They had enough of the war. He was sent to Kansas and Michigan where he was treated harshly, but didn’t mind. At least, he was in America. By the time he got to Fort Monmouth, the Italians were treated better and were asked to sign up to the American Army. He gladly and proudly did. His captains warned against it but they all said, “Are you crazy?! We eat better here as prisoners than we did as soldiers or farmers!”
At Fort Monmouth, he met my mother Rita, an Italian-American who was urged to visit the Italians and give them treats from home like salami, prosciutto, etc…
He married my mother in Italy and settled in Long Branch. He worked odd jobs for cash. He was called a “Guinea” and a “green horn” but he worked hard to fulfill his American Dream. My father became a proud American and cherished his right to vote. Eventually, he got a job at the biggest drywall company at the time, Meisnick’s and Stegger’s. He became a taper and met John, who was a finisher. They ventured out on their own and became Louis & John Drywall in 1959. The rest is history. Louis & Sons took over in 2001. You could say that without Fort Monmouth, my brother and I wouldn’t be here.
I wish my father was still here to see all the changes at Fort Monmouth. He would be glad and maybe a little sad, but probably not. My father was never nostalgic. He knew the good ol’ days were actually pretty horrible. He was always looking forward. I know he would look at this as he did in his early life. Countless opportunities to be had. Whoever said the only constant is change was absolutely right. We can’t stop change, but we can grow and learn from it. Thanks for letting me ramble on. In my personal life, my family and friends help me cope with change. Professionally, it’s the great employees and business partners we have like Jere and family at Campbell Supply, Tony from Cameron Ashley, Mike from IDI, Harrison from RIS, Rocco from North East, and to all my great customers. I know together we can handle all the changes to come.
Thanks,
Michael Gemignani
President
Cartoon
Caroline’s Corner – Words of Wisdom
Anyone who has met or talked to our Office Manager will know that she is the most positive, optimistic and wonderful person you will ever meet. She often has quotes that get us through our tension-filled days. We thought we would like to include her in our newsletter in a section we call “Caroline’s Corner – Words of Wisdom.”
“Skeletons are the life of the party. They got nothing to hide.”
Jokes
It’s finally October which means all the cobwebs in my house are now Halloween decorations.
I want to be a billionaire like my father by the age of 60. He wants to be a billionaire too.
What kind of snake wears a hard hat? A boa constructor.
Quotes
“Change is the law of life and those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future.”
― John F. Kennedy, 35th US president
“What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.”
― Jane Goodall, British primatologist and anthropologist
“Everything dies baby, that’s a fact. But maybe everything that dies someday comes back.”
― Bruce Springsteen, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
Louis & Sons Drywall, Inc. 