Founded in 1928, the General Shale Brick is one of the leading exterior building materials manufacturers in the United States.The company offers more than 250 types of brick in a full range of colors and textures as well as special shapes and details, a variety of landscaping materials and brick sculptures. In addition, General also produces concrete masonry units and lightweight aggregate. The company operates 17 production facilities throughout the United States and manufactures more than one billion bricks a year. Its products are distributed through a network of more than retailers and showrooms in the United States and Canada. General Shale is headquartered in Johnson City, Tenn. Its corporate building is also home to a museum that showcases a unique collection of historically significant bricks including a 10,000-year-old specimen from the ancient city of Jericho. In July 1999, General Shale Products joined the Wienerberger Group of Vienna, Austria.