About A. Duchini

If ever a man made a product, Avellino Duchini has; he talked of the building block, but never of the man. This contrast may give the impression that the "Duke" chanced to be in the masonry field at an opportune time. What most of his friends said undoubtedly made the "Duke" blush in sincere modesty. He never dreamed of publicizing his own achievements.

Born in Carrarra, Italy, where marble is mined, the one time block mason came to America in 1929 and worked for a contractor. He would come home for supper then he and his bride, Ida, would retire to their garage to make precast laundry tubs and concrete vases.

 

The Duke relied on Ida to help with decisions and they worked together as a team to build their legacy.

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In 1932, Avellino decided to establish his own business under the name of A. Duchini. His first contracts included service stations, commercial buildings, and homes of all sizes. When an oil company was challenged with needing a specialized concrete block, the Duke found a solution to produce this block which is still found on service stations to this day.

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Purchasing a machine that produced 100-500 blocks per day, it quickly needed modernized to meet sales demand increasing production to 1000 blocks per day. By 1940, a new Besser Tamper upgraded production to 2000 blocks per day. Not one to sit back and wait, the Duke was determined to continuously improve quality and production. This led to the purchase of the current plant at 24th & Brandes Streets in 1943.

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During the war years and beyond, Avellino upgraded his machines to produce more product and provide stable employment for his workers. Soon after, the Duchinis were able to bring over their son, Adelmo from Italy. With his work as production manager and the Duke's tireless efforts, by 1950 the plant was making 18,000 units per day.

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This family owned and operated business has long stood for quality and commitment with several generations of employees maintaining the company’s tradition of excellent service. The loyalty of the employees and the long-standing relationship with generations of customers are just a few of the reasons A. Duchini has become the largest distributor of masonry products in the tri-state area.

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