
The move toward technological investments has turned Select Granite, Inc. of Pelham, AL, into a complete design center. Its machinery, especially its most recent investment, a dual-table Northwood SawJet from Northwood Machine Manufacturing Co. of Louisville, KY, has made a huge difference with production, according to General Manager Scott Spector. “It took the shop away from an analog type of operation where you’re using a tape measure,” he explained. “It digitized everything, and eliminated most of the mundane errors that used to occur.”
With a background in commercial real estate, Michael and Suzanne Flanagan started Select Granite, Inc. in 2002 with a 5,000-square-foot facility in Pelham, AL. Today, the company is also marketing itself as Design Center South, and company growth has led the owners to acquire 6 acres of land with a stoneworking facility now measuring nearly 20,000 square feet. Among the machinery investments, the addition of a dual-table Northwood SawJet from Northwood Machine Manufacturing Co. of Louisville, KY, has specifically changed the face of its business, according to Scott Spector, General Manager of Select Granite, Inc.

The SawJet has additionally allowed the company to yield stone quicker and better, and reduce waste significantly.

The Northwood SawJet utilizes a waterjet pump and cutting nozzle from KMT Waterjet Systems of Baxter Springs, KS.

A Northwood CNC stoneworking center is also in place at the shop for edging and profiling.

Slabs are cut in the shop using a GMM Eura 35 bridge saw, which is manufactured in Italy and supplied through Salem Stone of Winston-Salem, NC.

Edging is also completed with the help of a Montresor 400 edger, which is made in Italy and supplied through Salem Stone.
Select Granite plans to add a second Northwood CNC stoneworking center. “The gains realized with two CNCs allow for even more throughput,” said Spector.

Of the slab work done in the shop, 80 to 85% is granite, with a half of that amount being exotics, and 15 to 17% is quartz.
At its peak, the shop will have 15 workers, while 12 to 15 is the standard. The company also has two to three of its own installation crews.

Select Granite, Inc. now also markets itself as Design Center South.

The company considers its facility a one-stop shop where customers can design projects such as their kitchen into its entirety, including cabinetry.
The company relies on clientele from what Spector calls a relationship market. “It’s all about who you know, who you fish with, who you go to the symphony with and so on,” he said.

Select Granite, Inc. has designated 4,000 square feet of space for showroom purposes.
Sidebar: Select Granite, Inc.
Pelham, ALType of work:residential production, commercial, hospitality and residential remodel
Machinery:a GMM Eura 35 bridge saw, which is manufactured in Italy and supplied through Salem Stone of Winston-Salem, NC; a CNC stoneworking center and SawJet from Northwood Machine Manufacturing Co. of Louisville, KY, equipped with a pump and nozzle from KMT Waterjet Systems of Baxter Springs, KS; and a Montresor Lola 400 edger, which is made in Italy and supplied through Salem Stone
Number of Employees:10 to 12 in shop
Production Rate:capacity for 2,000 square feet a day