"It's kind of a funny story," said Eller. "Robert and I worked for Mark. It was a family-owned business, which was a well-established glass and mirror factory. The glass and mirror company was making a lot of furniture tops out of glass for their customers - it used the same machinery [as for stone]."
While attending a trade show one year in Italy, the three men first toyed with the idea of branching out into the stone business. "Robert and Mark were in Italy looking at some equipment, and they saw the future out there," said Eller. "Manufacturers that we knew who promoted [products] done with glass, also showed how the same products were being used for stone fabrication purposes."