Alumni Career Feature
James Asbury
We feature alumni with interesting careers from a variety of career areas. To find out more about the alumnus profession contact them via the e-mail provided. Or if you are interested in being featured, e-mail us at alumni@pct.edu.
James Asbury
- A.A.S., Business Management, 2002
- Mountaineer Stone
- james@mountaineerstone.com
- Employer's website
Like many, James Asbury found his dream by accident. James began stacking stone with a group of men who worked around his family farm—an experience that would prove to be beneficial in the years to come.
College Experiences
James began his college career in 1997 at Penn College’s North Campus majoring in Heavy Construction Equipment. He worked during the day and attended classes at night. He enjoyed the mostly non-traditional students at the North Campus. James felt he could learn a lot from individuals who had already spent years in the workforce. After a year, James decided he wanted to become business savvy, so he decided to switch his major and transfer to main campus.
This proved to be a wise move for James. The switch gave him the opportunity to become involved in extracurricular activities that weren’t available to him before. He became actively involved in Penn College’s chapter of Phi Beta Lambda and eventually served as its president. He also was the founding member of Students in Free Enterprise (S.I.F.E.).
Business Beginnings
Not long into working with stones, James realized he liked this type of work. He realized it was time to start his own stone business. This realization developed into his present day business, Mountaineer Stone.
He started his business while completing the final years of his education. Since beginning his business seven years ago, James has had tremendous success. A fellow alumnus gave James his first substantial job, which allowed James to work at the site and still attend school. Since graduation, his business has developed rapidly. He now has five subcontracted workers under him and has plans to expand his business into other states.
James is the only certified wall builder in Pennsylvania. This keeps him in high demand throughout the region and state. James also stays busy by traveling outside of Pennsylvania to build stone walls, bridges, and steps. He has built or is in the process of building stone structures in a variety of locations, including Kansas, Maryland, Kentucky, New York, and even Scotland.
Future Expectations
While James is very busy, he hopes to continue expanding his business. He would like to see a slow, steady growth rather than a large explosion. This will help him maintain the high-quality work he is known for. He does look forward to tackling some larger projects. He already has plans to help a fellow stone lover develop a similar business in Virginia.
