Pier 1 Imports first opened its doors in San Mateo, CA, in 1962. Initially, the company, which specializes in home furniture and accessories, was established as one store, but today it has expanded to include more than 1,100 locations throughout North America. The company is headquartered in Fort Worth, TX, and recently a new building was constructed on a premium site to house the 700 associates that work in the corporate office. And in keeping with the high-quality traditional design that was desired, a variety of Italian stone -- supplied by Henraux S.p.A. of Querceta, Italy -- was employed for exterior and interior applications throughout the 20-story, 450,000-square-foot structure.
The stone materials quarried in Bavaria -- particularly Jura stone -- have long been noted for their abundant fossilization, with many architectural works taking care to highlight this aspect of the stone. Taking this concept to the next level, the Jura-Museum in Eichstätt, Germany, houses a wealth of fossils that have been discovered in the region, and it has been visited by leading paleontologists from around the world.
A group of independent German stone producers joined forces to form JMS Jura Marble Suppliers GmbH -- making the group the largest supplier of Jura marble, specializing in architectural projects. The group is headquartered in Eichstätt, Germany, a medieval town that sits between Munich and Nuremberg. One of the companies within JMS is Neumeyer & Brigl, which owns three quarries and operates a complete stoneworking plant to produce tiles, slabs, cut-to-size and specialty pieces. The company works in cooperation with the other members of JMS to supply its Jura marble products to markets around the world.
Stone+tec 2007 took place from June 6 to 9 at Exhibition Centre Nürnberg in Nuremberg, Germany, and NürnbergMesse, the show’s organizer, reports successful results for the latest edition of the natural stone show. Held every other year, Stone+tec 2007 marked the 15th edition for the International Trade Fair Natural Stone and Stone Processing Technology Exhibition. The show provided an ideal arena for stone industry professionals to meet, exhibit their products and conduct business.
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.
Joe Vinci’s experience in the quarrying business dates back to his childhood, when he used to help his father at his stone-producing company in Marriottsville, MD. He remembers making trips to the Butler Stone Quarry in nearby Butler, MD, and being impressed with the thriving business back in the 1960s and 1970s. Vinci never abandoned his dream of owning the historic quarry, and in 2005, he made it a reality. After dedicating two years to cleaning up the site, Vinci and his team at Vinci Stone Products are eager to have the quarry once again running at a successful production capacity.
Technistone was established in 1997 as a joint-stock company between Sindat, s.r.o. of the Czech Republic and Technistone USA, Inc. of Houston, TX. The manufacturing plant, which produces a composite product consisting of 93% natural material, is located in Hradec Králové, Czech Republic. Utilizing the latest Breton technology, the company manufactures its material that it exports to more than 60 countries across five continents.
Since it was established in 1997, CogswellStone has shown steady growth. The company’s owners, John and Lisa Cogswell, initially operated a company that provided installation services for tile and natural stone. They relocated their business from New York to Virginia in 1993, and the increasing demand for natural stone countertops pushed them to open a fabrication shop. Today, they are still experiencing positive results.
Initially, Stone Tech International of Bangalore, India, was created by Bhadravathi Devaraj in 1989 to serve as a consultant to Export Oriented Units (E.O.U.) in India that were looking to purchase state-of-the-art machines for processing stone blocks. Today, Devaraj owns the company with his son Arvind Devaraj, and it recently established its own 100% E.O.U. for processing blocks.
Natural stone serves as a staple in the design of the new George Garvin Brown Garden in Louisville, KY, which is the latest addition to the campus of the Center for Interfaith Relations (CIR). A team of landscape architects, led by Design Principal JP Shadley, ASLA, and Pamela Shadley, ASLA, Managing Principal, of Shadley Associates, P.C. of Lexington, MA, selected a palette of Georgia marble and Canadian granite for prominent features within the garden, such as a water wall, large fountain, seatwalls, planters and accent pavers.
