A year after Planet Granite of Colorado Springs, CO, started to strategize ways to reduce its impact on the environment, it successfully teamed up with a local asphalt company to have its stone waste products removed - ultimately saving money and avoiding the landfill. This is just one step the company has taken towards being green as well as reducing its budget to remain on a successful business path.
Over the course of the past decade, the Vitória Stone Fair in Brazil has made a name for itself as a major international event. The country’s vast natural stone resources - centered in the State of Espírito Santo, where the fair takes place - have made it a draw for attendees around the world.
Slated to take place from June 22 to 25, Stone+tec Nürnberg 2011 will feature a solid lineup of stone and machinery exhibitors - thanks to strategic agreements by the organizers and a general upswing in Europe’s economy.
Founded six years ago, Imetame Granitos of Linhares, Espirito Santo, Brazil, has developed into a major exporter of natural stone in Brazil. Not only does it process stone with the modern stoneworking technology from Italy, but it also maintains a high degree of precision and organization in its operations.
Started more than 30 years ago, Barbosa Cabinets, Inc. is a family-run business that prides itself on efficiency and outstanding customer service. From its humble beginnings as a cabinet shop working out of a 2,500-square-foot facility, the company has grown to include a full-scale countertop division, which operates out of a 66,000-square-foot plant in Lathrop, CA.
When it was founded, K & D Counter Tops of Trenton, IL, specialized in the production of laminate countertops. But as time passed, the company evolved to the point that it is now primarily a stone fabrication shop. And despite a slowing economy, K & D Counter Tops has held its ground and has continued growing by diversifying into other segments.
Located near the Hoover Tower on Stanford University’s campus in Palo Alto, CA, the home of Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research (SIEPR) includes a 35,000-square-foot newly built conference and office facility as well as a popular courtyard. Featuring a combination of travertine and limestone, the building and the courtyard refer to the Romanesque architecture of the campus’ original Quads.
Already a leading supplier of slabs in Brazil, Granitos Itapoama Ltda. has expanded its operations in Rio Novo Do Sul, Espírito Santo, with the addition of three state-of-the-art multi-wire diamond wire saws from Italy. The machines were all purchased from Bideseimpianti, and they include three different versions.
Each year, the May issue of Stone World publishes the year-end import and export statistics from the U.S. Department of Commerce. It takes a few months for the government to relay these figures to us, but it is worth the wait, since the import totals offer an excellent snapshot of how our industry is faring - especially compared with the figures from previous years.
Matrix Machine Techs in Orange, CA, has introduced its new Triton bridge saw. The Triton is a heavy duty, feature rich saw designed to give fabricators the technology they need to efficiently cut marble and granite.
Superabrasive, a leading producer of diamond tooling, has introduced the Toro™ ProEdge Five-Step Polishing System for single-head, multi-edge automated polishing machines, such as the Park Pro-Edge®.
Braxton-Bragg now presents a new way of looking at knee protection on the job. The Bucket Dolly Rolling Knee Pads remain on the surface to defend knees from damage due to repeated impact with the floor.
Pokarna Limited, a leading Indian granite company, continues to have one of the largest product ranges in granite personally selected to ensure the finest of qualities.
The Mega-JawTM Carry Clamp by Omni Cubed has been designed for easier and safer carrying of countertops. The lightweight clamp opens wide enough to accommodate thicker tops, including concrete countertops.
Held in Xiamen from March 6 to 9, 2011, China Xiamen Stone Fair 2011 had an impressive turnout, with 1,370 exhibiting companies from 50 countries. A total of 120,478 industry professionals were in attendance, 22,185 of whom came from 140 foreign countries.
The Marble Institute of America, Inc. (MIA) has announced that Joe Durfee, Assistant Production Manager at Great Lakes Granite & Marble in Redford, MI, is the 2010 recipient of the MIA Natural Stone Scholarship Award.
Custom® Building Products takes its longstanding Build Green® program to the next level with its new Emerald System™ of products. All Emerald System products comply with the standards of all five emerging green building agencies.
What are some of your goals in your new position at the Natural Stone Council (NSC)? My goals in this new position are to keep the visibility of the NSC in front of the entire stone industry and flood the construction market with stone information.
The Marble Institute of America, Inc. (MIA) announced that Jimmy Ternent, Vice President of Construction at Rugo Stone LLC in Lorton, VA, is the 2011 recipient of the MIA Natural Stone Craftsman of the Year.
Laticrete, a global leader in the manufacturing of innovative systems for the installation of stone and tile, announced the promotion of Bob Duke to the position of Laticrete Technical Support and Training Specialist for the newly formed Laticrete Specialty Products Division (SPD).
As part of its expansion strategy and world reaffirmation as a benchmark in the natural stone sector, Levantina has started the year off by participating in two leading stone industry events.
The Natural Stone Council recently acknowledged the generous donations of stone industry members who have contributed to the organization’s efforts. The Natural Stone Council is a collaboration of businesses and trade associations that have come together to promote the use of natural stone in commercial and residential applications.
Laticrete has promoted Kirby Davis to the position of National Specification Manager for the newly formed Laticrete Specialty Products Division. Davis, after serving as Laticrete Sr.
