Oh man, where do I start? For any of you who haven’t heard, our editor for the last 19 years, and my co-worker for the last 21, Michael Reis, passed away on February 7th. He was vacationing with his close friends (“Team America” as they referred to themselves) in Jamaica.
Because of the impact Mike had on our magazine, our tight-knit staff and the industry at large, I am breaking a few rules with this issue. First, the Stone Column has never run more than one page, but I’m sorry, you just can’t pay homage to my friend here in one page. I also held to a rule that we aren’t the story,we cover the stories; therefore we shouldn’t be on the cover. On our cover this month, you can see Mike in one of his favorite locations, Italy, during the 2011 AIA Study Tour that we sponsor with the Marmomacc group each year. This photo was taken at the Marmi Faedo Quarry in Chiampo, outside of Verona. From the large-scale factories to quarries and fabrication shops, Mike was there, inquiring about that new saw or new quarrying method.