This quote was said to me last week by a fabricator in Austin, TX, where I attended a gathering of the Artisan Group, a group of independent North American countertop professionals. Here's the really cool part: he wasn't the only person who said something like that to me. Virtually everyone I spoke with at the event said that they have been enjoying sustained success in 2013, and most of them are making investments in their operations.
The folks that I spoke with in Austin represent shops across North America, and they are all accomplished professionals. Out of the 34 member companies in the Artisan Group, I've probably covered around half of them over the years, and my goal for this trip was to nail down articles on some of that other half. Overall, I would say I was successful, and you will certainly see articles on many of these fabricators over the next few months. However, I must admit that I ran into some roadblocks in scheduling some of these stories, but for a reason that is an excellent sign for our industry and its suppliers. Several of the fabricators that I approached to do an article asked me if I could wait a few months, as they are in the middle of expanding their operations.