Having passed the half mark of 2020, I have taken some time for reflection. It certainly has been a game-changer so far. In January, I started the year off like any other. We had a successful trip to Las Vegas for The International Surface Event (TISE), where we presented the 2019 Stone World Fabricator of the Year Award to James Donaire of Perfection Connection in Carson City, NV. I also was fortunate enough to be invited to Cosentino’s C100 conference in Riveria Maya, Mexico, which was full of enthusiastic industry members. The launch of 2020 seemed bright, but little did I realize that after returning from our first Stone Summit of the year in Little Rock, AR, at the end of February, everything would change. And so began the COVID-19 pandemic.

I have to admit that the months of March through May seemed particularly bleak, especially living in New Jersey, which was one of the “hot spots” at the time. Thankfully, my role at Stone World did not change and I had my work to keep me occupied. It seemed like a lot of fabricators also remained busy – completing jobs that had already been in progress. But for all of us, we had to implement new procedures to ensure that we all remained safe. Fast-forward to now, and virtual is the “new norm.” There are virtual meetings, seminars and trade shows, as well as virtual showrooms and even Happy Hours. We recently held our second virtual Stone Summit with the Natural Stone Institute, and there are several more scheduled through February of 2021.