Majestic Marble and Glass of Raleigh, NC, is an example of a company that has capitalized on its growing market. Created in November of 1990, the company specialized in the installation of cultured marble products, shower enclosures and mirrors. In 1992, the business grew into fabrication, manufacturing its own cultured marble products.
Like many businesses pursuing the proverbial American Dream, Top Master, Inc. began in the small garage of its founder and president Tim Hovey. That was in Kansas City, KS, back in 1984, where the company first fabricated DuPont Corian® countertops that it installed in the Kansas City area. Within a year, Top Master had outgrown the garage and moved to a larger facility in Lenexa, KS, and the company has continued to expand over the years - in terms of volume as well as material choices.
A daily four-hour commute along the jammed freeways of Southern California eventually grew tiresome for Doug Lainson, who is now President and Chief Executive Officer of Kitchens & Stone Design Center in Upland, CA. Ultimately, it drove the former high-powered business professional to not only leave his job, but to switch careers altogether. After some careful research, Lainson decided to launch a fabrication facility and showroom with partner Kenny Seamen in late 2003. And in only two years, the business has shown significant growth, and plans for expansion are currently underway.
Business is good for Kevin Tate of Professional Marble & Tile. The fabricator, who opened his shop in Vail, CO, six years ago, recently started another operation in Carson City, NV.
Home to the renowned Princeton University and rich in historical stone architecture, the community of Princeton, NJ, is saturated in art and culture. Recently added to the downtown line-up of notable buildings is the new public library, which incorporates a palette of Burlington slate from England and Tar Hollow Bluestone from New York State throughout its interior and exterior design.
Originally designed in the 1970s, the concrete and brick architecture of Skyline Park in Denver, CO, deteriorated over time due to the region's harsh freeze/thaw climate. As a result, the firm of Thomas Balsley Associates of New York was called in to redesign the area, with the objective of making it a public space that could benefit the entire community.
An example of timeless design can be found at the Mizpe Hayamim Hotel and Spa on the eastern slopes of Mount Canaan, overlooking the Golan Heights and the Sea of Galilee in Rosh Pina, Israel. The resort, which sits on 37 acres of fruit groves, vegetable gardens, an animal farm and winery and also includes walking paths, pools and streams, offers a range of health and cosmetic treatments as well as a serene environment for guests to reside. Recently, a renovation was completed at the complex, which involved replacing the original tile floor with Jerusalem Stone supplied by Jerusalem Marble of Jerusalem, Israel.
G.M.S. - Granite & Marble Services of Bluffton, SC, recently opened its doors in April of 2005, with Gianni Cafarelli and Karen Johanson as principal owners. And the story of how the two founders met and formed a partnership is an interesting one. With different backgrounds and life experiences, the dedicated pair complement each other and share a passion to create an efficient and top-of-the-line fabricating facility.
Skilled craftsmanship is reflected in the construction of a new outdoor amphitheater on the grounds of Sigmund Stern Grove - a 33-acre public park in San Francisco's Sunset District. The 10,000-seat arena features nearly 1,800 tons of Chinese granite that was hand cut in China and shipped to the site, where some pieces were further finished by hand. The design is the creation of renowned landscape architect Lawrence Halprin, and was implemented by a team of masons from QuarryHouse of San Anselmo, CA.
