Bahler Brothers begins
Four brothers start a landscaping business with plenty of ambition, a willingness to work and a lot still to learn.
The Pave Tool Story
Built on the jobsite.
Proven by experience.
Our mission is to improve the hardscape community through proven innovative solutions, education and superior customer service.
We did not start as a tool company. We started as hardscapers looking for a better way to work.
Family-built since 1985Hard work, honest solutions and tools made for the real world.
1985
My brother Tom finished his degree in landscape design and convinced me and my two brothers to start a business together. For a 15-year-old boy, it was a dream come true. We called ourselves the Bahler Brothers. How original.
Built by experience
We learned a lot the hard way.
“How could we install faster and become more competitive?”
All four of us were single and did not need to make a lot of money, so we had nothing to lose. Soon, one by one, we married and had children. We needed to get serious, really quick.
We spent countless hours evaluating our strengths and weaknesses. We brought in industry professionals, including longtime consultant Vander Kooi, to help us build a more profitable business.
By the late 1980s, we had made hardscaping our focus. That was a challenge when most homeowners did not even know what pavers were. Then stiff competition brought a new question: how could we install faster and become more competitive?
That question became the beginning of Pave Tool. The tools and systems we developed helped us work two to three times faster, grow the Bahler Brothers business and make difficult work easier on our crews.
From contractor to innovator
Tools born from real problems.
Every step forward came from the same place: a challenge we faced ourselves on the jobsite.
Hardscaping becomes the focus
Competition pushes us to develop better systems and tools that improve speed, consistency and profitability.
Pave Tool reaches the industry
With support from an innovative paver manufacturer, we begin offering our contractor-built tools to fellow hardscapers.
What hardscapers need
Four standards behind every tool.
We already knew the questions to ask because we came from the same jobsites as the people using our products.
01
Quality
Tools must withstand changing weather, demanding jobsites and rigorous daily use.
02
Versatility
Adjustable tools should work across materials and earn their place on the truck.
03
Simplicity
Time is money. Our tools are easy to understand, quick to put to work and simple to train new crew members on.
04
Less strain
The right equipment helps protect the bodies and careers of the people doing the work.
Why we keep building
Helping hardscapers build better businesses.
Our wish is to help fellow hardscapers save time, increase profits, keep employees satisfied, reduce physical strain, decrease workers’ compensation claims and become more professional. After all, that is what tools have done for us.
Hardscaping is a great way to make a living if you enjoy hard work and love the satisfaction of creating something with your hands. Build honesty, integrity, hard work, tools and systems into your business plan, and you give yourself a real foundation for success.
Pave Tool continues to strive to provide tools and service that exceed your expectations. We extend our family values of hard work and integrity into everything we do, and we look forward to welcoming you into the Pave Tool family.
Made for hardscapers
Put our experience to work on your next job.
Explore contractor-tested tools and systems designed to save time, reduce strain and help your crew work more profitably.
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