Stone World magazine had the opportunity to talk to fabricator, innovator and inventor, Aaron Crowley, about how he got into the business and comes up with his invention ideas.

How important is leadership? Time and time again, I’ve seen teams that were once high performing —a generating best-in-class results — fail under new leadership. Same team, yet dramatically different results. Why?

Each year, it seems design trends for both residential and commercial projects continue to evolve. While the beauty of natural stone is always an allure, over time, competitive materials continue to surface – providing more options for architects, designers and homeowners.

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.

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.

Natural stone is nearly complete as a building material in its natural state. It is recyclable, low maintenance, emits no VOCs and is one of the most durable materials on the planet.

Leonardo Rapaj first started working with stone in his home country of Albania. He made his way through Greece, Italy, Switzerland and France, working with stone before finding his way to the U.S. In 2001, Leonardo’s Marble & Granite opened its doors in Farmington Hills, MI.