Bertok will establish operating procedures and a marketing plan for the Granite Clinic in anticipation of nationwide franchising. The Granite Clinic-South Carolina currently services all of South Carolina and parts of Georgia and North Carolina.

The Granite Clinic, whose corporate office is also in Columbia and who has a second, successful franchise in Mobile, AL, specializes in the care, maintenance and restoration of natural and engineered stone countertops. The South Carolina franchise will also soon offer stone floor restoration, as the Mobile franchise, owned and operated by Tres Naquin, already does.

“With granite and other stone countertops so popular, you’d expect that there would be a common answer to the question, ‘How do I care for my granite countertops?’, but there just hasn’t been; until now,” said Bertok. “Caring for stone is really much easier than people think.”

Joining Bertok in field services is Trandy Mayers. Mayers is a veteran of the Cultured Marble industry and previously worked as an installer for Stone Interiors East.

The Granite Clinic can repair chips, cracks, separated seams, scratches and more on all types of natural stone such as granite and marble; and engineered stones including Cambria®, Zodiaq®, Cultured Marble, and more. The company also offers deep cleaning and stain removal services and sells specifically formulated natural stone cleansers from its Web site.

“There’s a lot of misinformation in the marketplace when it comes to countertop materials,” said Bertok. “We don’t want to simply offer cleaning services but we also want to educate consumers. Stone’s a great material, and with our cleaning products, care services and education, we hope to make it easy for homeowners to purchase what they really want.”