A year after Planet Granite of Colorado Springs, CO, started to strategize ways to reduce its impact on the environment, it successfully teamed up with a local asphalt company to have its stone waste products removed - ultimately saving money and avoiding the landfill. This is just one step the company has taken towards being green as well as reducing its budget to remain on a successful business path.
Despite all of the information out there on shop safety, we are still hearing about way too many accidents - often fatal accidents. My question is this: How are your businesses addressing the issue of safety in the workplace? How formalized is your safety program? Do you hold regular safety meetings? Have you changed or expanded your approach to workplace safety in the past few years?
Artisan Group premium countertop fabricators have donated several hundred tons of granite and solid surface countertop remnants to Habitat for Humanity ReStore over the past year. With the help of companies such as the fabricator members of the Artisan Group, ReStore accepts donations of new and used building materials, making them available to the public at deeply discounted prices.
In general, the education program at stone trade shows such as Coverings will include a “Fabricator Forum,” where attendees discuss current issues with a panel of industry experts. Historically, these sessions have focused on practical concerns, such as fabrication methods and installation challenges.
Every January, Stone World presents its annual Fabricator Market Forecast, where hundreds of stone fabrication professionals from around the country present their expectations for the coming year as well as their feelings for the long-term.
For many stone fabricators in the U.S., the past few years have been the roughest on record. Not only have they been struggling to withstand an economic recession that has lingered far longer than expected, but they are also facing continued competition from low-cost competitors.
Taking place in locales across the U.S., the Marble Institute of America/Stone World “Stone Industry Education” program drew hundreds of fabricators, shop managers and business owners over the course of 2010, and it offered a diverse lineup of topics.
For several years, the Stone Fabricators Alliance (SFA) has been conducting workshops for its members and guests at fabrication shops around the country. From October 7 to 9, the SFA expanded on that model by holding its first “Mega-Workshop” in the St. Louis suburb of Collinsville, IL.
During Marmomacc, the most important stone show in the world, an equally important event took place. Leaders from many of the world’s stone associations, federations, and publications gathered to meet and discuss the development of a green certification standard for natural stone.