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Industry Insight
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Just how big is the stone industry?

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Inside the Shop
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Big Horn Granite and Marble, Sheridan, WY
by Michelle Stinnard, Associate Editor

After years of working stone by hand, Big Horn Granite and Marble of Sheridan, WY — a leading regional fabricator and installer of high-end stonework — recently made the leap to automated stoneworking technology. With the shop's latest addition of a Komo Summit CNC stoneworking center, production has continued to flourish. The company's 10,000-square-foot facility includes a showroom, office space and a fabrication and staging section ... Full article >>

CogswellStone, Palmyra, VA
by Jennifer Adams, Managing Editor

The owners of CogswellStone of Palmyra, VA, John and Lisa Cogswell, initially operated a company that provided installation services for tile and natural stone. They relocated their business from New York to Virginia in 1993, and the increasing demand for natural stone countertops pushed them to open a fabrication shop four years later. Today, they are still experiencing positive results ... Full article >>

Front Range Stone, Englewood, CO
by Michael Reis, Editor

Fabricating 14 kitchens per day, Front Range Stone's fabrication plant in Englewood, CO, operates with seamless precision. Workers, machinery and material seem to move in perfect unison, allowing the company to work at a high level of efficiency.
The 37,000-square-foot facility, which is located near downtown Denver, is completely dust and smoke free, according to Oscar Espino, the company's Production Manager. Stone is processed in a manner reminiscent of an automobile assembly line. Equipment is carefully organized so that the overall flow is as smooth as possible, and material is maneuvered using jib cranes equipped with vacuum lifters from Wood's Powr-Grip ... Full article >> 

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Fabricator Issue of the Month
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Considering automated application for stone sealers
by Paul J. Michalec, Counter Intelligence, Inc., Silver Spring, MD

With all the high-tech advancements in stone fabrication equipment today — from high-pressure waterjet cutting equipment with accuracy tolerances less than 0.2 mm to advanced CNC machining centers — it seems as though we may have reached the glass ceiling in high-tech automation in our industry. But as I always find in the stone business, if we look hard enough, we'll always seem to find just one more area of the process we didn't think of automating before, and alas, technology comes to our rescue. The latest "process-simplification" initiative I'm involved in — as far as developing new technologies — is automated sealing of natural stone materials ... Full article >>

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Project Spotlight
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Private Residence, North Carolina
by Michael Reis, Editor

When working on the home of a prominent developer in North Carolina, Len Malavé of Granite and Marble by Malavé in Greensboro, NC, knew that the stonework would have to be innovative and unique, with top-notch craftsmanship. In the end, the design utilizes a range of complex, one-of-a-kind stone applications, anchored by a striking kitchen countertop made from Indian granite ... Full article >>

Private Residence, California
by Michelle Stinnard, Associate Editor

Christopher J. Grubb, president of Arch-Interiors Design Group, Inc. was recently challenged to transform a private residence, located on Mulholland Drive in the Hollywood Hills of California, from an outdated space to a modern home that reflected the lifestyles and personalities of its owners. In order to meet the client's request, a total of 2,600 square feet of natural stone was added to several rooms throughout the space ... Full article >>

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Shop How-To
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CNC Technology Forum
by Michael Reis, Editor

In this Online Stone Fabricators Forum — conducted at www.stoneadvice.com — both users and non-users of CNC equipment offer their insight on the technology.

Q: This is a two-part question for users and non-users of CNC technology:
1) For those using CNC technology, what was the biggest challenge with the machine? What was the toughest thing to learn, and what remains a challenge to you today? Was it easier to learn than you thought? Were there any surprises that the manufacturers didn't tell you about?
2) For those not using CNC technology, why not? Is it simply a matter of the initial investment? Is it learning the technology? Click here for the complete Q & A >>

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Industry Happenings
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MS International is named Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year

M S International, Inc., a leading nationwide distributor of natural stone, announced that its CEO, Manu Shah, received the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year® 2007 Regional Award in the Distribution Category. The award recognizes outstanding entrepreneurs who are building and leading dynamic, innovative and growing businesses. An independent panel of judges selected Shah, and the award was presented at an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year gala event at the Hyatt Regency Irvine ... Full article >>

Vermont company is first to be accredited by new MIA program

NBC Solid Surfaces of Springfield, VT, is the first company to earn the Accredited Natural Stone Fabricator designation under the Marble Institute of America's accreditation program.
"After two and a half years of planning and hard work by a number of industry leaders and the MIA staff, we are very pleased to announce our first fully accredited company, NBC Solid Surfaces. This is a milestone event for both our association and the industry as a whole," said Gary Distelhorst, CAE, executive vice president of the Marble Institute of America ... Full article >>

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