Artisan Group companies now have earned 20 of the 48 Marble Institute of America (MIA) Accreditations. Accredited Natural Stone Fabricators represent the premier companies that work on residential and commercial stone projects.

As of press time, only 48 natural stone fabricators in the country have achieved this coveted MIA Accreditation, 20 of which are Artisan Group members: Bangor Wholesale Laminates (Bangor, ME), Block Tops, Inc. (Anaheim, CA), Blume’s Solid Surface Products (Freeport, PA), Consolidated Kitchens & Fireplaces (Omaha, NE), Creative Countertops (Las Vegas, NV), Duracite (Fairfield, CA), Eastern Surfaces (Allentown, PA), Fineline Pacific (Kent, WA), Front Range Stone (Englewood, CO), Hoffman Fixtures (Tulsa, OK), Innovative Surfaces (Hastings, MN), NBC Solid Surfaces (Springfield, VT), Rocksolid (Cleveland, OH), Rocky Mountain Stone (Albuquerque, NM), Solid Surfaces (Rochester, NY) Solid Tops (Easton, MD), Stone Store (Houston, TX), Surface Products (Cornelius, NC), Top Master (Kansas City, KS) and TWD Surfaces (Bridgewater, MA.)

“These companies now are able to proudly display the accreditation logo, which symbolizes that they both are among the finest in the natural stone industry with respect to craftsmanship, safety and business practices,” said Garen Distelhorst, the Accreditation Manager at the MIA.

“Our product offering and customer service is unparalleled, and warranties are offered on all products,” said Chad Seiders, Artisan Group Executive Director. “Achieving accreditation from the MIA is just one more step in offering our customers the best possible finished products, while ensuring overall employee and shop safety. We are proud of this achievement because it is a reflection of the dedication Artisan Group members have to our customers and the premium countertop industry.”

To become an Accredited Natural Stone Fabricator by the MIA, a company must have successfully completed three phases of application. Phase one is the completion of a lengthy application that requires the applicant company to provide various documents and references, which ensure that the company is in compliance with the 10 standards of accreditation as laid out by the MIA Accreditation Commission. Phase two requires the company’s qualifying agent (the designated company representative responsible for filing and maintaining accreditation records for the applicant company) to pass a 200-question multiple-choice test. The exam tests the applicant’s knowledge and application of material usage, installation, fabrication, restoration, care and maintenance, administration, legal/contracts, and jobsite and shop safety. The third phase is a comprehensive site visit, which includes a facility review, document review and one or more installation site visits.