Worth noting, our North American Quarry Advocacy Group steering committee has made great suggestions for upcoming study tour destinations. Next year, we will return to hosting the event the second week of September and maintain that date going forward. This makes it easier for members to “save the date” and plan around it. In 2025, the NSI will be heading to the Athens, GA, area. In 2026, we plan to head to Kalispell, MT. And in 2027, Alabama.  

SW: What are some takeaways you hope participants learn on the trip?

JB: Each member company openly shared what they do and how they do it. Inevitably, each attendee learns something new. For me, I was impressed by the innovation applied to the Kepco+ pre-assembled stone process used to install massive granite panels onto the Utah State Capitol project. I was impressed by American Stone’s onboarding and production training programs for their employees. You can tell their employees are happy and well trained. Mountain Valley Stone and Delta Stone Products pulled out the stops as they hosted our group. Not only are their operations large and impressively run, they involved creative ways to engage us while viewing and enjoying what they do there. It was so much fun to visit. Valley View Granite was another impressively run operation with a company philosophy built to be SOLID. Self-motivated, optimistic, laser-focused, industry experts and dedicated. Northern Stone showed us that clean, well-organized facilities are not just a special occasion when entertaining guests. It is how they operate every day! Their unique packaging is impressive and makes great sense for retail success. My most intense take-away is how our hosts are living meaningful business and family lives. The values we witnessed through the generous hosting were second to none.  

SW: What is your favorite part of the Study Tour? 

JB: My favorite part of the Study Tour is the people. We have returning companies and individual attendees who I have enjoyed seeing for more than 15 years now. They value the relationships they have made over the years. It’s not just business here. It is all about the friendships -- generations of families who really enjoy each other’s company at this event. We build time into this event to socialize and network. It is probably the most important aspect we can give our members.  

SW: What is some feedback you have received from this year’s participants?

JB: In general, people were blown away this year. It was an amazing opportunity to see well-run companies and experience something new. A few of our dinner venues added a special local element -- a true sense of family and connection -- that you needed to be there to appreciate. These host companies all freely and openly shared -- nothing held back. The desire to share and give others some proven tools to succeed was tangible -- and admired. We had a large attendance and some newcomers who vowed to come back next year. Our NSI team works hard to make this event as seamless as possible for our attendees. It is rewarding when you get sincere appreciation from the attendees.  he weather was flawless, too. Everything went well this time. One thing we heard a few times was to bring back the old-fashioned team challenges. Some longtime attendees miss the fun team building events of year’s past. We will work on that!