Evans Stoneworks was launched in 2000 as a division of Evans Landscaping, Inc., a wholesale and retail landscaping business which has been in operation in Cincinnati, OH, since 1975. The idea behind the new operation was that it would serve as a supply into the company’s own business, which is mainly comprised of landscape stone. For efficient production, the company relies on a range of equipment from Park Industries of St. Cloud, MN.

Consisting of two buildings, which include the Sanford and Dolores Ziff Ballet Opera House, the John S. and James L. King Concert Hall and a Studio Theatre, the 570,000-square-foot Carnival Center for the Performing Arts in Miami, FL, is the largest performing arts center built in the U.S. since 1971. A sweeping bridge that spans the Biscayne Boulevard, which bisects an outdoor oval-shaped Plaza of the Arts, connects the buildings, which feature a multi-layered granite and glass exterior. All stone materials were supplied and fabricated by Savema S.p.A. of Italy.

The two-story, 85,000-square-foot BJ Services Corporate Headquarters in Houston, TX, was designed by Kirksey Architecture to reflect a modern and contemporary style by using natural materials, including stone supplied by Upchurch Kimbrough Co. and Stone Marketing International, both of which are located in Houston, TX.

With nearly 60 years of industry-related experience under their belts, Gary Myers and Roger Pick joined forces in 2001 to establish Granite Encounters of Canton, OH. The men began the company as a part-time operation, and worked out of a small shop with little machinery. Today, the company’s 15,000-square-foot facility has the capability to produce an average of 10 kitchens per week, in addition to work for smaller projects.

Located in Sheridan, WY, just south of the Wyoming/Montana border, Big Horn Granite and Marble, a high-end fabricator and installer of natural stone and engineered stone, was founded by Kyle Williams in 2001. With the shop’s latest edition of a Komo Summit CNC stoneworking center, production has continued to flourish and help keep the company at the forefront of its competition.

The six-story Radisson Lackawanna Station Hotel, an historic landmark located in Scranton, PA, recently underwent a multi-million dollar renovation to honor the past while also giving the hotel an inviting, yet timeless appeal. The redesign included the addition of granite flooring and countertops -- which were fabricated in India -- in guest rooms as well as for private and public restrooms throughout the hotel. Hindustan Granites, Inc. of Hauppauge, NY, supplied over 20,000 square feet of various types of granite for the project.

The Harbor Boulevard Parkway, part of a much larger revitalization project that spans many miles and hundreds of acres along the Port of Los Angeles in California, was recently renovated using a variety of natural stone. A granite band winds along the ¾-mile-long path punctuated by solid red granite benches and “story ropes” - and the material was supplied by Cold Spring Granite of Cold Spring, MN.

The Cannon Chapel Memorial Garden at the University of Richmond in Virginia, serves as a columbarium space, a worship garden and a formal gathering area for weddings, funerals and other special events - all uses that the client felt were needed within close proximity to the chapel. Higgins & Gerstenmaier, the landscape architects for the project, met with the University in 1998 to begin the master plan to transform the space that formerly served as an entrance to the chapel. To add contrast to the adjacent brick-faced chapel, slate paving was utilized in the garden area, as well as granite and limestone features.

Hirsch Bedner Associates (HBA) recently completed a $70 million renovation at the Newport Beach Marriott Hotel & Spa in Newport Beach, CA. Calvin Dix, a senior associate with the firm, was in charge of the design and selected a palette of earth-toned colors to enhance the surrounding coastal setting, and quartzite was utilized as flooring throughout most of the public spaces.

Stone Interiors of Gaston, SC, recently served as the stone consultant for an extensive renovation of the bar area of Milano’s Restaurant in White Rock, SC. Susan Cowan of Susan-Interior Design of Sautee Nacoochee, GA, was responsible for the design, which included the use of over 200 square feet of granite for bar tops as well as a fireplace surround, and travertine was also mixed into the design to add flair and interest to the space.