OBERLIN, OH --The Natural Stone Institute will welcome two individuals to its board of directors in January 2023:

Restoration & Maintenance

Sal Banchitta, Simple Stone Care 
 Sal Banchitta graduated from Hunter College with a Bachelors in geology and served in the Natural Stone Industry for over 35 years in diverse capacities. Sal’s unique concept of a "one-stop shopping" business model created Stone Boss Industries in 1991. Sal’s international start-up partnerships with Akemi GmbH and Bellizoni SRL successfully branded these products in the USA and was his incentive to create Simple Stone Care, a made-in-the-USA manufacturing company, that today offers a quality product line for the care, restoration and maintenance of natural stone. Sal established a network of made-in-the-USA raw material suppliers and developed proprietary formulations in collaboration with other cleaning supply manufacturers and Fortune 500 chemical companies. Sal currently serves as a technical consultant for large companies in building management and restoration. His expertise is often sought out by stone workers and executive management alike as an advisor and problem solver.
Global (International)

Irini Papagiannouli, John Papagiannoulis Bros SA

Irini Papagiannouli is currently part of the third generation of John Papagiannoulis Bros SA and a proud ambassador of natural stone and timeless Greek marble. She has a background in public relations, event management, marketing and communications, and the nonprofit sector and has 10 years of experience in high-impact projects before joining the family business. She is a board member at the Greek Marble Association (GMA) working on strategic partnerships, marketing of natural stone, and being a liaison to the Natural Stone Institute (NSI). Irini is a participant of the Women in Stone program and is passionate about sustainability, digital transformation, design and architecture, international collaborations, and the positive impact companies and sector associations can have on a local and global level. 

Banchitta and Papagiannouli will be formally welcomed to the board during the first meeting of 2023 at StonExpo. The Natural Stone Institute would also like to thank their outgoing board members: Ali Kader (Egy-Mar International) and Michael Picco (PICCO Engineering) will conclude their board service at the January 2023 board meeting.