Maybe you noticed it on our website, or perhaps in our eNewsletters. Possibly you saw it on our social media platforms. Maybe you have no idea what I am referencing. At Stone World, we are always looking for new and different ways to get more information and news to our readers, so we decided to try our hand at podcasting. For the past 10 months, we have invited fabricators, stone and tooling suppliers, and other industry experts to discuss a variety of topics to help the fabricator and further the industry.

Back in 2006, according to Statista, only 22 percent of the adult population in the U.S. was aware of podcasting; by 2020 this figure has risen to 75 percent. On top of that, in 2019, there were an estimated 88 million podcast listeners. As our lives get busier, our time gets more precious, and we figure out ways to be more efficient. One of those ways is by listening to podcasts. Sometimes we put one on to have in the background while we do work. Other times, we are trying to kill time in a car ride. Podcasting gives us the ability to learn on the go and in an industry where time is money.

Over the past year, we have had on a lot of great guests that include the president of Polycor, Patrick Perus, who discussed the future of natural stone. We spoke to Egon Hinss of Breton USA to learn more about the future of automation in the stone industry, and how and why fabricators should be paying attention to this. Katie Jensen of Triton Stone Group helped us understand how supply chains and business has changed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Eric Tryon and Aaron Crowley both talked to us about running a fabrication business.

Forecasts suggest that the number of podcast listeners will surpass 160 million in 2023, and there are no signs of it slowing down.

We have many great plans for 2021 and will not be slowing down anytime soon, but we also want to hear from you on what your thoughts are and what you want to hear. Is there a topic that we should be covering? Do you want podcasts that go into more detail? Or maybe less? Are you interested in participating in a podcast or know someone else who is?

Whatever your idea, suggestion or thought is, we want to hear it. Never hesitate to email me at kameryj@bnpmedia.com to let us know what you think. If you’re going to catch up on our podcasts, make sure to check out Apple Podcasts or our website at: www.stoneworld.com/media/podcasts/2594.

We look forward to hearing from you all and are excited to continue to deliver you more information in many different ways.