Owner Daniel Hahn launched the company out of an 800-square-foot shop in Barrington, IL, in 1987, after briefly working with a friend in the stone industry. “Basically, I got into the industry after a knock on the door,†said Hahn, who added that a friend of his needed help maneuvering stone around. “I accepted his offer, and worked hand in hand with him for two years, while he showed me the business. I was so intrigued by it, and there was such a demand for it. The popularity of granite was growing, and technology was advancing fast, bringing down the cost of stone and making it more affordable to the average middle class family.†Soon thereafter, Hahn joined the local marble setters union, where he spent a year and a half working on large commercial jobs before starting his own company in 1987.
In 1989, he relocated Unique Marble and Granite Corp. to a 6,300-square-foot facility in Gurnee, IL, where it continued to flourish. In 1999, the company moved next door to a 10,000-square-foot warehouse, slowly acquiring more machinery with each move. In January of 2005, the company moved to its current state-of-the-art facility in Zion, IL. “We couldn't find a location to suit us, until now,†said Hahn. “Now we have more room to maneuver and to be more organized. It's tough to crank five jobs a day out of a small plant. We used to have to run two shifts.â€