“It all started with a dream for owner Laurent Bellavance who, back in 1986, founded what was then Marble Unlimited along with two other partners,” said Serge Bellavance, Sales & Marketing Manager of Urban Quarry. “At that time, the company only manufactured synthetic marble for bathroom applications.

“In 1995, Laurent became the sole owner of Marble Unlimited, [the company’s original name], and began offering new products to keep his competitive edge,” Bellavance went on to explain. Two years later, Marble Unlimited completed its first expansion and was now offering Belcore solid surfaces for kitchen and bathroom countertops, custom shower bases and shower walls.

“In 2003, with the demand for natural stone growing, and Laurent’s dedication to providing his professional clients with the most current products, Urban Quarry took the leap into the natural stone fabrication business,” said Bellavance, adding that one year later the company began carrying and fabricating Cambria Quartz Surfaces and is now Cambria’s exclusive fabricator throughout Eastern Ontario and one of 17 Lexus partners in North America. “The transition to natural stone products precipitated a second expansion and renovation in 2009 that tripled the size of the fabrication shop, which runs two shifts daily and includes fully computerized stone cutting equipment and additional offices.”

The company continued its transition in 2010 when Marble Unlimited rebranded itself to Urban Quarry and built an award-winning showroom for designers and customers to visit and work. All of the family members are fully involved in the business — contributing to its success. In addition to Serge Bellavance, Monique Bellavance works in Accounts Receivable, Luc Bellavance is Operations Manager and Mireille Bellavance is an Account Manager.

Urban Quarry’s facility is currently 14,700 square feet, but plans are in the works to expand to 43,000 square feet in the summer of 2014. The company has 60 employees, including four installation crews. It runs two shifts — day and evening.

The shop is equipped with machinery from Park Industries of St. Cloud, MN, and CMS Brembana of Italy. “Moving forward we have decided to standardize on Park Industries equipment,” explained Ignacio Manso, General Manager of Urban Quarry. “This decision was based on the excellent service and support we receive from Park for our business.”

The Park Fusion 4050 CNC Saw/Waterjet is Urban Quarry’s latest addition to its shop. “This piece of equipment has reduced material waste and increased our production capacity,” said Manso. ADI tooling supplied from GranQuartz in Stanstead, Quebec, Canada, is used on the CNC machines.

The Templating crews use a Proliner from Prodim North America in Fort Pierce, FL. “It is a key part of our digital production system,” said Manso. “It is a reliable piece of equipment that is easy to use.”

Urban Quarry’s production capacity is approximately 3,200 to 4,000 square feet per week — over 165,000 square feet a year. The company fabricates between 65 to 75 kitchens a week, with the average size measuring 50 square feet.

“We sell business to business and do not sell directly to retail customers,” explained Bellavance. “Our clients are homebuilders, cabinet makers, and kitchen and bath dealers. Our principal markets are mainly residential projects in eastern Ontario.”

Among recent commercial projects completed by Urban Quarry is Jonny Canuck’s Bar & Grill. “This was a renovation project of their original establishment in Orleans, ON,” explained Bellavance. “There is a brand new Cambria Wellington bar as well as Kodiak granite tops in the washrooms. We also have done their bar and washrooms at their third establishment in Ottawa, ON.”

Looking to the future, the next big step for Urban Quarry is to complete its expansion project this summer, which will nearly triple the size of its current facility. Additionally, it plans to implement Moraware JobTracker and CounterGo software to better manage and track all activities of its business — from estimates to template, production, installation and services.

For the long term, the company would like to expand into the commercial markets. “We would also like to grow and strengthen our relationships with our kitchen and bath dealers and establish new relationships in different markets outside of Ottawa, ON,” said Bellavance.

Moreover, Urban Quarry would like to introduce new product offerings such as porcelain slabs for vertical applications and countertops as well as other applications. “We want to be a leader in the countertop fabrication industry in all aspects of the business,” said Bellavance.