Granite Creations Inc. of Tucson, AZ, operates as a one-stop shop for granite countertops, from slab selection to fabrication to installation. The company first began in California in a related industry on a much smaller scale. Now, Granite Creations has 68 employees who fabricate and install about eight to nine kitchens per day for high-end homes in the area.

Clad in Indiana limestone, Annenberg Hall is situated in the central area of the Northwestern University campus in Chicago, IL, on a small embankment that used to form the shoreline of Lake Michigan. The building's collegiate character evokes the spirit of adjacent early 20th century buildings that range from Neo-Gothic to Neo-Classical, according to Booth Hansen, which served as the architectural firm on the project.

Even though Granite Emporium of Farmingdale, NY, has only been in business for a little over a year, it is already fabricating and installing an average of six to 10 kitchen countertops a week. Before starting the company, owner Joseph Davi had been in the contracting business for eight years and had always been fascinated by stone fabrication, as he loved the end product fabricated by a natural resource of Mother Nature. After attending a stone industry-related course with Fred Hueston and Keith Graves from The National Training Center for Stone and Masonry Trades, Davi decided to open his own business.

The Food Network recently aired a four-episode feature called the “All-Star Kitchen Makeover,” during which, chefs Emeril Lagasse, Bobby Flay, Alton Brown and Paula Deen redesigned kitchens for four contest winners. The episodes take viewers through each step of the renovation process from start to finish - from material selection and fabrication to the final installation. Alton Brown's Ann Arbor, MI-based contest winner, Nic Sims, received a kitchen renovated in Mountain White Vermont Danby marble from Vermont Quarries Corp. of Rutland, VT. Kitchen designer Todd Mathews assisted Alton Brown in the kitchen design.

Mario Sosa of Sosa Granite and Marble recently designed his entire 5,400-square-foot residence in Livermore, CA, with the extensive use of stone materials. The kitchen, bathrooms, foyer area, entertainment center, game room, fireplaces and even features of the front and backyard, including a swimming pool, all utilize a variety of marble, granite and travertine.

Although it has only been in business for four years, Stone Crazy Inc. Marble and Granite Works of Orlando, FL - a stone fabrication and installation company - continues to grow at a rapid rate. The company's three managing partners, Jake Lechtner, Carol Lechtner and Joe Borsellino, have a rule for which they attribute much of the company's success - that is that a partner is always present at a jobsite.

Although still fairly new to the stone industry, Queen City Countertops is quickly on the rise of becoming a successful fabrication company. Located in Monroe, NC, the company has been doubling sales every year since opening in 2002, and has recently outgrown its 1,800-square-foot facility. Owner Mike Licht refers to Queen City Countertops as a simple operation, and added that the company is still at the beginning of the curve on the automation trail.

In response to a client's wish for a more modern home, Madison Spencer Architects of Charlottesville, VA, was called upon to design the Randolph County House in West Virginia, using a variety of natural stone found near the site. The 16,000-square-foot house - situated on a ridge where an early 19th century homestead once stood - is clad in stone quarried on site.

For the recent renovation of a 4,800-square-foot private residence in an exclusive area of California known as Newport Coast, a variety of natural stone, including granite, slate and quartzite, was selected to fulfill the clients desire for color variation. MS International of Orange, CA, supplied the stone for the project.

Construction of the Nautilus Insurance Co. headquarters in Scottsdale, AZ, was completed this past May. The three-story 75,000-square-foot building is clad in Indian granite quarried by Tab India and supplied through the company's U.S. branch, Amsum & Ash of Minneapolis, MN, to present a feeling of strength and permanence.