Earlier this fall, the MIA+BSI held its annual study tour in Vermont. In past years, I have joined the group on the tour of this region, as well as ones in Minnesota and Texas. Each time, I find it to be a great learning experience, as well as an opportunity to make new friends in the industry. This year, Stone World’s managing editor, Jason Kamery, joined the group in Vermont, and he shared a similar experience. In his article, beginning on page 30 of this issue, you can read Jason’s in-depth account of the three-day tour.
Jim Hieb, CEO of MIA+BSI, cites a host of reasons of why study tours, such as the one to Vermont, are worth participating in at some point in time. “We afford stone professionals the opportunity to get out of their own office/facility and travel to a destination for learning that cannot be duplicated in a classroom,” he said. “There is something special about touring facilities and especially quarries. The quarry is what connects us to the product we sell. Whether you are a fabricator, installer or restoration professional -- or you are the salesperson who sells it -- there is a fascination with the origin of the product, which is Mother Earth.”