Recent advancements in technology are allowing natural stone to be installed with greater efficiency. In the countertop sector, companies are introducing new products to help with preparation and installation of vanities, kitchen countertops and undermount sinks. New adhesives and grouts have also been introduced for stone tile installations.
With nearly 60 years of industry-related experience under their belts, Gary Myers and Roger Pick joined forces in 2001 to establish Granite Encounters of Canton, OH. The men began the company as a part-time operation, and worked out of a small shop with little machinery. Today, the company’s 15,000-square-foot facility has the capability to produce an average of 10 kitchens per week, in addition to work for smaller projects.
When owner Roger Schumacher started Schumacher Tile & Stone, he had one thing in mind -- guaranteed customer satisfaction. That is why, after being in the business for nearly 13 years, his current company’s philosophy, “where customer service is chiseled in stone,” has been an important factor towards its success.
In the fast-paced business world of Las Vegas, NV, getting the job done right, on budget and in the shortest time is the secret to success. At least that’s been the case for the T. Nickolas Co., a leading supplier of fabricated stone products to the hotel/casino resort industry there.
Palomar Stoneworks Inc. is owned by Chief Executive Officer, Ed Vasko, who is experienced in high-efficiency fabrication and business development; Vice President of Operations, Mike Crosby, who brings more than 10 years of knowledge from the stone industry; and Duke Hong, who has a background in the financial and IT worlds. The different skills of each individual have been brought to bear on the business, according to Vasko. “A strong team requires diversity,” he said.
Barre, VT, has long been known for its fruitful supply of Barre granite. The industry particularly witnessed explosive growth when the first railroad -- known as the “Sky Route” -- was built in town in 1888. And leading the charge among local granite producers was Boutwell, Milne & Varnum Co., which eventually evolved into what today is called Rock of Ages. Presently, the company owns 10 quarries throughout the U.S., Canada and Ukraine, including the E.L. Smith Quarry in Barre, VT.
During the early 1990s, Henraux of Querceta, Italy (near Carrara), made headlines in the international stone industry for its massive undertaking of two enormous stone mosque projects in Mecca and Medina, Saudia Arabia. Today, the company is adding to that accomplishment by completing the stonework for yet another massive mosque in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
Once again tile manufacturers and stone producers have been hard at work developing the latest innovations in tile and stone, which provide new inspirations for both residential and commercial applications.
Honoring a man that most remember for being a Founding Father, the George Washington Distillery reconstruction in Mount Vernon, VA, seeks to interpret the nation’s first president further as the flourishing industrialist he was. Uncertain about the success of starting a distillery in northeast America in 1797, Washington quickly became one of the new country’s largest distillers. Leaving the distillery in the hands of other family members when he died in 1799, it was clear that Washington possessed unique entrepreneurship skills -- given the fact that the distillery production immediately declined, and it later burned down in 1814, absent of his supervision.
Jerry K. Roller founded JK Roller Architects in 1984 when the firm operated out of a 500-square-foot space in Philadelphia, PA. Since then, after experiencing tremendous growth, the company expanded into a 5,000-square-foot space, where it is currently located today.
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