This year, the Stone Fabricators Alliance (SFA) hosted its annual trip to Italy, which invites 18 members to explore various regions of the country to learn more about all aspects of the stone industry
In 2011, the Stone Fabricators Alliance (SFA) began taking a delegation of its members to various regions of Italy to learn more about all aspects of stone production. The annual trip, which welcomed 18 fabricators from all over the U.S. and Canada (and myself) this year, took place from May 3 to 11. During that time, we traveled throughout the northern regions of Italy -- from capital cities of Venice and Florence to hidden gems like Zogno and Massa -- where we were afforded opportunities to visit more than one dozen different machinery/tool manufacturers and stone distributors, view the operations of a renowned marble quarry and observe the impact of the Italian stone industry.
The SFA is a completely volunteer-based organization, which has thousands of members and is currently led by a board of nine members. Executive director, Mike Dean of The Top Shop in London, Ontario, Canada, and director, Eric Rolseth of Astonia Co. in Rogers, MN, successfully led this year’s tour.