Laticrete, a leading company in the manufacturing of systems for the installation of ceramic tile and stone, has appointed Adnan Bin-Mahfouz to the newly created position of Contractor Sales Manager. All Laticrete Contractor Sales Representatives nationwide now report to him. In his new position, Bin-Mahfouz will serve as the primary coordinator for all activities directly related to major end users of Laticrete system materials, and to building participation in the Laticrete Most Valued Partner (MVP) program. The activities of the Contractor Sales force builds demand for Laticrete Distributors by fulfilling the needs and wants of contractors in the field, with the main objective of ensuring that end users continue to greatly value Laticrete people, products and services. In his previous position as a National Account Manager for Laticrete, Bin-Mahfouz achieved record growth with his assigned customer base.



ETemplate Systems, developer of the award-winning 3-D templating and measuring system, ETemplate Photo, announced the signing of a five-year purchase agreement with ErgoMeasure Party, Ltd. of Australia with a value in excess of $1.5 million. According to the company, this order for products and services is believed to be the largest order for templating technology in the world. In finalizing this agreement, its Director, Vaughan Ferguson stated, “After 37 years in the business of engineering design and modeling, when we decided to embark on the business of producing templates at ErgoMeasure, the most important thing for us was to assess the products on the market that were suitable for high speed templating.”



Hard Rock Tool has announced the opening of its newest location in Austin, TX. This marks Hard Rock Tool’s 10th store. The new store, located at 9901 Burnet Rd., offers over 5,000 square feet of tools and supplies for the stone industry. “I’m excited to watch our company grow and be able to bring rock solid customer service to Austin and all over this great state of Texas,” said Bill McFeely, Territory Manager. “We are conveniently located near tile and granite suppliers on the corner of Burnet and Rutland.” Hard Rock Tool first opened its doors in 1995 in Anaheim, CA. Since that time, the company has been one of the top tooling distributors in the country -- with 10 retail stores, over 25 mobile stores and a bilingual call center. Stores not only offer customer service, but also offer hands-on training and workshops - including Fabrication Training, Concrete Polishing and Stone Restoration hosted by StonePro. Grand Opening celebrations for the new location are scheduled from June 9 to 12, with prize drawings daily at 1 p.m. as well as live demos and a barbecue. For more information, call Bill McFeely or Mike Sitzman at 512-835-4478.