In the 1990s, Val Blasius created a reputation as a ceramic tile and Corian countertop installer in the Vassar, MI area. The business continued to prosper until he was bringing in more work than he could handle. His son, Jon, was in the remodeling industry at the time, doing tile and Corian countertops out of the same shop.

With new home construction in the tank, the owners of Genz-Ryan were searching for new sources of revenue — still with the plan to keep Inspiration Design Center around the builder/remodeler market.

Established in 2002, The Countertop Factory, Inc. of Raleigh, NC, has transformed over the years to become a state-of-the-art fabrication shop focusing on stone and quartz surfacing products.

For Hard Rock Stone Works, robotic technology has led to a formula for success. Owned by partners Randy Frantz, CEO, and Steve Amodeo, COO, the fabrication business has rapidly expanded in recent years and continues to invest in its operation through technology.

Establishing their business in 2005, Maryla and Darek Bosek first started under the name Fortune Estates. Back then, they rented a 2,000-square-foot space in Franklin Park, IL, and opened a granite countertops production shop.

With advanced fabrication equipment, primarily from Poseidon Industries, Jaba Pro Stone Corp. of Hollywood, FL, outputs a substantial amount of countertops for residential buildings in Southwest and Southeast Florida

With some experience under his belt, Oliviero soon decided he wanted to go out on his own, and found a partner with whom to open their own fabrication shop that would service New Brunswick and surrounding areas for 17 years.

Brothers Howie and Sal Lisboa grew up in the stone business so it was only natural that they gravitated towards it when starting their own company in 2015.

In the beginning, Alpha Granite and Tile’s original intent wasn’t to become a countertop fabrication business. Originally, Denis Phocas, the president of the company, wanted to be a slab distributor in a partnership with a quarry owner in South Africa.

For some fabricators, expanding and growing the business means getting new machines, leasing out a larger plot of land and building bigger shops. But Bill Wyman, who has a philosophy of doing more with less, has been able to propel his fabrication business to one of the top performing in the area.