Solid Surfaces Unlimited, based in Sterling Heights, MI, has been serving mid and southern Michigan for more than three decades. Cesar Rastelli initially established the company as a cabinet business 40 years ago, and in the late 1980s began manufacturing solid surface products.

Safety and efficiency have led the way for Cathedral Marble and Granite to continue to expand their innovative equipment. Starting in the mid-90s, Dave Duffy, owner of Cathedral Marble and Granite in Whitestown, IN, started his own stone business in a one-car garage with four other people.

In the 1990s, Val Blasius created a reputation as a ceramic tile and Corian countertop installer in the Vassar, MI area. The business continued to prosper until he was bringing in more work than he could handle. His son, Jon, was in the remodeling industry at the time, doing tile and Corian countertops out of the same shop.

With new home construction in the tank, the owners of Genz-Ryan were searching for new sources of revenue — still with the plan to keep Inspiration Design Center around the builder/remodeler market.

Established in 2002, The Countertop Factory, Inc. of Raleigh, NC, has transformed over the years to become a state-of-the-art fabrication shop focusing on stone and quartz surfacing products.

For Hard Rock Stone Works, robotic technology has led to a formula for success. Owned by partners Randy Frantz, CEO, and Steve Amodeo, COO, the fabrication business has rapidly expanded in recent years and continues to invest in its operation through technology.

Establishing their business in 2005, Maryla and Darek Bosek first started under the name Fortune Estates. Back then, they rented a 2,000-square-foot space in Franklin Park, IL, and opened a granite countertops production shop.

With advanced fabrication equipment, primarily from Poseidon Industries, Jaba Pro Stone Corp. of Hollywood, FL, outputs a substantial amount of countertops for residential buildings in Southwest and Southeast Florida

With some experience under his belt, Oliviero soon decided he wanted to go out on his own, and found a partner with whom to open their own fabrication shop that would service New Brunswick and surrounding areas for 17 years.