My favorite thing to say about us is: ‘We are not the best stone company in Chicago because we are the oldest. We are the oldest, because we are the best,’” said Tom Van Etten, when speaking about his family owned business Galloy & Van Etten, which was started in 1899.

It should be no surprise to anyone that our market is constantly changing and we, as fabricators and business owners, have to adjust our operating models to stay innovative and competitive, but most importantly, cater to an all-knowing, multi-generational customer audience.

Rocksolid Surfaces has become a premier fabricator in Cleveland, OH, but the 40-year-old company got its start in the wood business. “Tom Rocks was the original owner of the company,” said J.B. Walsh, president of Rocksolid Surfaces.

Come back tomorrow wearing some work boots and you have a job.” This is what Buddy Ontra, now owner of Ontra Stone Concepts in Bridgeport, CT, was told in 1982 when getting a job working on high-rise buildings in Houston, TX.

Stone fabricators have to balance the demands of their shop and finding business. There may be issues with trying to search for new employees, dealing with machines breaking down, or with the shop getting backed up. Rob and Julie Foley have been able to find a nice balance for their shop.

One year after building their own fireplace, Jeff and Candy commissioned their first fireplace using for the first time the Freshwater Stone name. In 1988, Freshwater Stone moved its offices from Jeff and Candy’s home in Ellsworth to its current location in Orland, ME.

The Trivedi family has been active in the working of marble and granite since 1937, respecting the wishes of the founder Tardo Shri Trivedi, a restorer of ancient monuments and traditional Indian temples.

While working for another company primarily doing tilework, Kurt Bartzsch was given the challenge to start the company’s fabrication shop. Bartzsch primarily learned on a trial-and-error basis before going out on his own.

The Berkshire School is a co-ed boarding and day college preparatory school for students in grades nine to 12 and post-graduates. The 400-acre campus is tucked away at the heart of the Berkshire Hills —stationed at the base of Mount Everett in Sheffield, MA.

Since starting his fabrication business, Marjan Stone, in the early 2000s, Hikmet Pauls has strategically grown the company. Based in Spring Valley, CA Marjan Stone operates an impressive 18,000-square-foot shop that currently serves the residential and commercial sector.