March 23, 2026
Welcome to the thirteen issue of our newsletter.
One year of our Louis & Sons monthly newsletter already! Can you believe it? I hope you guys have been enjoying it so far and have learned some new things or got a laugh from the jokes I put in every issue. 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
On March 2nd, CMM Custom Homes hosted a floor signing for all of the sponsors and trade partners who helped build the St. Jude Jersey Shore Dream Home. This home is in Manasquan and all proceeds will be donated to the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital once the house is sold. The sponsors and trade partners signed their names, left handprints, and shared uplifting messages on the subfloor. These messages stay with the home as a reminder of the collective effort behind the project and the children and families that St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital serves. The home is currently expected to be listed for sale in April.
Matthew Amato of CMM Custom Homes stated, “We did this in honor of our mom who we lost to cancer. The outgoing support from all our sponsors has been amazing.” This is the first St Jude Dream Home in the Northeast and Matthew and Christopher Amato are proud to make a difference in their community and change the lives of families affected by childhood cancer.
We at Louis & Sons Drywall, Inc. are also proud contributors to this project and are happy to be able to help families and donate to help research more ways to fight cancer.
Apartment for Rent
Recently we did an apartment for Gary Tvrdik at 49 Atlantic Ave, APT 5, Long Branch. It’s newly renovated, located one block from the beach, and has plenty of parking.
If you are interested in this apartment, call Gary Tvrdik at 908-309-0827. $2,500 a month. Two bedrooms.
JM/CA Hunting Reunion Camp
From March 1st-4th, we attended Johns Manville and Cameron Ashley’s Reunion Camp in Kersey, CO. It was a fun-filled trip and we hunted lots of pheasants, chukars, and quails. It’s great to be able to work with these suppliers and we are grateful for everything they do.
Spotlight on Your Favorite Employees at Louis & Sons
In this section, we hope to get you familiar with some of the great people we have working here
Angel and Romel
Angel was one of the original tapers at Louis & Sons and has been here for over 20 years. About 10 years ago, he transitioned to be a full-time member of our touch-up crew. He fixes patches in houses to clean them up and make them look seamless. In 2022, he brought his son, Romel, to assist us in the trade. When they’re not working, they love to play baseball. We are so fortunate to have Angel and Romel on our team and are proud of the work that they do.
Employees News
José Jr’s son, Jesé Damian, won first place in the soccer tournament at school. We’re so proud of Jesé and can’t wait to see what other amazing things he’ll achieve in the future.
News
U.S. House votes to pass Housing for the 21st Century Act
On July 20 2026, The Department of Environmental Protection’s new Resilient Environments and Landscapes “R.E.A.L” rule is set to take effect in New Jersey. This rule states that new homes built in flood-risk areas will need to be raised 4 feet higher than the current standard. This rule will not impact homes that are already built, but it will apply to homes undergoing major renovation that add up to 50% or more to the property value. Rutgers University experts stated that New Jersey is likely to see 2.2-3.8 feet of sea level rise by 2100 or up to 4.5 feet if ice-sheet melt increases. Critics of this rule such as real estate agent Eric Birchler are concerned that it will stop development and increase costs for clerical, design and architectural requirements. Ocean County Commissioner Sadeghi is worried that the rule will drive out potential homeowners in the area due to the rising costs. Although it is uncertain whether the rule will officially take place due to the scrutiny, many are worried about the potential impact that it could have on the Jersey Shore.
Source: nj.com
Mistakes
If you remember the old ad campaign for Dos Equis Beer featuring The Most Interesting Man in the World, it was said of him only one time in his life did he think he was wrong…but he was mistaken. Well, apart from him, I think we all make mistakes. I’d like to recount an incident that happened recently. I’m not going to mention names or companies even though I believe the story is to everyone’s credit.
A couple weeks ago, we began a big project. Drywall was delivered and the men started on Saturday. I thought all was well until I got a call Saturday night. It seems the homeowner noticed that the house was supposed to have all ⅝” drywall, but instead ½” was delivered. The third floor was already hung. After my initial gut reaction of panic, doom, crisis, and expletive-ridden scenarios running through my mind, I calmly informed the builder that I would look into it and will handle the situation on Monday. I immediately called the drywall crew not to return to the job on Monday and we will figure things out.
I was having dinner with my wife and daughter at the time. I often would tell my daughter who would stress out about college when she was facing deadlines and increasing workloads that the key to managing stress was to “compartmentalize” things. Handle what you can, when you can and mentally put aside what you can’t until you can.
Now it was time for me to practice what I preached and honestly if I hadn’t given her that crazy advice that can’t possibly work, I probably would have been a nervous wreck all weekend. But I did it. Every time the thought came to me, I pushed it aside and said, “MONDAY.” I was able to enjoy the weekend with my family without making everyone miserable.
Monday morning came and as the panic started to grip me, I called my drywall supplier. Now, I’m not sure if I made the mistake or they did. I checked all my paperwork and it did indeed say ⅝” drywall. Had I misspoke when I called it in? Had they written down the wrong order? There was no way of telling. But as I explained the situation to my supplier, we both acted instead of blaming. We made a plan to remove the drywall and replace it.
I spoke to the builder Monday morning acknowledging my mistake. Instead of blaming or overreacting, he said he would contact the homeowner and see what could be done. The homeowner instead of blaming or overreacting, acquiesced to leaving the drywall that was installed, but would like the rest of the home finished in the ⅝”. I thought this was more than fair and much appreciated.
I told the drywall crew to remove any drywall on the 2nd floor and assist the delivery crew with the removal. I would compensate him for his time. Instead of complaining that they missed a day or that it wasn’t in their job description, they dutifully returned the next day and helped out.
Before you knew it, the mistake was rectified and the house was drywalled and ready for the tapers. I reflected on this situation positively rather than negatively. It took everyone working together to resolve this. We all came together without blame, acrimony, or complaint.
I know that when mistakes were made in the past like this, the 20-year-old or 30-year-old me didn’t handle it as well. Maybe present day me wouldn’t have handled it as well if everyone around me hadn’t responded so forgivingly. I’d like to think I would. Over the years, we have always run into mistakes that needed to be resolved quickly. Like the time they sheetrocked the wrong house or they sheetrocked the owner’s cat into the wall or they accidentally screwed into a pipe and we had to call the plumber before the house flooded. These are all stories for another day, but in each case, the only way to handle them was with calmness, and with fast-moving purpose.
We’ve all had unreasonable customers who when a mistake is made believe it’s their chance to win the lottery and get goods and services for free. I’m sure everyone reading this has encountered that situation in one form or another.
Gratefully, that’s usually the exception rather than the rule. Most people are understanding, because after all, unlike The Most Interesting Man, we all make mistakes.
Thanks so much for your time and PS: spring is right around the corner! Hooray!
PPS: It’s never a mistake to read our newsletter.
Michael Gemignani
President
Special Message
As you all know we have been struggling with the crackdown on illegal immigrants led by ICE. As I said before, we fully support the effort to deport criminals and dependent migrants. But, we do want people here who have pending status to be able to work and contribute to society. In an effort to learn more and ascertain our rights, we contacted Attorney Claudio Stanziola. He graciously sat down with us for a no charge consultation.
He explained that if someone was detained by ICE, they should have the following items on their person at all times.
- A written list of contacts with names and phone numbers. Their phones will probably be confiscated.
- Any copies of identification regarding identity and pending status.
- If held in a detention center, they will be coerced into signing a self-deportation waiver. Unlike what was represented in the media and the administration, doing so would place individuals on a 10 year waiting list to apply for legal status. In an effort to make detainees capitulate, they will be sent to detainment centers out of their state and moved frequently. It is important that the individual get legal help before signing anything.
We urge ALL our employees regardless of status to reach out to formulate a plan in case of detention or if in detention.
I am happy to say that at least one person I know was able to post bond and was returned to his family. We are grateful for Attorney Claudio Stanziola’s advice and we will remain vigilant to help all our employees in any way possible. I would like to thank everyone for the positive feedback on my last special message.
Attorney Claudio Stanziola
732-705-9665
Michael Gemignani
President
Ravenna’s Section
I’ve been working here for a lot longer than most people realize. Here’s some pictures of me throughout my career at Louis & Sons.
At just 2 years old, I had my very first supervising job. That’s me in the middle if you couldn’t tell.
When I was 8 years old, I asked my dad for a raise and this is what he got me.
This is me when I was 10 years old with my sister, Donnie. She always insisted on driving the truck. There’s Donnie with her morning cup of joe.
Please don’t report us for breaking child labor laws.
Ravenna Gemignani
Editor in Chief
Media Consultant
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 and stories that get us through our tension-filled days. Here’s a story that she would like to share about her grand-nephew, Mack
“Some people are in your life for a reason, a season, or forever.”
Jokes
Why do leprechauns hate running? They’d rather jig than jog.
Time flies like an arrow, but fruit flies like a banana.
What do you call a fake Irish stone? A shamrock.
Quotes
| “There is stardust in your veins. We are literally, ultimately children of the stars.” ― Jocelyn Bell Burnell, Irish physicist “To create, one must first question everything.” ― Eileen Gray, Irish interior designer “Life offers up these moments of joy despite everything.” ― Sally Rooney, Irish author |
Louis & Sons Drywall, Inc. 