Given today’s extremely difficult economic climate - which has been particularly challenging for the stone industry - it was difficult to predict the activity for this year’s edition of StonExpo 2008, which took place from October 16 to 18, 2008 at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas, NV. Ultimately, though, the companies that displayed at the event - now StonExpo/Marmomacc Americas - seemed to agree that the event met expectations.

StonExpo/Marmomacc Americas boasted 276 exhibiting companies in 113,000 square feet of space, and it was attended by nearly 6,000 industry professionals. Key audience segments had modest growth, including a 3% increase in international attendance and a 2% increase in the architecture and design segments - both attributable to Marmomacc’s increased influence on the event.

“We were extremely gratified by the number of MIA members who did come to Las Vegas and StonExpo/Marmomacc Americas,” said Gary Distelhorst, Executive Vice President of the Marble Institute of America (MIA). “Our experience was that they were there for serious business reasons. The attendees were there to look at new technology, new machinery and new ideas for expanding their business. All in all, it was a fine meeting for the MIA.”

As always, StonExpo served as a launching ground for a range of new machinery and products. Manufacturers of stoneworking equipment unveiled several new innovations at this year’s event that had never been seen before. This included new CNC introductions, waterjet technology, cutting solutions and more.

“StonExpo/Marmomacc Americas was a success for Park,” said Jim Eckberg of Park Industries. The yearly event always offers our industry a great opportunity to gather as a community. This turned out to be especially important during the challenging times. The ability to share practices, learn new techniques and discuss profitable strategies in an open, educational environment really made this year’s show the best ever.”

While attendance was down, the quality of attendees was reported to be higher than ever, which translated into exhibitors interacting with the owners, decision-makers and presidents themselves. According to an exhibitor survey, approximately 80% of those in attendance influenced buying decisions, and approximately 90% of exhibitors reported that attendee quality either met or exceeded their expectations.

“We were expecting StonExpo/Marmomacc Americas to be a ghost town, so I was quite shocked to find a large line of fabricators waiting outside of the show on opening day,” said Mike Saraylian of Blick Industries. “We were quite pleased with the attendees, especially considering the current state of the economy. Overall, the show was well done and exceeded our expectations.”

In the area of stone tooling and accessories, companies on the StonExpo show floor had a broad range of new products to display. These included new versions of stoneworking “consumables,” such as upgraded blades and polishing bits.

In addition to stoneworking technology, the exhibition also included several new solutions for upgrading the fabrication shop itself, such as material handling and storage products, air and water filtration systems and equipment for dealing with shop waste.

StonExpo 2008 also displayed new products for stone installation and maintenance. This included adhesives and surface treatments as well as mechanical systems to help with countertop installations in difficult areas. Many of these were introduced for the first time at StonExpo 2008.

In terms of stone products, attendees at the event were able to peruse a sampling of granite, marble, limestone and other materials - including a number of high-end exotic materials that have remained popular in today’s marketplace.

One of the larger-scale exhibits of stone at StonExpo 2008 could be found at the Italian Trade Commission, which showcased materials in a range of colors and finishes. This display was located adjacent to a pavilion of Italian companies, all of whom brought unique products to the event.

Among the highlights of the show this year was the expanded New Product Pavilion (NPP). Centrally located in the lobby just outside the entrance, it was one of the busiest areas of the show and constantly had a crowd of attendees browsing the latest products available to the industry. GranQuartz took top honors with its product, the Pro-Cart AT1 by Omni Cubed, Inc.

“Entering our product in the New Product Pavilion was definitely worth it, “ said Amy Livingston, Sales & Marketing Director for Omni Cubed, Inc. “Not only was it additional exposure, but it was an opportunity to show our product before the show opened each day. I highly recommend that all companies with new products participate in the NPP at the next show.”

Educational Sessions

In addition to the exhibition, StonExpo has been noted for its in-depth, quality education program. This includes a detailed seminar program as well as hands-on demonstrations in the exhibition area.

As usual, the 2008 seminar program included three open Fabricator Forums at the start of each day. The forums on October 16 and 18 focused on fabrication work, while the October 17 forum focused on countertop installation in the field. These sessions ran for 90 minutes each, and they encouraged participants to bring up industry issues currently affecting the stone industry. Topics ranged from seam placement and overhands to tracking waste, billing issues, templating and more. (Look for in-depth reports on the topics covered in these forums in a future issue of Stone World.)

StonExpo 2008 also consisted of a wide variety of practical seminars relating to the stone industry, including: “Avoid Design Disasters for Heavy Commercial Projects,” “Insurance Risk Management,” “Why Do People Buy? - Successful Selling for Today’s Stone Business,” “Maintain a Valuable Workforce,” “Stone & Wet Areas - Proper Substrate Preparation,” “Avoid Countertop Installation Failures,” “Stone Maintenance & Problem Solving,” “Resin Treated Slabs” and “Why Treating and Recycling Water is a Good Investment,” among others.

New sessions for 2008 included: “The New Generation of A Stone Showroom,” “Inventory Management - Controlling Your Cost,” “Joint Treatment for Natural Stone” and “Selling in a Leaner Economy,” along with several others.

On the show floor, the Stone LIVE! demonstrations - presented by the Stone Fabricators Alliance (SFA) - offered hands-on education on a range of topics, including “The Perfect Seam,” “Dealing with Difficult Stones,” “Material Handling,” Templating” and “Tile-Lined Shower Receptors.” These demonstrations took place during all three days of StonExpo.

New to this year’s event was the StonExchange area, an informal stage where attendees and exhibitors were given the chance to meet, talk, exchange ideas and learn from each other.

As part of StonExchange, attendees participated in informative sessions from the MIA, SFA and the Natural Stone Council (NSC), along with two roundtable discussions with industry experts and a keynote presentation on surviving and thriving in any kind of economy.

Additionally, StonExpo/Marmomacc Americas, together with the MIA, presented a session to address the ongoing debate surrounding radon and granite. Titled “Granite and Radon - An Industry Update,” and led by members of the MIA, the session discussed the advances the stone industry is making with new scientific studies, the Truth About Granite (TAG) fund and the MIA’s global involvement. Just like Stone LIVE!, all StonExchange sessions were free to StonExpo attendees.

StonExpo/Marmomacc Americas’ official sponsors are the Marble Institute of America and Natural Stone Council. The show’s 2008 official endorsers are Milanez & Milaneze/Vitória Stone Fair and AIA Las Vegas.

Sidebar: Stone World presents “Fabricator of the Year” Award

Since 1987, a committee of stone industry veterans has worked together to select the winners of the Stone World Magazine “Fabricator of the Year” Award (formerly the Technological Achievement Award). The award, which is given to a North American stone producer, is based on the following criteria:

|  cooperativeness in sharing technology with the industry  |

|  willingness to pioneer the use of new technology  |

|  fostering educational programs for the training of stoneworkers in industry methods  |

|  promoting technological progress through association work  |


This year’s award was given to Paul Menninger of Capitol Granite & Marble in Midlothian, VA. In 2002, Menninger opened Capitol Granite & Marble in a 5,000-square-foot facility. In five years, the company expanded from a five-person operation to a 27,000-square-foot facility employing over 70 people operating in two shifts. Menninger recognized and seized the opportunity of utilizing automation and new technologies in fabricating stone and quartz countertops. For over three years, Menninger has been a Park Industries Customer Council member, representing thousands of fabricators and providing the company with direct and candid feedback regarding equipment automation. The company also has an “open door” policy in which it has welcomed visits by other fabricators from around the country, as well as trade publications. Menninger has also presented at a number of trade show events. Working with technology manufacturers, the shop has been instrumental in the development of new equipment and tooling. Additionally, Capitol Granite & Marble was one of the first companies to apply for the MIA Accreditation Program.

The current roster of winners of the Stone World Fabricator of the Year Award is as follows:

2008 - Paul Menninger, Capitol Granite & Marble

2007 - Ron Hannah, Cadenza Granite & Marble

2006 - Dick Laliberte, Ripano Stoneworks

2005 - G.K. Naquin, Stone Interiors

2004 - Tim and Scott Buechel, Buechel Stone Corp.

2003 - Kip Cameron, Granite-Tops

2002 - George Fox, Luck Stone Corp.

2001 - Fred Becker, Becker & Becker Stone Co.

2000 - Connie and Brenda Edwards, TexaStone Quarries

1999 - Walter Dusenbery, Johnson-Atelier School, Sculpture

1998 - Harold Stobbe, Owen Sound Ledgerock

1996 - Willard Vetter, Vetter Stone Co.

1995 - Chuck Monson, Dakota Granite Co.

1994 - Linus Dingman, Cold Spring Granite Co.

1993 - David Teitelbaum, Cathedral Stoneworks

1991 - Wilbur Bybee, Bybee Stone Co.

1989 - Tony Ramos, New England Stone Industries

1988 - Jim Stengel, Dakota Granite Co.

1987 - David Elliott, Elliott Stone Co.