The company got started after owner Charlie Zgnois visited Europe and fell in love with marble. In 1980, Zgnois was working for Senator Paul Tsongas and wound up on a trip to Carrara, Italy, for four weeks, when he decided to quit his job and go into the marble business. He first began his marble career importing stone, but that wasn't very lucrative, so he went to work for an established marble company. After working there for about six months, he took the bit of background he had in architecture from college and the good work ethic from his experience working for Paul Tsongas, and opened Olympia Marble. He established the company on the premise that still holds true today - guaranteeing his production. He stands behind his work if anything goes wrong, according to Zgnois.
The staff is a very important element for any company, particularly in the fabricating industry. “Right now we have seven sales people on the floor, 25 people in the shop, and 10 installers and measurers,†said Zgnois. “We have three teams of installers who are specialized to a certain degree. When a new employee is hired, their training includes everything from cleaning the floor to running the machines. The new hire is evaluated for his [strengths and weaknesses] and placed in the production line where his best assets will be highlighted. The foreman on our staff has been with us for five years and has a good sense of what an employee will be good at. With a background in computers and production, he gets the job done.â€