An unknown author once wrote: "The man who removes a mountain begins by carrying away a small stone." Some people in the industry might argue that the mountain just needed to be moved, while others would debate the necessity of tearing it down and rebuilding. But almost all have agreed that some sort of action was called for in order to unite an industry that has a long history of fragmentation. One year ago, that action occurred when a diverse group of individuals -- representing a cross-section of stone industry and association leaders -- met for the first time in the spring of 2002. The result of that historic meeting was the formation of the Natural Stone Council (NSC).
"For more than 20 years, groups in our industry have talked about coming together, but nothing ever worked," said Pennie Sabel, Executive Director of StonExpo. "The difference this time is that there's a very specific goal that we can all agree upon and work towards. It's no longer a turf battle." That goal is to create a 2,500-square-foot booth at the 2004 AIA (American Institute of Architects) National Convention and Expo in Chicago to promote the merits of natural stone.