Meet Syna Sattari of Original Rock Replicas in Tempe

Today we’d like to introduce you to Syna Sattari.

Syna, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Mike Sattari started Original Rock Replicas in 1979 out of a combination of necessity and ambition. As an immigrant from Iran, in the early 1974 Mike graduated from CU Boulder with a degree in Civil Engineering. He surveyed for the Highway Department proudly working his way to the position of head surveyor on West bound Eisenhower Tunnel. After this accomplishment he was asked to survey the rural mountain top near Copper Mountain, CO as his next assignment. We inquiring about what was to become of this mountain, he was informed that a quarry was going to be established there. Being a naturalist as heart he quit that day.

Being offered a job with the Shah of Iran, He returned to his homeland with his American Wife intending to create a better future for his upcoming family and country. However, Politics had different plans and in 1979 when the Islamic Revolution gained momentum Mike and his now pregnant wife returned to Colorado as political refugees. Due to the stigmas caused by the Iranian Hostage situation he could not get his job back at the Highway Department. With the $2,000 he was able to get out of Iran he thought upon his last day at the Highway Department and was struck with insight.

In the true spirit of the American Dream, Mike started Original Rock Replicas. Often stating with a heavy accent,” Why do you need to blow up a mountain when you can make the same look, if not better with concrete and color. Like most beginnings it was not easy. People often kicked Mike out of the office thinking his new stone concept was a cheap plastic. His first break came with doing custom fireplaces inside mobile homes in Greeley, CO.

Now in the early 1981 Mike had a decent small manufactory established and growing, but this time nature stood in his way. He could only work for 6 months of the year in Colorado due to cold damp weather making concrete very difficult if not impossible to work with. He looked to Arizona which had just began to grow. Moving his family to East Mesa, he established a new factory on McDowell Rd and Alma School Rd on the Pima Reservation. Being one of the only people manufacturing and installing stone veneer in Phoenix at the time his business grew like a wild fire.

New projects presented themselves every day. Mike kept coming up with new stone styles and designs for installation. By the late 1988 he had made Original Rock Replicas the leading brand in High-end Veneer Stone being claimed as the most natural looking manufactured stone you could find. Mike’s fortune was made his family grew to include four children and his company expanded into California, Virginia, Greece and Paris.

For almost 15 years Mike rode his waves of success and fine tuning his custom craft. Essentially becoming the Gucci of manufactured stone his product and Ideas could be found all over the valley in Developments like Troon North, South Mountain Golf Club, Estancia, and Superstition Mountain. In 2008 though the construction industry was decimated by the collapse of the housing bubble. Most construction came to a complete halt and those who were building were now going the cheapest route possible. Being close to retirement the for next 6 years Mike shut the doors and ran a skeleton crew for the few custom homes that came his way from old friends and colleagues.

Fast Forward to 2015 I, Syna Sattari, Mike’s youngest child had graduated from ASU with a degree in International Relations was having a tough time finding work in the IR world. Having to work jobs in banking and hospitality I always found myself coming back to the stone factory making new colors and trying to sell our overbearing inventory. Eventually insight hit me and I realized that this company could grow to heights it had once achieved.

However Mike was not going to just hand over the keys so easily. I came to work before my job at the bank and went back after for no pay. This continued for a year I sold small projects here and there and began to being life back into the barren factory. After that year Mike offered me a piece of ownership to run the company full-time.

That brings us to today. The Rebirth of Original Rock Replicas. Now being run as a father son operation we are growing at a sustainable rate and developing new stone and colors monthly. Finding success in the cities like Arcadia going through their own rebirth and with old architect and builders Original Rock is back on track to becoming the leader in the Custom Stone Veneer industry.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
There have been many struggle including Political interference, challenges with weather, at tough language barrier between labor and owners. Fighting the dropping price of natural stone.

Original Rock Replicas – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
We make and install Custom Stone Veneer and Pre-cast. What sets us apart from others is the custom coloring of stone. We work with the customer until we formulate a color that is exactly what they want. We are known for our Old World look.

What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
Persistence, Patience, and Customer Service are what led to our success.

Contact Info:

• Address: 919 N Mary Street
• Website: rockreplica.com
• Phone: 4809457866
• Email: originalrockaz@gmail.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/originalrockaz/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ORRAZCA/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/OriginalRockAZ1?lang=en

Image Credit:
Argue Custom Homes

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