“In the early 2000s, clients on high-end projects began including stone fabrication in our scope of work,” said Durfee. “At the time, we were subcontracting to fabricators who lacked experience with the specific demands of commercial work. After researching the industry, we recognized an opportunity to build that expertise internally. In 2006, we moved to a larger facility and began investing in equipment, and by 2007, we were fabricating stone ourselves. That decision gave us direct control over quality, scheduling and coordination, and it has been a core part of our operation ever since.”

Live Demonstrations

Workshop attendees had the opportunity to witness the shop’s state-of-the-art lineup of machinery in action. This included two Burkhardt Loeffler sawing lines, a Pedrini bridge saw, two Burkhardt Loeffler CNC routers, a Comandulli Omega Pencil, a Marmo Meccanica LCV ST and an ECS Eich water clarifier.

When talking about reasons for hosting the SFA workshop, Durfee said, “I see it as a way to give back and promote the sharing of information to make everyone better. We also have some equipment that most of the fabricators in the U.S. have never seen.”

The Connecticut workshop kicked off with a welcome Happy Hour on the evening of Wednesday, June 3rd. The cocktail reception provided a relaxed environment for attendees to catch up with industry friends and fellow SFA members, as well as to meet new people. Following the opening reception were two days of machinery and product demonstrations, as well as a live thermoforming demonstration. 

Comandulli ran a demonstration of its automated edge profiling and polishing equipment, while Stonepeak/SapienStone showed through-body porcelain cutting. Big Dog Adhesives demonstrated its SeamLock adhesive, Superior Stone Products showed the Gold Evolution EXT system and GranQuartz ran porcelain cutting using its Machete blade. MB Stone Care handled marble and granite face polishing, while other sessions included Aardwolf America's portable DSA07 drill stand, FillaChip's quartz, porcelain and ceramic repair, and Alpha Professional Tools' quartz resurfacing system paired with its BMP-700 and Kirara polishers. Quail Leasing Corp. walked attendees through equipment financing options. 

Tariff Talks

In addition to the demonstrations, a roundtable discussion, which centered largely on tariffs, took place on the afternoon of the first day. “[With the proposal from the ITC], the first year would see a 25% tariff on any imported quartz products with a quota of a 141 million square feet,” explained SFA Executive Tim Zeng. “After that, 141 million square feet of imported quartz products happens, then the tariff goes up to 40% for one year. The next year it is 24% tariff with, I believe, the quota jumps to something like 150 million square feet. So, the quota increases and the tariff decreases over four years. That’s what the ITC has proposed.”

During the discussion, Zeng explained how the proposal was up for public comment and it was important for fabricators to express to the ITC how it will affect their businesses. Since the workshop, that period is now closed and another hearing was scheduled for Tuesday, June 16th.  

President Trump has to make his ruling by Thursday, June 25th. 

“There has also been discussion about creating a separate tariff code for cut-to-size products so they would be treated differently from slabs,” said Zeng. “At one point, they were proposing tariffs as high as 100% on cut-to-size imports. That's material fabricated overseas, not slabs brought here and fabricated domestically.”

The cut-to-size quartz products are typically used for hospitality and multifamily projects. “In my market, Lincoln, NE, it isn't a huge issue, but in places like Southern California and Texas it's much more common,” said Zeng. “For me, even a 25% tariff would cost at least $125,000 a year. I would pass that directly on to the consumer. I'm not absorbing that cost. That's exactly what I wrote in my comments. It makes housing and commercial projects more expensive.”

Day Two

Friday shifted toward software, glass and installation. Moriah Architectural Glass demonstrated glass vanity fabrication and Stonify presented its all-in-one software platform for stone shops. InnoChem LLC covered miter seam color matching, stain removal and porcelain chip repair, and Chemical Concepts closed the program with its Tile Ace Max system for large-format tile installs.

“I thought the workshop was well attended and everyone I talked to gained something,” said Durfee. “The thermoforming demo was a smash hit. I think half the attendees showed up to see that one demo most of all.  

“My goal was for everyone to leave with learning at least one thing to help their shops, and from what I was told, that goal was achieved,” he went on to say. “It’s a lot of work hosting a workshop and the feedback I got made it worth it.” 

“We are thrilled with the turnout,” said SFA Director Mike Dean. “The SFA workshops are about helping fabricators connect, learn from one another, share ideas and build more profitable businesses. Ideally, we want to help fabricators leave with ideas they can implement immediately and inspiration to keep improving their businesses.”

The next SFA's workshop is set for October 8th and 9th in Olivette, MO, hosted by Glenda Henneboehle of Stone Fabricators.