The Food Network recently aired a four-episode feature called the “All-Star Kitchen Makeover,†during which, chefs Emeril Lagasse, Bobby Flay, Alton Brown and Paula Deen redesigned kitchens for four contest winners. The episodes take viewers through each step of the renovation process from start to finish - from material selection and fabrication to the final installation. Alton Brown's Ann Arbor, MI-based contest winner, Nic Sims, received a kitchen renovated in Mountain White Vermont Danby marble from Vermont Quarries Corp. of Rutland, VT. Kitchen designer Todd Mathews assisted Alton Brown in the kitchen design.
StonExpo, which for the first year is owned and operated by Hanley Wood, will take place from October 20 to 22, 2005 at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas, NV. And this year, for the first time, the exhibition for the natural stone industry is providing live, “how to†sessions for all show attendees. Additionally, a pre-workshop program is scheduled to begin on Wednesday, October 19, a day prior to the show's opening.
Mario Sosa of Sosa Granite and Marble recently designed his entire 5,400-square-foot residence in Livermore, CA, with the extensive use of stone materials. The kitchen, bathrooms, foyer area, entertainment center, game room, fireplaces and even features of the front and backyard, including a swimming pool, all utilize a variety of marble, granite and travertine.
Taking place in the stoneworking hub of Carrara, Italy, the 26th edition of CarraraMarmotec was held from June 1 to 4. The event drew solid international attendance, as people were not only there to see the exhibition, but also to visit the wide variety of stone-producing companies in the region.
Stone+tec 2005 was held from Wednesday, May 25 to Saturday, May 28 at the Exhibition Centre Nürnberg in Nuremberg, Germany. And to the delight of the show's organizer, the exhibition received the anticipated number of visitors, making it a success.
Although it has only been in business for four years, Stone Crazy Inc. Marble and Granite Works of Orlando, FL - a stone fabrication and installation company - continues to grow at a rapid rate. The company's three managing partners, Jake Lechtner, Carol Lechtner and Joe Borsellino, have a rule for which they attribute much of the company's success - that is that a partner is always present at a jobsite.
Established in 1990, leading Turkish stone supplier, Tekmar, has undergone several trans-formations in the past 15 years - significantly increasing its size and production capabilities.
Esteban Fernandez, president of Fernandez Construction, has been a successful contractor in Las Vegas, NV, for the last 28 years - specializing in new construction and remodeling. He also has a thriving business subcontracting kitchen countertops for all the major builders in this growing hot spot, for which he completes about 20 Corian® kitchen, bath and bar countertops a day. While very successful with these countertops, Fernandez wanted to expand into granite, seeing it as a viable and profitable alternative to Corian.
Everyone is well aware by now that stone from China has been shipped around the world - including to the renowned stone-producing nation of Italy. However, stone also continues to be shipped in the other direction, as the headquarters of Beijing's New Bank of China was built with the assistance of Tuscan companies and lavish use of Italian marble and other varieties of stone. This project won First Prize in the Interior Design Category of the MAA Awards, and it was just one example of outstanding use of Italian stone being used in the Far East.
Even when dealing with a material as classic as Jerusalem Stone, the market and industry continues to develop. In one example of this, Alony Marble has purchased 15 acres of land in the Mizpe Ramon area of Israel. This land sits adjacent to the old Jerusalem/Ramon Gold quarry, and the company is now extracting blocks. This gives them a unique opportunity to penetrate the market as a supplier of Jerusalem Gold blocks, which are highly coveted around the world and are available in North America from its
U.S. office, Stone Suppliers LLC of Westwood, MA.