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With more than 50 quarries, 18 manufacturing plants and approximately 1,200 employees, Polycor is one of the largest natural stone quarriers in the world. Stone World (SW) recently talked to Polycor’s President Patrick Perus (PP) to get his take on the natural stone industry, the environment and Polycor’s expansions.

About 10 years ago, former Stone World editor, Michael Reis, traveled to Carson City, NV, to visit James Donaire of Perfection Connection Marble & Granite, Inc. At that time, Donaire faced a lot of competition in the market, as he specialized primarily in middle- to high-end residential fabrication, with a very small focus on the commercial market.

This Stone of the Month is supplied by Marmi Orobici Graniti S.p.A. Technical details provide a frame of reference only. Because stone is a product of nature, testing to determine specific physical qualities should be repeated for each project.

Brembana Formax BT is the state-of-the-art automated high-production sawing line that is available in the stone market today. This line begins with a tilting table to receive the slabs to be processed.

Soon the Mandalay Bay Convention in Las Vegas, NV, will be lined once again with seemingly endless displays of stone, tile and flooring materials, as well as machinery, tooling and other products related to these industries at the 2020 edition of The International Surface Event (TISE): Surfaces | StonExpo/Marmomac | TileExpo.

Is quartz still rising in popularity? Are miters still a favorite? Is natural stone being used anywhere else but countertops? Over the years, trends seemed to be somewhat stagnate. But some new design trends are becoming apparent.

Before relocating to the U.S. to serve as CEO of Island Stone North America, Nigel Eaton constructed what he thought was going to be his family home in Australia for the next decade. The 5,000-square-foot residence was designed to be clean and modern with a balance of natural elements.

Hospitality at its core is about creating a welcoming space. When entryways, kitchens and bathrooms have stained stone, tile and grout, they are far from welcoming. Be sure to protect all your jobs with a quick application of a penetrating sealer, because as the saying goes, an ounce of prevention beats a pound of cure.

I was in awe of the elaborate strategic plan the leadership team and I just produced. After three dedicated days of planning and brainstorming, we had seven pages of strategic initiatives to serve our business well for the next 36 months. What made it so impressive was also why it didn't work.