In 2003, the Marble Institute of America (MIA) established its safety program. It later went on to start a Safety Committee in 2010, which initially had 16 member companies. Today, the safety committee has grown to include 23 member companies, and is led by Jonathan Mitnick, vice president of CCS Stone, Inc., and managing partner of Marble Devices, U.S. Mitnick accepted the chairmanship during the committee’s semi-annual meeting, which was held at Coverings in April of 2014. Mitnick takes over for Jim Nikolopoulos, director of operations at Walker Zanger, who will remain active on the committee following a two-year stint as chairman. Ted Skaff, vice president of marketing for Lackmond Products, Inc., will serve as vice-chair.

MIA’s Safety Committee comprises some of the most talented safety and operations managers in the stone industry. A charter member of the committee, Mitnick finds his new role both challenging and disconcerting. “I’ve seen and heard of too many fatalities or near-misses that, when examined, could have been avoided had better operating procedures been in place,” he said. “I feel this committee is helping to fill the need by developing and publishing best practices for the stone industry.”