It is said that the best servant does his work unseen, known only to God and those blessed by his service.

Lead Pastor Rob Decker said that’s an apt description of Butch Loflin, his wife, Denise, and the quiet influence they’ve wielded since joining Triad Baptist more than a decade ago.

Now semi-retired, their business — Loflin Concrete — is well known to contractors, homeowners, commercial builders and others who rely on its mixed concrete and other building materials.

On Jan. 22, Decker presented the Loflins with a custom-painted 1/34-scale concrete mixer truck model to thank them for direct concrete donations and discounts that helped the church build its Worship Center/Gym in 2014 and complete other projects. It will be displayed at the Loflin Concrete office.

“With the Worship Center/Gym building alone, the discounted rate represents enough concrete to build a 6.5-mile sidewalk,” Decker said. “Their generosity has been incredible and has allowed us to provide the spaces God has used to lead many people to Jesus Christ.”

Loflin also is supplying the concrete for the latest building on Triad’s campus, a $7.1 million building that will add three floors of classroom and multipurpose space next to the Worship Center/Gym. Construction is underway with the building expected to be available for use sometime in summer 2023.

Family business legacy

In business for more than 50 years, Loflin Concrete’s roots date back to 1907. That’s when Butch’s grandfather started Loflin Sand — pumping his own sand out of the Yadkin River and delivering it to downtown Winston-Salem by horse and buggy.

His dad, Frank, kept the business going with four dump trucks and a 1947 International concrete truck — pumping his own sand and delivering it to local concrete companies.

A year after graduating from East Forsyth High School in 1968, Butch and Frank created Loflin Concrete in October 1969.

Back then, the Loflins answered a phone nailed to a tree in the dog lot to get their next order. Sometimes the customer would need some assistance on their job and they’d help. In the beginning, the salary was $50 a week. Eventually, they built a 10 foot by 14 foot office.

They used 94-pound bags of cement per yard that they loaded by hand onto a platform and then dumped into the truck. The sand and stone was put on a small conveyor belt and loaded with water from a hose into the trucks.

Butch’s mom quit her job at East Forsyth High School working in the cafeteria to help them. 1984 would prove the turning point for the business.

They bought their first concrete plant and now had six concrete mixer trucks, and Denise took Butch’s mom’s place when Frank’s health declined. He died in 1985.

Today, Loflin Concrete has plants in Kernersville and Union Cross, 25 mixer trucks, 15 dump trucks, five tractor trailers and more than 50 employees. Butch and Denise’s children now run the business and oversee the daily operations at both plants. They came on board in the 1990s.

“The Lord has truly blessed us,” Loflin said. “From the beginning, we’ve followed the simple principles of being fair to our customers and making wise decisions with the growth of the company.

“We semi-retired in 2022 but we will always have the love for concrete, our family, employees and customers and, most of all, Jesus Christ.”