The growing popularity of white marble countertops and vanities has been noticeable for a while, but I didn't realize just how much of a sensation they have become until a recent visit I made to the Vermont Danby marble quarry -- operated by Vermont Quarries in Rutland, VT, and owned by parent company R.E.D. Graniti, a leading stone producer in the province of Massa-Carrara, Italy. I have actually been to this quarry several times, but not in a while, and it is evident that many changes have been made since my last trip.
I met with the quarry's general manager, Luca Mannolini, and Todd Robertson, North American sales director, who explained to me that Vermont Quarries' current mission is to increase production and work in a quick and efficient manner to keep up with the demand for the product. "We can produce about 175 to 200 slabs a day," said Robertson. "That's the demand. We know our distributors will take as much marble as we can produce. The goal is to speed up production."