Since ancient times, natural slate has been used as a durable, long-lasting roofing material. In the last two decades, specification of natural slate cladding for building facades has been widely accepted throughout Europe. And now, this unique concept is gaining well-deserved popularity within the United States.

Stockholm, Sweden: Epiroc, a leading productivity partner for the mining and infrastructure industries, has agreed to acquire MineRP, a software company specializing in increasing productivity for mines through integrated planning, execution and analytics.

As a leader in kitchen water hub solutions, BLANCO has won two major design awards for their revolutionary new product, the IKON^® 33” 1-¾ Bowl Low Divide Apron sink.

In the early 1980’s, Joe Lauer was the manager of the local Perkins in St. Cloud, Minnesota. The same restaurant that Tom and Joyce Schlough took the family to every Sunday. Tom, the President of Park Industries® at the time, saw something in Joe that stuck with him. Joe truly cared about his customers. Based solely on this, Tom offered Joe a job. Tom could teach Joe the stone industry…he couldn’t teach Joe the passion for true customer care.

Sixteen new documents have been added to the Natural Stone Resource Library. Authored by Technical Director Chuck Muehlbauer, the documents originally appeared as Queries & Quandaries articles in The Cutting Edge. A wide variety of topics are covered, including tolerances, stone anchors, testing flexural strength, and countertop overhang limits.

The Weha "Monkey" Pads are Velcro backed Quartz Face, surface polishing pads designed specifically to repair the surface of quartz and engineered stone. 

American Olean recently announced the launch of the new Mythique Marble collection.  Mythique Marble is a complete porcelain floor, ceramic wall and mosaic tile collection offering four on-trend marble designs, each equally elegant, yet with its own unique personality. All Mythique Marble products feature Microban® technology that provides powerful antimicrobial product protection.

The American Institute of Architects (AIA) inaugurated Peter Exley, FAIA, as its 97th president.

Broomfield, Colorado: Mining engineering students at Montana Tech are testing bolt integrity when loaded using a Ground Support Pull Test Kit and Swellex bolts donated by Epiroc, a leading productivity partner for the mining and infrastructure industries.

The Board of Directors and the Strategic Council of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) are honoring Edward Mazria, FAIA, with the 2021 Gold Medal.