Issue link: https://viewer.e-digitaledition.com/i/1435755
For over 118 years the Building Center has been a part of the community rather than merely a business within it. Founder Charles Heberle, aka Cap, was born in Richmond, Virginia in the late 1800s. His parents sent him to Essex, Massachusetts as an indentured servant, hoping to give him a better life. After several years working on a farm in Essex, Cap was freed from servitude on his 18th birthday. Two divergent paths stood before him: the farms of Essex or the open sea out of Gloucester. The flip of a coin led Charlie to Gloucester where he worked as a tugboat operator. His hard work soon led him to become the captain of his own tugboat. In October of 1903, a barge caught fire in Gloucester Harbor, and Cap Heberle risked his life to tow the barge close enough to allow the flames to be extinguished. For his bravery, he was awarded $4,000. He used the money to buy the Gloucester Coal and Lumber Company, which is now the Building Center. In the 1950s, Cap passed this legacy onto his son Charlie, who continued to move the business forward. He implement - ed the drive-through lumber yard in Gloucester, an idea that dawned on him while traveling the tolls on the Pennsylvania Turnpike. Another game changing business tactic was his implementation of selling on credit, long before it became customary. Builder: WORKS by JD Congratulations on being chosen "Builder of the Month" Photography: Damianos Photography