The Marble Institute of America's technical office fields a wide variety of calls. A review of the call log will show that several topics reoccur with alarming frequency. One of the most common conversations starts like this: “Hi, I work for a stone fabricator, and a local architect is wishing to specify one of our inventoried materials for a small commercial application. He is asking us to provide some information on the stone material. He mentioned something about an ASTM standard and listed a bunch of numbers. I've been working here for years, and this is the first time I've ever heard of this stuff. Do you have this information for this stone? Where can I go to find it?â€
In 2001, Gary Cancro and Israel Jiron established Stone Resources as an installation and fabrication company, which mainly serves the residential sector near its Danbury, CT, location.
A daily four-hour commute along the jammed freeways of Southern California eventually grew tiresome for Doug Lainson, who is now President and Chief Executive Officer of Kitchens & Stone Design Center in Upland, CA. Ultimately, it drove the former high-powered business professional to not only leave his job, but to switch careers altogether. After some careful research, Lainson decided to launch a fabrication facility and showroom with partner Kenny Seamen in late 2003. And in only two years, the business has shown significant growth, and plans for expansion are currently underway.
Abundant in natural beauty, the Adirondack Mountains of Upstate New York have long been known as a premier setting for outdoor enthusiasts. However, a recent development there has also made it an interesting destination for the stone industry, as Barton Mines Co., LLC, has opened a quarry for Garnet Gem® granite.
Among the many famed landmarks in New York City is Columbus Circle, one of the principal entries to Central Park and the intersection for Broadway, Eighth Avenue and 59th Street. The problem was that the monument, built in tribute to Christopher Columbus, the first European to discover the Western Hemisphere, had seen better days. The harsh winters, city pollution and time had caught up with the monument. As a result, a $20 million renovation project was undertaken by the City of New York Department of Design and Construction to restore the magnificence to the site, and this project made extensive use of granite.
Business is good for Kevin Tate of Professional Marble & Tile. The fabricator, who opened his shop in Vail, CO, six years ago, recently started another operation in Carson City, NV.
Building selection is critical for operation of a successful stone fabrication facility. The wrong building can cause production delays, not to mention major expense if the proper requirements are not in place in a particular building. The following is a breakdown of the key components of a good building for your stone shop.
Granite Creations Inc. of Tucson, AZ, operates as a one-stop shop for granite countertops, from slab selection to fabrication to installation. The company first began in California in a related industry on a much smaller scale. Now, Granite Creations has 68 employees who fabricate and install about eight to nine kitchens per day for high-end homes in the area.
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