Announced at The International Surfaces Event, James Donaire of Perfection Connection was voted by his peers to be the 2019 Stone World Fabricator of the Year.
Below is the nomination for James Donaire:
James Donaire started his career in the trades at the age of 20, apprenticing for a high-end custom home builder. During that time he learned all aspects of building a home; skills that would serve him well as he progressed into the stone and ceramic tile trades.
In 1997, James obtained a California contractor’s license and officially started Perfection Connection, a natural stone fabrication and installation company based in Oakland, CA, then later moving to Carson City, NV, in 2004. Starting with only modest handheld tools, James slowly but steadily grew his business, based on integrity and technical prowess. The Perfection Connection of today barely resembles his humble beginnings. Now housed in a 16,000-square-foot facility and a staff of 12, the company is a showcase of digital fabrication equipment. James has been a pioneer of new technologies, being among the first to acquire and employ much of Sasso’s lineup of machinery, including their Nextjet™, of which the product launching and operational research was assisted by James in his shop.
A master of several channels of social media, you can often find James touting incredible custom applications of stone in high-end residences and casinos, often including very elaborate and complex wall features. His use of social media in this regard is less about self-promotion, and more about a genuine desire to educate and advance the industry.
In addition, James has been a long time champion of the Stone Fabricators Alliance, opening his shop on multiple occasions. His last workshop in June hosting a record-breaking attendance of over two hundred stone workers. You can also find James regularly running the curriculum of the Stone Fabricators Alliance’s “Cage” at TISE and Coverings trade shows. His technical fabrication knowledge, coupled with his outgoing personality, always makes him a popular, informative and in-demand presenter, developing a strong following as one of the top fabrication minds in the industry. Many seek his advice and insight -- fabricators and product vendors alike.
Speaking on behalf of the Stone Fabricators Alliance Board of Directors, I can think of no one more deserving than James Donaire to receive the prestigious Stone World’s Fabricator of the
Year Award for 2019.