Close to the border of Maine and within several hours driving distance from Montreal and Québec City, Polycor's state-of-the-art manufacturing complex is tucked away in Saint-Sébastien, Québec, Canada, among rolling hills and green pastures. The facility has been in operation since 1911, and was purchased by Polycor Inc., a large quarrier and fabricator of natural stone headquartered in Québec City, in 1990. During the past 15 years, the company has worked to continually improve efficiency and increase prod-uction capacity at the facility. Its most recent addition is Polycor Slabs, which is equipped with state-of-the-art machinery, including four wire saws for cutting blocks into slabs.

While granite has been the en vogue material for counter-tops for quite some time, there is also a “new” trend in place toward marble countertops - resulting in a timeless, classic look for a broad range of residential designs.

Whether a fabricator is operating a large- or small-scale operation, the bridge saw serves as the backbone of their processing operation. The bridge saws on the market today are continuing to advance, offering new features and benefits for fabricators that speed production time while offering optimum quality in fabrication. Some of these introductions are new variations of existing machines, while others are completely new models.

The Food Network recently aired a four-episode feature called the “All-Star Kitchen Makeover,” during which, chefs Emeril Lagasse, Bobby Flay, Alton Brown and Paula Deen redesigned kitchens for four contest winners. The episodes take viewers through each step of the renovation process from start to finish - from material selection and fabrication to the final installation. Alton Brown's Ann Arbor, MI-based contest winner, Nic Sims, received a kitchen renovated in Mountain White Vermont Danby marble from Vermont Quarries Corp. of Rutland, VT. Kitchen designer Todd Mathews assisted Alton Brown in the kitchen design.

StonExpo, which for the first year is owned and operated by Hanley Wood, will take place from October 20 to 22, 2005 at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas, NV. And this year, for the first time, the exhibition for the natural stone industry is providing live, “how to” sessions for all show attendees. Additionally, a pre-workshop program is scheduled to begin on Wednesday, October 19, a day prior to the show's opening.

Mario Sosa of Sosa Granite and Marble recently designed his entire 5,400-square-foot residence in Livermore, CA, with the extensive use of stone materials. The kitchen, bathrooms, foyer area, entertainment center, game room, fireplaces and even features of the front and backyard, including a swimming pool, all utilize a variety of marble, granite and travertine.

Taking place in the stoneworking hub of Carrara, Italy, the 26th edition of CarraraMarmotec was held from June 1 to 4. The event drew solid international attendance, as people were not only there to see the exhibition, but also to visit the wide variety of stone-producing companies in the region.

Stone+tec 2005 was held from Wednesday, May 25 to Saturday, May 28 at the Exhibition Centre Nürnberg in Nuremberg, Germany. And to the delight of the show's organizer, the exhibition received the anticipated number of visitors, making it a success.

Although it has only been in business for four years, Stone Crazy Inc. Marble and Granite Works of Orlando, FL - a stone fabrication and installation company - continues to grow at a rapid rate. The company's three managing partners, Jake Lechtner, Carol Lechtner and Joe Borsellino, have a rule for which they attribute much of the company's success - that is that a partner is always present at a jobsite.

Established in 1990, leading Turkish stone supplier, Tekmar, has undergone several trans-formations in the past 15 years - significantly increasing its size and production capabilities.