“Alchemy” has a deep and layered meaning when it comes to the name of a local company. The name is derived from an alchemy stone, which is taking common materials and making something exquisite out of it; something the employees of Alchemy Concrete strive to do with their own products.

At the young age of seven, Alchemy Concrete owner Juda Haas moved from Saint Paul, Minnesota, to Wisconsin. His father had the occupation of a minister for a church, and when they moved to Wisconsin, they started their own church. 

In 1997, Haas graduated from Stevens Point Area Senior High, also known as SPASH. “I moved to Montana for a little bit, and then I went to school at University of Wisconsin, Stevens Point,” said Haas, noting that he was there for three years, and never graduated. Once out of school, he started a concrete business.

What some might know is that Alchemy Concrete today, didn’t always have that moniker. Originally, it was MLJ Haas Concrete, the “MLJ” being a combination of his first name, as well as his wife’s name, Lindsey. Originally, MLJ Haas Concrete was a solo business, until he added two partners, who then brought on two more partners. The name was then changed from MLJ Haas Concrete to Creative Concrete. They then merged it with another concrete company, the one that he worked for in college. Together, they formed Alchemy Concrete, and in 2010, Haas took over the business.

At times, Haas will have his kids help him on some of his jobs. In total, he has five children: two daughters, and three sons, their ages ranging from twenty five to twelve. When asked if his kids have helped with previous jobs, willingly or were told to do so, he responded with “I mean yeah, I mean, probably both.” As well as being an employing company, it is also a family business. “Lindsey was a professional stay at home mom, and ran the household full time,” said Haas, noting that she is now the bookkeeper for the business.

For Haas’ normal work days during the concrete season, he wakes up at four o’clock, and “…hopefully [get] some type of workout in.” He then plans out what the rest of the day looks like with his coworkers, and works on the job set, usually calling it a day at six o’clock in the evening. Haas says that he doesn’t go out to eat very often because his wife is an amazing cook, but when he does, he prefers to go out to supper clubs.

When Haas started his company, he had to learn about the trade of the business world. Such as how to be able to go out and produce a product that has divine quality and fills the purpose of what the customer wants. As well as being educated on the skill set, and being able to be ready financially.

His business has been running for twenty years, and he says that he’s learning something new every year whether it’s a phase of the business, different challenges, or work environments as a whole. Haas has some large upcoming projected planned: “We’ve been working on like Xenoph Park, softball fields, like doing a memorial, so that’s pretty cool,” as well as mentioning a pool project in Stevens Point.

Haas doesn’t mind travel when it comes to work; he actually longs for it. “Oh, I would go anywhere in the world.” He also states that it would be amazing to experience all of the different foreign cultures, and be able to leave a piece of Alchemy Concrete in exotic lands.

In his twenty years in the business, Haas has collaborated with a lot of different companies and or businesses. A few that he has worked with previously are Marc-It-Done (An Amherst local handyman business), accounting firms, business firms, and attorneys. He is also willing to work with individual customers as well larger companies, and or commercials.

If times were ever to get tough, Haas states that first he would turn to his spiritual life. Haas talks about how he says that there are good and positive principles that come from the Bible, such as treating others kindly, that helps him daily with his business. “I think there’s hope that you can get from, you know, that there’s a higher power out there, and guides you through things,” he said. 

Haas also says that one thing that might differentiate his company from others is that he and his employees try to always convey forgiveness, “…and that’s what really matters above everything else, right?… You want to see people succeed.” 

Despite being a very laborious man, who states that one of his hobbies is his job, Haas is a very kind person, and states that if he is to be remembered, he wants to be remembered as a kind person. He is a very approachable person whom others should get to know better. One of his most locally known products is the new concrete patio addition to The Jensen Center.