The recent expansion of Midtown Athletic Club and Hotel transformed what was the largest indoor tennis club in the country into the largest lifestyle center in the country. The hybrid health club and hotel exudes intentional details designed by DMAC Architecture, located in Evanston, IL.

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.

There is no doubt that our industry is going through monumental changes. During our last Rockhead Group meeting last April, our members had an opportunity to listen to industry leaders about key indicators that are shaping the future of our business. 

Robotic technology is one of the newest options out there for fabricators to cut stone and since its introduction the saw has continued to gain in popularity. Known for their smaller footprint, efficiency and less maintenance needed, as the worker shortage continues for fabricators, turning to this technology has been a great alternative to increase performance in the production process.

Stone World was started by Mike and Stephanie Lench in November 1984. At that time, GranQuartz was busily introducing machinery and equipment for the stone industry to include large diameter (11-6 foot) block saws, automatic abrasive line polishers, edge polishers, etc.

Today fabricators are being asked to fabricate a large variety of materials. These projects range from kitchen countertops, fireplaces and other residential use, to commercial flooring and wall cladding. These materials have a wide range of characteristics, challenging fabricators in production and material handling.

Since its inception in 2001, the Xiamen International Stone Fair has exploded. Geared for stone industry professionals worldwide, the scope of the international exhibition has drastically changed from its beginning days.

When a group of fabricators and other stone industry members come together at a fabricator forum, it immediately becomes an arena for an exchange of ideas, experiences, advice and solutions.

As you might have heard already, Stone World is celebrating its 35th anniversary this year. And since so much has changed in the stone industry since then, we thought we'd have a feature highlighting pivotal moments throughout the decades.

With the advent of online reviews, HGTV and social media, consumers are saturated with options ranging from natural stone, engineered quartz (quartz surfacing), pre-cast concrete, porcelain, glass, stainless steel, sintered surfaces and so on.