Family Owned and Operated Since 1961

Founded in 1961, Terese’s Top Works, Inc. has been a leader in the laminate and post form top industry for over 50 years.  Starting in his backyard with a handful of installers, Sal Terese set the standards for the post form industry in New Orleans.  Initially he was buying post formed tops from a local supplier. In 1963, Sal bought an Evans Easy form post forming machine; and after a couple of years making tops for his own use, he got into the wholesale countertop business supplying tops to the local countertop and cabinet shops.

By the late 1960’s and early 1970’s, business was booming and Micarta and Consoweld laminates were brought into stock, and that got the company into the laminate industry.  Salesmen were added to the payroll and covered everywhere from Lafayette, LA to Ocean Springs, MS.  By this time, older machinery could no longer keep up and newer high volume machinery took over that was capable of producing over 200 tops a day.  More employees were added to keep up with the demand, and truck drivers were hired to deliver the product.

In the late 1970’s, Sal realized it was time for him to retire, and sold the business to his three brothers and his son.  They continued to operate the business until the late 1980’s.  Other companies had bought out their laminate suppliers, Micarta and Consoweld, so they brought in Formica.

In 1989, Terese’s Top Works, Inc. made a move to remain competitive while continuing to offer value and exceptional service by becoming a Wilsonart distributor when the opportunity became available.  Through the 1990’s, the company continued to prosper and added new lines of products to the items sold.  Solid surface, tools, particleboard, Amana bits and blades were just some of the items offered.

By 2000, business was rolling along.  Salesmen were in the field selling over a million square feet of plastic a year; Specification Representatives, (Spec Reps), were making calls to architects, and three delivery trucks were on the road every day.  With the advancement of new technology in the cabinet industry, Terese’s Top Works Inc. anticipated the need for laminate panels in the area, and without hesitation, ordered a panel line.  In 2004, Black Brothers panel equipment was installed and in operation.  Up until late 2005, operations were running smoothly with orders coming in for panels, increasing daily, at a steady pace.

Hurricane Katrina impacted New Orleans and the surrounding area. August 29, 2005 – the day the levees broke and changed the New Orleans way of life and doing business from that day forward.  With 10 feet of water in the shop, everything at the Rabbits Street location was destroyed.  With the help of loyal employees, Terese’s Top Works, Inc. relocated its headquarters to Mandeville, LA on the Northshore temporarily and reopened its doors on November 1, 2015.  Working out of a 5,000 square foot warehouse with a skeleton crew of nine employees, the company continued to deliver product and exceptional service to their loyal customers.  After a year of working out of the temporary location, the company was able to reopen its main warehouse on Rabbits Street.