Paulson began his career in the stone industry as an installer, but throughout the years has been able to construct an operation that includes the fabrication of natural stone along with other material. “Back in the late 1970's, I was in the ceramic tile industry as an apprentice and installer,” explained the owner. “I learned the trade working for various companies and eventually got licensed for ceramic tile, terrazzo and marble installation. I then went on my own doing little side jobs. From there I continued to stay ahead of the curve and went from ceramic tile installation to dimensional stone installation. During this time, I was using a local fabricator to polish my stone when I decided to start my own fabrication [shop]. I started out doing little slab pieces on fireplaces, tables and vanities, and as the years went on I got bigger and bigger.”

Starting small and slowly working toward the bigger picture has been a good strategy for Artistic Tile and Granite. It has allowed the company to make practical decisions when introducing new products and material. “In the beginning, we were a custom shop. We started out with all natural stone - granite, marble, slate and travertine. We decided to expand [the production] with engineered stone and we wound up being one of the first in town to get involved with it. Such stone like Silestone, DuPont [Zodiaq], Caesarstone and Legacy were available, and I chose the Silestone line.”