Fabricators Gain Practical Takeaways to Apply at Their Shops
Park Industries held its Fabricator Exchange (FABX) at the Hilton Garden Inn in Springfield, NJ, on Thursday, April 30, 2026. The company’s marketing director, Molly Hauer, welcomed the group of approximately 100 fabricators.
Park Industries CEO Joan Schatz also greeted the group at the start of the event.
Meagan Hegland, Park Industries vice president of sales and marketing, moderated a State of the Industry address. Panelists included (from left to right): Dave Amelotte, Park Industries CFO; Glenn Kross, CEO of Coastal Countertops and 2023 Stone World Fabricator of the Year Award winner; and Gabe Velazquez, financing expert with MFS.
Richie Falconi, and his son Giovanni, of Falco Marble & Granite, shared how his company modernized its shop, adopted digital fabrication and improved consistency, efficiency and production workflows.
Joe DeMelo, owner of Evolution Marble & Granite, spoke about key lessons he learned when building his fabrication shop, process improvements he made and the operational changes that drove better shop performance. DeMelo also hosted a shop tour that afternoon.
Omar Chahin of GMD Surfaces led a breakout discussion about identifying bottlenecks and increasing shop output.
Joseph Sine of Cohen Seglias shared the latest on OSHA compliance and reducing risk in the shop.
Rosie Nunez (left) and Insaf Khriss (right), both of Atlas Marble & Granite, provided insight into design trends expected to influence countertop projects in 2026.
Marco Duran of Atlas Marble & Granite invited participants into his shop for our tour of the facility.
Duran explained to the group that Atlas is making a commitment to promoting the use of natural stone in design, as evident by its large selection of inventory.
A highlight of the shop tour was to watch the Park Saberjet™ XP CNC SawJet in operation.
Park Industries brought its Fabricator Exchange (FABX) to northern New Jersey, just outside New York City, on Thursday, April 30, 2026. The event attracted approximately 100 fabricators from the tri-state area.
After Molly Hauer, Park Industries director of marketing, and Joan Schatz, Park Industries CEO, welcomed the crowd, Meagan Hegland, Park Industries vice president of sales and marketing, moderated a State of the Industry Address. Panelists included Dave Amelotte, Park Industries CFO; Glenn Kross, CEO of Coastal Countertops and 2023 Stone World Fabricator of the Year Award winner; and Gabe Velazquez, financing expert with MFS. The discussion centered around what is happening in the current market and how this is affecting fabricators.
“We’re going to get you excited with some economics,” said Amelotte. “I want to kick this off from a very macro level. As was mentioned, economics sounds boring, but it really is that macro foundation that feeds into our industry and its fabricators. I think it’s important to ground everyone here before we get into the questions.”
The interactive panel discussion was followed by a personal journey from Richie Falconi of Falco Marble & Granite. Falconi shared how his company modernized its shop, adopted digital fabrication and improved consistency, efficiency and production workflows.
“The first step you have to take is go for the equipment,” said Falconi. “You have to be ready for the occasion.”
Falconi went on to explain how before he had transitioned to a digital shop, he had been approached by a builder who wanted him to fabricate 150 kitchens. He realized that without the equipment, he wouldn’t be able to fulfill the order within the timeline.
He also said that making the investment will strengthen a fabrication shop. “You are building something that you can sell,” he said.
Joe DeMelo, owner of Evolution Marble & Granite, also presented his story. He shared details about his journey – covering key lessons learned, process improvements and the operational changes that drove better shop performance. After lunch, DeMelo opened his shop doors to the group for an afternoon tour of the facility and to watch his Park machinery in action.
Marco Duran, owner of Atlas Marble & Granite as well as Stone World's 2014 Fabricator of the Year, also welcomed the group of fabricators from FABX into his shop. “We are always going to know how to do countertops, fireplaces, tub decks and things like that, but you need to envision what else you can do outside of the box,” he said. “We want you to ask questions, see it here and visualize. Park Industries is very strong with utilizing technology for lasers and digitizing and going into the nesting process and optimizing material so you can get a better yield.”
Before the morning ended, there were four breakout sessions – tackling practical shop challenges -- led by industry experts in their field. They included:
- Throughput Dollars: Omar Chahin of GMD Surfaces spoke about identifying bottlenecks and increasing shop output.
- OSHA & Silica Safety: Joseph Sine of Cohen Seglias shared the latest on OSHA compliance and reducing risk in the shop.
- Why Go Digital: Giovanni Falconi of Falco Marble & Granite presented key considerations and lessons learned.
- Design Trends in 2026: Rosie Nunez and Insaf Khriss, both of Atlas Marble & Granite, shared design trends expected to influence countertop projects in 2026.
The day concluded with a recap of what participants experienced at Evolution Marble & Granite and Atlas Marble & Granite, as well as closing remarks.
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