“I've been associated with stone since 1975,†said Ravi, owner of Southland Stone USA (SSU). “I worked with a company in India that started in terrazzo tile and did airports and such in the Middle East. I would go to Italy to buy materials for terrazzo, and I saw the industry evolving and figured that would be the future.†Johar went on to start a factory for green marble in India, and also operated quarries within India.
In 1984, Johar moved to the U.S., and actually planned to get out of the business. He was persuaded to stay in the stone trade by a company called Southland Stone AG, a Swiss firm owned by South African and Indian partners. They suggested that Johar start a stone importing operation, and he named the company Southland Stone USA. Ironically, the partners never invested in the operation, but the name remained. In 1986, he started operations by importing Indian slate.