Hans, along with his wife Jeri, is the founder and owner of Krugel Cobbles.  They began the hardscape business as a “start-up” company upon Hans’s retirement from the US Army.  The business began as a small family enterprise in July of 1982, with the entire first year’s effort occurring in Tangley Oaks in Lake Bluff.  Concrete Paver Driveways, Walkways & Patios were the elements of choice offered at that time. The company has grown from the inauspicious beginnings of towing a borrowed trailer behind the family car into a successful company which employs 50+ people, owns a fleet of trucks, trailers, and tractors.  Hans' company, Krugel Cobbles, Inc. provides hardscape installation services within three states, the North Shore suburbs of Chicago remain the hub of client activity.

“What has not changed from day one is the underlying philosophy of honesty, integrity, and respect.  These principles apply to all of our activities and guide our dealings with our employees, our vendors, and most important, our clients.  Strict adherence to these principles has been the key to our success.”

— Hans Hirsch

Jon is a 1994 graduate of Wake Forest University, North Carolina, with a degree in Psychology.  He started at Krugel Cobbles, Inc. in the summer after a year of graduate school at Northeastern University in Boston.  He began as the paver maintenance crew manager and eventually worked his way into project management and sales.  Currently Jon is Krugel Cobbles, Inc.’s Chief Operating Officer, running the day to day operations of the business, as well as managing sales. His is an expert in planning elaborate hardscape installations that include many complex elements such as Elevated Terraces, Masonry Walls (seatwalls & retaining walls), Outdoor Grill Enclosures & Steps.  Jon has worked with many homeowners, contractors and home builders throughout the North Shore and Greater Chicagoland area, helping to create and manage projects that add beauty and value to each property.

“There are two facets of my job that I really love.  The first is helping to provide an environment where the people who work for Krugel can really find a place they can grow, develop and have fun at.  I think this fact shows in the way all of the people here interact with our clients.  The second is having the opportunity to help people transform their homes.  My goal is to be able to not only provide a client with a beautiful finished product, but also to make the construction process as painless as possible.”

– Jon Hirsch

Nina joined Krugel Cobbles in October of 2005 as a Sales Associate & Project Director.  She has since then become the Design Director and her responsibilities include hardscape design, review & recommendations as well as bid requests.  She graduated from Université de Montréal, Canada in May of 2000 and has pursued her career throughout Chicagoland ever since.  Here work compliments many properties located in such exclusive locations as Lake Bluff, Lake Forest, Highland Park, Glencoe and other North Shore suburbs.  She is a Registered Landscape Architect in the State of Illinois. Her portfolio includes large-scale commercial, institutional, and residential landscape projects. Having learned from the best and worked for the best, she brings to the table a great sense of design and project management.  Nina has a clear 3D sense for designing Outdoor Rooms within a limited space as well as for planning large-scale master landscape plans.  Her creative skills have allowed us to pursue the most challenging hardscape projects with ease and success.

Dale joined Krugel Cobbles in March of 2005 as an estimator after relocating to the Chicago area from Bloomington Illinois where he received an Associates degree in Liberal Arts.  His past experience includes working for an industrial supply company as the Operations manager.  His responsibilities here include material estimating, purchasing and tracking as well as detailed shop drawings. Dale recently completed his first AutoCAD training class. He also received his ICPI (Interlocking Concrete Pavement Institute) installer certification in February of 2007.  He has developed many great relationships with our Natural Stone Suppliers & Concrete Pavers Manufacturers throughout the years which in return has allowed us to negotiate amazingly low prices and therefore offer our clients competitive installation costs.

Jakob joined Krugel Cobbles, Inc. in February of 2008. Jakob started working in construction at age 16, as a carpentry laborer during the summer months. He brings a lot to our table since he has previous experience working for a masonry restoration company and later for masonry construction firm. He has been involved with large-scale commercial developments as well as high-end residences located on Chicago’s North Shore. His knowledge on masonry projects such as Fire Places, Entrance Monuments & Pillars, Masonry Walls, management and estimating make him a key part of our organization.  Jakob handles most of the permitting paperwork.

Joel is originally from La Porte, Indiana.  He graduated from Purdue University in West Lafayette, in December of 2002 where he majored in Building Construction Management.  He spent the two summers as an intern with Krugel Cobbles before beginning full time in January of 2003. Joel received his ICPI (Interlocking Concrete Pavement Institute) installer certification in February of 2003. Joel is extremely detailed-oriented and has a vast knowledge of all hardscape installations, especially Roof Deck Pedestal Systems, Pool Deck & Water Feature installations, Patio and Fire Pit / Seatwall Layouts.  His expertise as a Construction Manager ensures that every installation will be completed in the most professional manner, with great respect for the unique suburbs of the North Shore of Chicago.

Brian is a Project Manager who is originally from Evansville, Indiana. Brian graduated from Purdue University in West Lafayette, in December of 2006 where he majored in Building Construction Management. He spent one summer as an intern with Krugel Cobbles before beginning a full-time employee with the hardscape installation company in January of 2007.  Brian received his ICPI (Interlocking Concrete Pavement Institute) installer certification in February of 2007.  Brian’s specialties included (but are not limited to) Stoops & Porches, Raised Patios, Steps, Seatwalls & Retaining Walls as well as Outdoor Grill Enclosure installations. 

Hutch began working at Krugel Cobbles after he moved to Lake County in 2006 performing various field tasks. He now handles the review, estimating & scheduling of all the maintenance projects.  He is currently pursuing a Bachelor’s Degree at Herzing University.  What he most admires about Krugel Cobbles is their professionalism.  He feels that he has learned not only great management skills, but also great leadership skills.  If there is a need for a paver or landscape masonry repair or maintenance, Hutch will most likely be directing the job.

Jeri is the co-founder and co-owner of Krugel Cobbles.  She has been actively involved with every administrative and financial aspect of the hardscape design and installation company since the business began in 1982.  Above and beyond her responsibilities as the overall Office Manager, she keeps the staff calm and level-headed when times get stressful.

Elaine joined Krugel Cobbles in September of 1999 as a part-time office assistant.  From there she became a full time Administrative Office Manager.  Her overall responsibility include handling initial customer contact while managing the message center and the internal communication system, daily office management tasks, as well as most Human Resource functions for employees.