A new factory will be opened in Vitoria, Brazil, during the summer of 2003. The venture, by the Spanish stone company Levantina, will be called "Levantina de Granitos do Brazil." The factory will be built on a 130,000-square-meter piece of land. It will begin with three gangsaws and a polishing machine made in Italy. The company is also planning on expanding very quickly and adding more machinery in the near future. It will produce slabs, tiles and cut-to-size pieces. Additionally, Levantina's North American team welcomed two new agents last month.

The Edilgraniti Outstanding Associate Award for 2002 was presented to AustralAsian Granites of Geps Cross, Australia, on the occasion of the 37th Marmomacc exhibition in Verona, Italy. Edilgraniti srl is a stone sector company specialized in researching, processing and trading granite. The intention of this award, to be given annually, is to reward those who promote and add value to the use of natural stone, particularly granite, whether they are quarrymen, processors, distributors or architects. The prize, awarded by Edilgraniti Company President Luigi Fornal¿o Seppo Karvonen, was motivated by this company's activity in Australian granites. These granites have gained attention in all the markets where they have been introduced. To link the prize to the Verona region, a magnum bottle of "Amarone Riserva Allegrini" was part of the prize.

Schechner Lifson is proud to celebrate its 100th Anniversary Year. It acknowledges the confidence of its clients and the dedication of its staff. For the past few years, all insurance discussions were directed to Marc Rosenkrantz as the Marble/Tile expert at Schechner Lifson. Recently, two additional agents from the company's office, Scott Callen and Rick Resnick, have joined the Marble/Tile team.

Additionally, Schechner Lifson's MYSTIC program now includes some new products to protect your business, including Credit Insurance to insure Accounts Receivables, both domestic and international; affiliations with a National OSHA Safety and Audit Consulting firm; and continued safety and loss control materials to further educate the workforce so claims are minimized.

Any questions regarding Newsline, contact: Newsline Editor, Stone World, 210 Route 4 East, Suite 311, Paramus, NJ 07652; Fax: 201-291-9002; E-mail: michael@stoneworld.com.