At this point, Artistic Tile and Granite does about 50% production and 50% custom fabricating. The main markets it covers are new construction and remodeling, but they are beginning to break into the commercial market. In terms of a production rate, the company averages about 15 to 20 kitchens a week, according to the owner. Right now, the company's biggest account is Home Depot, according to Paulson.

The machinery that Artistic Tile and Granite has on the premises includes two bridge saws and an edge machine, all purchased from International Machine Corp. (IMC) of Holbrook, NY. “I have the Zonato FPZ400 the FPZ500 bridge saws as well as the Luca 88 edge machine,” said Paulson. “These three pieces of machinery are the work force of the shop.” Also, two other edging machines will be up and running for the near future.

Paulson purchased these machines for a couple of reasons. “First of all, the people over at IMC were really knowledgeable in their machinery,” explained Paulson. “When I bought the Zonato FPZ400, they really delivered [in terms of productivity] and we had not one lick of problems, so I continued with that company and their machinery. I bought the second one [the FPZ500] this past year for this reason. Also, I run two shifts - a day shift and a night shift.” These shifts total 16 hours per day, and the machinery has held up and stood up against the abuse, according to the owner.

In total, Artistic Tile and Granite has 30 employees that include not only fabricators and installers, but also sales personnel. Hiring new employees poses a bit of a challenge for Artistic Tile and Granite. “In our marketplace here, there is no pool to pick from for myself or my competitor,” explained the owner. When a new employee is hired, the staff at Artistic Tile and Granite assesses the new hire's knowledge, and from there, they begin to teach the trade, according to the owner.

First, the employees receive on-the-job training to see what their capabilities are and then proceed with the CSI [Ceritified Silestone Installer] classes, according to the owner. “We have put on a few CSI classes for new employees instead of them going to Houston to train,” said Paulson. “All our fabricators and installers are cross-trained [in stone and engineered stone].”

Even with new machinery and a very competent staff, Paulson still faces challenges as a fabricator. “The first challenge is educating the consumer,” explained the owner. “Customers will go to a model house or a depot store or see what they want on television and they say, 'This is what I want.' I try to educate my customers as far as saying, 'What do you need?' After that, the next challenge is putting the customers' decisions into the fabrication process.”

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