LAKE HAVASU, AZ -- The carpet and tile firm, Rug Hut, Ltd., located in Lake Havasu, AZ, has expanded with the establishment of a stone fabrication facility. The owners of the company, Greg and Bonnie Hughes began planning a fabrication shop as the demand for granite and marble countertops, floors, fireplaces and accessories continued to grow.

The owners have partnered with Jad Ward, an experienced fabricator, and eight months ago they opened Mother Earth Granite & Marble. "It definitely was a great decision from the get go," said Ward of the new enterprise. "Rug Hut Ltd. was known to the area builders and when we opened, the orders poured in.

"We purchased and installed a new Matrix GSC-2001 [bridge saw], and in that eight-month period of time, I have added six employees to our existing workforce to keep up with our backlog of jobs," said Ward. "The folks at Matrix have a training plan for start-up situations like ours and were extremely helpful in getting this off and running." To accommodate the growing demand for stone, the Hughes¿ operation stocks more than 250 slabs.