AC: Frankly, everything. With different backgrounds and all the facets the stone business offers, our skills complement one another and the industry suits us well. Don is drawn to the rugged attributes of the business, such as heavy equipment and manufacturing, while I focus more on management and marketing. In terms of what we enjoy most, visiting quarries is right up there since it introduces us to beautiful places and unique people that we wouldn’t have otherwise. 

SW: What is something that most people don’t know about you that you’d like to share?

AC: We have been working alongside many of our team for decades, and prior to Structural Stone’s existence. I’ve known several of our tradesmen since I was born, and now our boys are learning from them. So, I dare say, that this business means more to us than simply making a living.

SW: What is one of your most memorable experiences of working in the stone industry? 

AC: The Boston University (BU) Marsh Plaza Renovation and National WWII Memorial Project Dedications were important to me since I attended BU and because the WWII Memorial is inherently meaningful in addition to the projects size and complexity. Being a part of a project from the first sales call to the dedication with my family and colleagues in attendance is gratifying, and in the case of the WWII Memorial with Veterans there, was priceless. Don believes the most memorable experiences are yet to come. 

SW: What makes you unique compared to your competitors?

AC: Nearly all of what we fabricate in our Rhode Island plant comes from quarries on the Eastern Seaboard. We are a team of over 50 American skilled craftsmen and professionals. We take “Made in America” seriously. Instead of selling out, as has been the trend with other domestic dimension stone fabricators, we intend to remain privately owned and operated.

SW: What does it mean to you to be nominated for Stone World’s Fabricator of the Year Award? 

AC: It’s taken a lot of work and sacrifice to get where Structural Stone is today and it surely hasn’t been easy, but we can’t think of anything else we would rather do. Structural Stone is the center of our lives, and we are grateful that our work and ethic has been acknowledged by our peers.

Meet More Nominees: Brad Burns, Cutting Edge Countertops | Gene DeJong, Southern Stone Surfaces | Laura Grandlienard, ROCKin’teriors