VOLUME 14 / ISSUE 3 • QUARTER 3, 2021 • SINGLE ISSUE $14.95
Smart Solutions for Fabricators Software, tech and digital strategies that can take your shop to the next level
THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE INTERNATIONAL SURFACE FABRICATORS ASSOCIATION
ISFA Member since 2016
CREDITS Editor: Sarah Peiper Contributors: Reuben Hochstetler Bill Moore Frank Sciarrino Dan Peter Katherine Gifford Ted Janusz Nancy Busch Steve Mast Proofreader: Marsha Jo Scott Design: V2 Marketing & Management Printing and Distribution: LSC Communications ABOUT THIS MAGAZINE Countertops & Architectural Surfaces (ISSN 2372-983X) is published quarterly by the International Surface Fabricators Association (ISFA), with a fifth edition, a Buyers Guide, publishing in October. Individual copies of Countertops & Architectural Surfaces magazine are available at the nonmember newsstand price of $14.95. Countertops & Architectural Surfaces magazine is also available by annual subscription (five issues) for $30.00. ISFA members receive a complimentary annual subscription with every membership renewal. Special rates and charges apply for orders outside of the United States. To subscribe, call (888) 599-ISFA. For change of address, please include old label with new information, including both old and new ZIP codes. Allow 3-6 weeks for address change to take effect. Countertops & Architectural Surfaces magazine is proudly printed in the United States of America. Copyright © International Surface Fabricators Association 2021. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reprinted or otherwise reproduced without the publisher’s written consent. Countertops & Architectural Surfaces magazine and the International Surface Fabricators Association assume no responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts or photographs. Materials will be returned only if accompanied by a stamped, self-addressed envelope. Opinions expressed by contributors in this magazine are not necessarily the opinions of Countertops & Architectural Surfaces magazine or the International Surface Fabricators Association, but rather those of the individual writers.
4 • Vol. 14 / Issue 3 • International Surface Fabricators Association
PHOTOGRAPHY Photos in this publication may not depict proper safety procedures for creative purposes. ISFA and Countertops & Architectural Surfaces magazine support the use of proper safety procedures in all cases and urge readers to take steps to institute such procedures. Photography/graphics provided by: Amy Kyriazis Andrews McMeel Syndication Better Vacuum Cups, Inc. Bill Moore Blanco Caragreen Carol Wilhite Chris Pappenfort Crystallyne Durasein Durat ETemplate Systems Fabricator’s Choice Frank Sciarrino GEM Industries Hampton Products International Corp. Kanani Camacho Karran Katherine Gifford Laminam
Laser Products Industries McDermott Top Shop Meganite Mico Fence Moraware MSI MYCON General Contractors, Inc. Nancy Busch Park Industries Prodim PWI Quote Countertops Samantha Winslow Slabsmith SPEEDlabel Staron Stephen Alberts Steve Mast The Construction Industry Roundtable Vicostone
POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: LSC Communications c/o Countertops & Architectural Surfaces magazine 3401 Heartland Drive Liberty, MO 64068
THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE INTERNATIONAL SURFACE FABRICATORS ASSOCIATION
CONTENTS
28
FEATURES 28 Software, Templating & Technology Spotlight Advancements in technology that aim to grow your business and streamline your workflow. 32 The Road to Profitability is Paved with Software Perfect the sales process, win more customers and
32
prevent costly mistakes with a digital solution.
34 ISFA Fabricator Profile: McDermott Top Shop For over 25 years, this Wisconsin fabricator has been providing a top-notch customer experience.
37 Four Qualities of an Excellent Manager Do you have what it takes to inspire and engage your team?
34
D EPARTMENTS 8 Editor’s Note 10 Calendar of Events 12 Industry News 16 Education Connection 39 Perspectives: Nancy Busch 40 ISFA News 43 ISFA Associate Member Directory 46 Platinum Sponsor Spotlight
37 COVER PHOTO Shaun Swainston of Multi-Surface Fabrications Ltd. uses the LT-2D3D Laser Templator by Laser Products Industries to digitally template and measure for new countertops in this residential kitchen. Photo Credit: Laser Products Industries and Laser Products Europe 6 • Vol. 14 / Issue 3 • International Surface Fabricators Association
47 Product News 50 Perspectives: Steve Mast Follow us on social media! @ISFAnow.org @ISFAnow @ISFAnow @ISFA
EDITOR'S NOTE
Work Smarter, Not Harder
THE ARGYLE SWEATER ©2013 Scott Hilburn. Dist. By ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION. Reprinted with permission. All rights reserved
My first job after college was as a production editor for a budding startup service that paginated pressready comics pages for newspapers all across the country. We would collect the content, which included hundreds of comic strips — Garfield, Peanuts, Doonesbury, Ziggy, Cathy, Dilbert — and other features such as puzzles, crosswords, horoscopes and advice columns. Then we would format the content for the newspaper’s layout and design. It was all done on a computer, but much of it was still a manual process. Download the file, rename it, archive it on a server, place it on a page, copy, paste, format, save, upload. Rinse and repeat thousands of times. It was a lot of mouse clicks. For some of it, we used software that helped us automate how the comics were collected and placed on the pages. Everything else — the puzzles and columns — was still being formatted by hand. We were a small team of only a few people, and as our client list grew, so did the work. It begged the question: how do we make room for more? There are only so many hours in a day, and we didn’t have unlimited staffing capabilities. I had the energy in my 20s to work 12-hour days, but it wasn’t sustainable. We were a lean machine, but could we be leaner? I was fortunate to work under a tech-savvy, forward-thinking manager named David Ohman. He was perhaps the worst speller I ever met, but he sure knew his way around a computer. David started looking at ways to automate the pagination of puzzles and columns. I’ll spare you the details, but with some clever programming, he developed processes that cut our production time by more than 75%. No more copy/paste! Huzzah! It eliminated a lot of the possibility for human error, and as you can imagine, accuracy is essential in the newspaper business — even in the comics pages. It was a turning point for the company. “Work smarter, not harder!” he’d say with a wink and a smile. I’ll never forget it. Because of David, I have always appreciated technology and what it can do for us. I love solutions that make our work and lives easier, enable us to do more with our days, be more productive and grow our businesses. In this issue of Countertops & Architectural Surfaces, it’s all about working smarter, not harder. Business is booming across the construction industry, and there are all kinds of products and services out there that can help you improve the way you do business. Our software spotlight (page 28) offers a dozen different solutions that can streamline and simplify the way you work. There’s a great introduction to digital marketing (page 23), digital templating (page 25) and a piece on employing technology as a way to drive profitability (page 32). Even ISFA’s president, Steve Mast, has a perspective on what it can mean to your business if you accept the challenge of finding better ways to do things (page 50). A few weeks ago, I bought one of those little robot vacuums, a Roomba, to help me keep up with the chores at home. Our German shepherd, Cora, is quite a shedder no matter how much I brush out her coat. Typically, I am vacuuming the house every other day. This little robot is something else. As I write this, it’s scooting around the house, getting into all the spots I can’t reach with my upright vacuum. It picks up everything! While it is indeed saving me the chore of doing the vacuuming myself, it remains to be seen how much time it will save me since I end up just staring at it as it rolls along — mesmerized — watching while it works. Technology is amazing.
8 • Vol. 14 / Issue 3 • International Surface Fabricators Association
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
2021
ISFA Virtual Shop Tours (held monthly) Sponsored by Park Industries TBD SHOP Online September 8, 1-2 p.m. ET 888-599-ISFA www.ISFAnow.org Global Health and Wellness Summit September 9 Online www.greenbuildexpo.com (866) 815-9824 POLYCON September 13-15 Salt Lake City www.polyconevent.com
Greenbuild International Conference and Expo September 21-23 San Diego, Calif. www.informaconnect.com/ greenbuild Colorado Stone Summit: Key Pulse Points September 23 Aurora, Colo. www.naturalstone institute.org (440) 250-9222
ISFA Mixer (last Thursday of every month) Online September 30, 7 p.m. ET 888-599-ISFA www.ISFAnow.org
The International Exhibition of Ceramic Tile and Bathroom Furnishings (Cersaie) September 27-October 1 Bologna, Italy (39 05) 3681-8111 www.cersaie.it
NeoCon October 4-6 Chicago 312-527-7583 www.neocon.com
Marmomac 2021 September 29-October 2 Verona, Italy (39 04) 5829-8561 www.marmomac.com
ISFA Virtual Shop Tours (held monthly) Sponsored by Park Industries TBD SHOP Online October 6, 1-2 p.m. ET 888-599-ISFA www.ISFAnow.org ISFA Annual Conference & Meeting Sponsored by GranQuartz, Park Industries, Infinity Surface, Crossville and Integra Adhesives October 18-20 Rancho de los Caballeros Wickenburg, Ariz. 888-599-ISFA www.ISFAnow.org Arizona Stone Summit: Stone Shop Management October 21 Tempe, Ariz. www.naturalstone institute.org (440) 250-9222
Stone Fabricators Alliance Tradeshow October 27-30 Rio Grande, Puerto Rico www.stonefabricators alliance.com ISFA Mixer (last Thursday of every month) Online October 28, 7 p.m. ET 888-599-ISFA www.ISFAnow.org Woodworking Machinery & Supply Conference and Expo (WMS) November 4-6 Mississauga, ON Canada 319-389-3352 www.woodworkingnetwork. com/events/woodworkingmachinery-supplyconference-and-expo Texas Stone Summit: 12 Business Axioms November 18 Austin, Texas www.naturalstone institute.org (440) 250-9222 The International Contemporary Furniture Fair November 14-15 New York, N.Y. www.icff.com North Carolina Stone Summit: Stone Shop Management December 9 Raleigh, N.C. www.naturalstone institute.org (440) 250-9222
Submit your event for consideration in Calendar of Events by emailing Editor Sarah Peiper, Sarah@ISFAnow.org.
10 • Vol. 14 / Issue 3 • International Surface Fabricators Association
IN THE INDUSTRY AEC Daily Announces Strategic Partnership with Material Bank AEC Daily, North America’s leading continuing
unique product SKUs on a single site, Material Bank
education provider for construction, architectural,
facilitates smart, sustainable sampling. The platform
interior design and engineering communities, and
is committed to working with AEC Daily to close
Material Bank, the world’s largest material
loops and advance automated methods to support all
marketplace, have announced a strategic partnership. The two companies will collaborate to connect product sample ordering on Material Bank, directly within AEC Daily’s Continuing Education Unit (CEU) platform. “Education is the cornerstone of the construction and design industry, and CEUs are a common entry point to brand and material discovery,” said Jeff Rice, president of AEC Daily. “This partnership with Material Bank will allow design professionals more efficient access to sample ordering.” AEC Daily offers complimentary continuing education courses 24 hours a day, seven days a week. In an industry where technologies are constantly
aspects of the material selection and specification process. “The easier we can make it for design professionals to discover, search and sample materials, the more we can streamline workflows for our brand partners, members, and the industry as a whole,” said Adam I. Sandow, founder and CEO, Material Bank. “We are proud to partner with AEC Daily to create greater efficiencies in the sampling process.” “Brands represented by AEC Daily and Material Bank will be able to leverage their investments in both tools by increasing exposure and access to their
advancing, design professionals rely on AEC Daily to
CEUs and their samples on multiple platforms,” said
maintain their accreditation and keep them updated
Rice. “This is truly a symbiotic partnership, which
with new products and innovations.
will benefit countless stakeholders in the architecture
With close to 400 brands and thousands of
and design community.”
The Construction Industry Round Table Elects New Chairman The Construction Industry Round Table (CIRT), a national business trade association comprised exclusively of approximately 120 chief executives from the leading design and construction companies doing business in the United States and globally, has elected Greg Cosko, president & CEO of Hathaway Dinwiddie Construction Company, 2021-2022 chair of the organization. He succeeds Wassim Selman, president of Infrastructure at Arcadis. Cosko was elected during CIRT’s Annual Spring Conference
in Washington, D.C., which also welcomed new directors. In welcoming the new Chairman, CIRT President Mark A. Casso, Esq., National Academy of Construction (NAC) noted, “Again this year CIRT is fortunate to be able to tap into the knowledge, skills and passions of another outstanding leader from the design and construction industry, such as Greg Cosko. Greg brings a unique perspective to the issues facing our community that make CIRT such a special organization.”
He could be looking at your ad right now.
888.599.ISFA 12 • Vol. 14 / Issue 3 • International Surface Fabricators Association
IN THE INDUSTRY U.S. Chamber Launches Nationwide Initiative to Address National Worker Shortage Crisis The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation has launched America Works, a new nationwide initiative mobilizing industry and government to swiftly address America’s deepening worker shortage crisis. “As we stand on the cusp of what could be a great American resurgence, a worker shortage is holding back job creators across the country,” U.S. Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Suzanne Clark said. “Together, we can and we must address our nation’s workforce challenges. When you lead the world in talent, you lead the world in solutions. With a highly skilled workforce, there’s nothing business cannot achieve and nothing we as a nation cannot do.” Through the initiative, the U.S. Chamber is advocating for — and rallying the business community to push for — federal and state policy changes that will help train more Americans for in-demand jobs, remove barriers to work, and double the number of visas available for legal immigrants. And the U.S. Chamber Foundation is expanding its most impactful employer-led workforce and job training programs and launching new efforts to connect employers to undiscovered talent. “This is Operation Warp Speed for Jobs,” Clark said. “We’re helping our members address the worker shortage by bringing the full strength of the Chamber’s advocacy muscle to this urgent crisis, expanding the Chamber Foundation’s most successful workforce programs, and mobilizing our nationwide federation of association and chamber partners to drive solutions that make America more competitive. “The worker shortage is real — and it’s getting worse by the day,” Clark continued. “American businesses of every size, across every industry, in every state are reporting unprecedented challenges filling open jobs. The worker shortage is a national economic emergency, and it poses an imminent threat to our fragile recovery and America’s great resurgence.” As part of the America Works Initiative, the Chamber is bringing the full strength of its unmatched advocacy muscle to this urgent challenge, introducing
the America Works Agenda: a suite of legislative and regulatory solutions at the federal and state level that would eliminate barriers to work for Americans, invest in skills and job training, and reform America’s broken, outdated immigration system. Through the America Works Agenda, the U.S. Chamber is calling for: • Doubling the cap on employment-based visas, doubling the quota on H-1B and H-2B visas, and implementing other reforms to the legal immigration system to help employers meet demand for high-demand jobs in laborstrapped sectors. • Growing federal investments in employer-led job education and training programs. • Expanding access to child care for working parents. “We must arm workers with the skills they need, we must remove barriers that are keeping too many Americans on the sidelines, and we must recruit the very best from around the world to help fill highdemand jobs,” Clark said. “One solution or the other will not get the job done: Only by addressing all three challenges can we address our nation’s workforce challenges.” In June, the Chamber convened with thousands of business leaders representing every state to examine the workforce challenge, share solutions, rally support for the America Works Agenda, and flood inboxes and phone lines on Capitol Hill with calls for immediate legislative action. View the full America Works Agenda at www.uschamber.com/america-works-policyrecommendations-address-the-jobs-gap.
International Surface Fabricators Association • Vol. 14 / Issue 3 • 13
IN THE INDUSTRY Caesarstone Launches New CEU to Educate on Biophilic Design with Quartz Surfacing In response to the increased demand for outdoor design and living, Caesarstone introduced a new Hanley Wood University CEU course: “Responding to the Increased Demand for Outdoor Living Spaces with Innovative Outdoor Quartz Surfaces” to train architects, designers, landscapers and other industry professionals on how to use quartz in biophilic designs. It is available for free through Hanley Wood University, the trusted online continuing education powerhouse where thousands of architects, builders, contractors, designers, remodelers and other construction professionals go to fulfill their continuing education and professional training requirements. Additionally, many professional associations — including the American Institute of Architects (AIA), American Society of Interior Designers (ASID), Interior Design Continuing Education Council (IDCEC), Interior Designers of Canada (IDC) and International Interior Designers Association (IIDA) – have approved it for members to receive continuing education credit upon completion. “The trend towards outdoor living and designing in residential spaces was already on the rise before the COVID pandemic,” said Elizabeth Margles, vice president of marketing for Caesarstone North
America. “And, as one of the first manufacturers to offer outdoor quartz surfacing products, we recognized the need to teach the industry how and why to use quartz over other materials.” The course explores why outdoor living spaces have become more popular over the past decade, including during the COVID-19 pandemic, and explores different design considerations for outdoor living spaces while showing how quartz can be used. It evaluates the sustainability properties and design options of outdoor quartz and provides a case study as an example. Upon completion, architects and designers will also understand performance measures, installation and maintenance guidelines for quartz surfaces in outdoor environments. “As required for all CEUs, the course doesn’t mention the Caesarstone brand or products specifically, but rather addresses how and why professionals can and should use the material in outdoor projects,” Margles added. “What they’ll learn is that it’s perfect for any surface including countertops and backsplashes in an outdoor kitchen, outdoor dining furniture, poolside bars, decorative water features and so much more.” To register and complete the course, visit www.hanleywooduniversity.com.
MYCON General Contractors, Inc. Names Malynda Dickinson, CPA, CCIFP, as Chief Financial Officer MYCON General Contractors, Inc. announced the appointment of Malynda Dickinson, CPA, CCIFP as the company’s new chief financial officer (CFO), according to Charles R. Myers, MYCON’s president and chief executive officer. “We are very excited to have Dickinson on board to lead us,” said Myers. “Dickinson’s success and experience as a CFO, her financial expertise, and her outstanding leadership qualities will be an invaluable addition to the MYCON team.” Dickinson comes to MYCON with 15 years of financial and executive leadership experience. As MYCON’s CFO, Dickinson will be
responsible for the firm’s financial management and accounting functions and directing the activities of the human resources department and information technology department. Additionally, Dickinson will manage the firm’s surety and insurance programs and provide guidance and direction for the company’s risk management program. Dickinson earned two master’s degrees (accounting and business administration) from The University of Arizona. She holds a professional certification as a CCIFP (Certified Construction Industry Financial Professional) and CPA (Certified Public Accountant).
IN THE INDUSTRY New Service Predicts Resin Usage to Optimize Plant Operations Predicting resin usage in a specific plant can be time consuming, difficult and inaccurate. A technology solution from Georgia-Pacific Chemicals (GPC), Customer Inventory Tracking (CIT), now tracks resin inventory and displays it via a web-based dashboard. The data is then used by GPC customers to optimize order profiles. Based on previous two-week or 24-hour usage, the system can suggest canceling, moving or placing additional orders as needed for optimal efficiency. CIT works by utilizing the mill’s current digital level monitoring of its resin tanks. Data from the system is sent to Georgia-Pacific Chemicals where the data is transformed, based on that mill’s unique operations, into a dashboard that can be accessed on either desktop or mobile devices and only by designated personnel. The system even allows scheduling upcoming downtime so orders can be adjusted accordingly far
in advance of the downtime. The Customer Inventory Tracking service, using data as recently as the last hour, can predict further out than the standard 12 days shown on the dashboard. Optional features of the Customer Inventory Tracking System from GPC include email alerts for order cancellation, tank cycling, projected inventory going below minimum or to zero, or a bad tank sensor. The service can help a plant to reduce working capital, downtime, quality issues related to tank rotation, and costs related to rushed and/or canceled orders. “The Customer Inventory Tracking service can be managed collaboratively or solely by Georgia-Pacific Chemicals,” said Jason Halmo, project manager. “Some customers might want us to handle the process entirely so they can concentrate on making product and growing their business.” For more information on customer inventory tracking, visit www.gp-chemicals .com/trucking.
International Surface Fabricators Association • Vol. 14 / Issue 3 • 15
EDUCATION CONNECTION
Stair Supplies uses this workstation crane in their glass plant.
Improve Workplace Safety and Productivity with Overhead Cranes By Paul Hershberger When most people think of a crane, they think of the giant cranes used to build skyscrapers or other tall structures. But have you considered that cranes can help lift heavy objects inside a building? These types of cranes are called overhead cranes. They’re used in many industries to move heavy loads safely and efficiently. Many manufacturers and fabricators have a workspace that is holding back production. Overhead cranes can transform any workspace by improving efficiency and reducing worker fatigue. While there is an initial investment upfront, an overhead crane will help your company save costs in the long run and increase profitability. So how do overhead cranes promote workplace safety without hindering productivity? Overhead cranes are an efficient way of moving
the bridge. This hoist is the muscle and does all the heavy lifting. Overhead cranes can often lift .25 to 2 tons, so you’ll be able to move heavy loads with ease. For fabricators, it means they can easily move slabs and other heavy materials. Moving heavy material in the shop takes a lot of manpower. It’s manual labor that adds to worker fatigue and downtime in production. Workers’ safety is put at risk by having to carry loads by hand or use a forklift, and forklift accidents are all too common. Regardless, a forklift doesn’t carry loads as steadily and safely as an overhead crane, and it can take a lot of time to navigate a forklift from one area to another in a busy shop. It often takes two men and a forklift to do the work of a single workstation crane. Overhead cranes require one operator, thus reducing the required manpower. Cranes can be
heavy objects from one area in a workplace to
operated remotely with a wireless radio control,
another. They are made up of a bridge that spans
making it easy to lift a heavy load with the push of a
the work area, and a hoist that travels the length of
button. Workers won’t have to hunt down a forklift;
16 • Vol. 14 / Issue 3 • International Surface Fabricators Association
EDUCATION CONNECTION
J.R.’s Metal uses a workstation crane for a specific process. This process is using a vacuum lifter to lift and move metal sheets onto a machine to be cut.
lightweight and economical option and can be installed in any workspace. These types usually they can just pick up a radio and get to work. While only powered cranes can be controlled with
handle fast, lightweight materials. 3. Jib cranes: This option makes it easy to hand
a radio, most overhead crane manufacturers have
off materials from one workstation to another
this option.
because they rotate 360 degrees.
Many fabricators see the value in the
4. Gantry cranes: This type of crane is smaller
investment of an overhead crane. Most overhead
and usually moves on wheels. It allows you to
cranes are more affordable than you might think.
physically move the crane to different work areas.
It is an upfront investment that will save you
Overhead cranes can cover a single workstation
costs down the road. A 10-by-15-foot, half-ton
or several workstations, allowing loads to easily
workstation crane costs less than $8,000 while a
move from one area to another. You can add
new forklift could cost two to three times more.
multiple bridges or hoists, so your workspace
While a forklift will need to be replaced after
will be configured to maximize productivity.
10,000 to 12,000 hours, an overhead crane will
There are specific attachments that can be added
not need to be replaced if proper inspections and
to customize based on the task. One crane
maintenance are performed. Annual inspections
attachment, the horizontal slab lifter, has two jaws
for some cranes can cost as little as $200 per year.
that clamp down on a slab. The attachment allows
“Our operators love the ease of use [of a workstation crane] and the enclosed festoon system is pretty great as well,” says Paul Jochim, a
for easy lifting of a slab so fabricators can move it to the next production area. You can also get a crane system as an
plant manager for a piping solution company. “The
assembly kit that you can install yourself, and
columns are very substantial compared to other
you can be up and running in as little as two
systems that we’ve bought.”
days’ time. A typical assembly kit includes
Overhead cranes come in several different
four column posts, two runway beams, a
types so you will be able to get the appropriate one
rolling bridge, a hoist, a trolley, and electrical
for your workspace. Motorized cranes are more
components (if motorized). Cranes are typically
expensive than manually operated cranes and
mounted onto a concrete floor. A crane
depending on the workspace, the manual crane
manufacturer will work with you to provide
may be the better option.
drawings to ensure that your crane will fit in
1. Bridge cranes: These are the most typical overhead cranes for material handling needs. They consist of a bridge that is supported by a runway. 2. Workstation cranes: These are the most
Paul Hershberger is the Vice President of Sales for PWI. PWI has over 40 years of experience building overhead cranes that promote workplace safety and efficiency. For more information on how PWI can help you employ overhead cranes in your workflow, contact info@pwiworks.com or visit pwiworks.com.
your space. When it comes to looking at efficiencies and profitability, an overhead crane could be just the thing that takes your shop to the next level.
C
International Surface Fabricators Association • Vol. 14 / Issue 3 • 17
18 • Vol. 14 / Issue 3 • International Surface Fabricators Association
EDUCATION CONNECTION
RANSOMWARE AND CYBERATTACKS:
Get Your Business Out of the Crosshairs By Sarah Peiper & Bill Moore If you’ve been keeping up in the news lately, you may have
that encrypts the victim’s data or prevents access to IT
noticed an alarming trend in cyberattacks. Malicious groups
infrastructure. Victims receive a decryption key after
that used to target large corporations like Target, Experian,
paying a ransom, which restores access to impacted data.
Blue Cross Blue Shield, Honda and others are now turning
Unfortunately, once a victim is infected with ransomware, it’s
their focus to small businesses. In early July, hackers targeted
often impossible to restore access without a decryption key
hundreds of businesses around the world who had one thing
unless there is an error in the malware code. There were more
in common: They were all connected to a remote management
than 65,000 successful ransomware attacks last year, and there
software tool called VSA. Requesting over $70 million in
is a new attack every eight minutes, making ransomware a real
bitcoin in exchange for a decryption tool, hackers brought
problem for companies of every size in every sector.
networks of over 1,000 businesses — restaurants, dentist offices, small accounting firms — to their knees. And in case you’re not convinced it could happen to you, in late June, McDermott Top Shop, a fabricator in Wisconsin, was the target of such an attack. It crept in through their IT support network and crippled most of their operating systems. It was able to lock up their servers and get to all of their onsite backups. They couldn’t fabricate for a week. Eventually they were able to restore their systems using offsite backups, but it didn’t happen overnight and not without a lot of stress, lawyers and cyber insurance coverage. We caught up with Bill Moore, an expert in information technology, for a look at what’s happening and how you can protect your business from ransomware and cyberattacks. C&AS: What is ransomware
and how does it affect systems? Bill: Ransomware is a specific type of malware
C&AS: What are the impacts of an attack? Bill: While ransomware isn’t a new phenomenon — the first ransomware attack took place in 1989 — the cost and consequences of an attack have increased considerably, especially in the past several years. In 2018, the average ransom payment was just $7,000. The next year it reached $41,000. Today, companies can expect to pay at least $200,000 to restore critical systems, and, as a veteran ransom negotiator recently explained, “The numbers in 2020 were really bad, but, at the end of 2020, everyone looked around and said, 2021 is going to be even worse.” To be sure, the FBI and many cybersecurity professionals discourage companies from paying a ransom, noting that it essentially serves as venture capital for threat actors, and it incentivizes continued bad behavior. However, rebuilding IT infrastructure from scratch can be even more expensive, putting victims in an impossible situation. International Surface Fabricators Association • Vol. 14 / Issue 3 • 19
EDUCATION CONNECTION At the same time, ransomware attacks come
practically, some companies still install antivirus
the expense. For starters, one survey found that
software and assume that they’ve secured their
25% of consumers will stop doing business with
company against cyber threats. This “install it and
a company after a cyberattack. The long-term
leave it” approach will not keep a company secure.
reputation damage and brand erosion are difficult to quantify, but as consumers become increasingly concerned with data security, it’s a meaningful metric. Most threat actors operate with a financial motivation, meaning they don’t discriminate between targeting major corporations, small businesses, or even nonprofits and aid organizations.
apathetic about their defense strategies. More
with significant opportunity costs that add to
And on a localized level, some companies are unable to work for days or weeks, diminishing productivity in ways that are impossible to recoup even after the systems are restored. C&AS: Why would hackers target small businesses?
Bill: Most threat actors operate with a
C&AS: What are some solutions that
you should have in place to protect your digital investment and your business? Bill: Today’s companies face an expansive threat landscape that’s even more complicated by remote workers and hybrid teams. In response, all businesses have several effective strategies to guard against a ransomware attack. A zero-trust framework operates under the assumption that organizations should not trust anything inside or outside their on-site security perimeter. Zero-
financial motivation, meaning they don’t
trust prioritizes authentication and granular
discriminate between targeting major
system authorization, ensuring that the right
corporations, small businesses, or even nonprofits
people are accessing company applications at the
and aid organizations. Recently, Colonial Pipeline
right time and in the right way. Adopting this
and JBS, a prominent oil and meat supplier
framework puts businesses on a firm defensive
respectively, were impacted by costly ransomware
foundation, but there are other steps they can and
attacks. However, nearly three-quarters of
should take.
ransomware attacks impact small and medium-
Notably, phishing scams increased
sized businesses or local utilities, schools and
considerably during the pandemic, and these
health care facilities. Small businesses often can’t
malicious messages are a prominent entry point
commit the same level of financial resources as
for ransomware attacks. While spam filters and
their corporate counterparts, creating potential
cybersecurity software can help detect phishing
vulnerabilities that threat actors are ready to exploit. These organizations are also less likely to invest in nontechnical measures, like employee awareness training, that can mitigate the risk of an effective ransomware attack. C&AS: What are some outdated practices that businesses are using that put them at risk?
Bill: Perhaps the most outdated practice
scams, businesses need to train their employees to identify and respond to these messages effectively, as some phishing scams will undoubtedly make their way into employees’ inboxes. In addition, several low-tech best practices can minimize the risk of a ransomware attack. Good digital hygiene is the right place to start. Ensure that software updates are installed as soon as possible. Outdated software can contain coding errors or vulnerabilities that threat actors are
is perspective. Many small businesses assume
ready to exploit. In addition, enabling two-factor
that they are too small to be the victim of a
authentication not only keeps account credentials
ransomware attack, which leads them to be
secure, but it also may be the single best measure
20 • Vol. 14 / Issue 3 • International Surface Fabricators Association
EDUCATION CONNECTION to significantly reduce the risk of a data breach. Taken together, businesses can develop layers of protection against a ransomware attack, decreasing the likelihood of a costly cybersecurity incident. C&AS: It sounds like this is an ongoing development. How do businesses mitigate risk and stay ahead of it? Bill: Cybersecurity in general and ransomware in particular are gaining a lot of attention right now. This is a good thing, and it will hopefully encourage more companies to take meaningful steps to secure their digital environment. However, businesses need to be mindful that an effective cybersecurity strategy isn’t a one-time decision. It’s an ongoing
priority that requires ongoing investment and vigilance to stay ahead of continually evolving threat trends. Cybersecurity can be a complicated and discouraging topic, and it often feels irrelevant until it’s too late. Businesses should know that they have the power to significantly enhance their defensive posture without making unfathomable financial investments. Cybersecurity and ransomware defense isn’t something that any company should leave up to chance, but it’s also not a problem too big to solve. Follow the steps above to begin the process, and seek support from trusted third parties when needed. C
Bill Moore is the CEO and founder, XONA, providers of a unique “zero trust” user access platform especially tailored for remote Operational Technology (OT) sites. Bill is currently working with global power generation and distribution customers to reduce their remote operations costs and cyber risks. Bill brings more than 20 years’ experience in security and the high-tech industry, including positions in sales, marketing, engineering and operations.
International Surface Fabricators Association • Vol. 14 / Issue 3 • 21
22 • Vol. 14 / Issue 3 • International Surface Fabricators Association
EDUCATION CONNECTION
DIGITAL MARKETING 101:
Capture Your Customers Online By Frank Sciarrino
In today’s marketplace, if you’re looking to grow your business
meaning does it dish a good user experience when users are on a
or even establish one, you can’t overlook the online opportunity.
mobile device? Remember, more than 60% of your traffic comes
Your website is an online showroom, open 24/7, and you must
from users on mobile. Web developers are continually improving
treat digital marketing with as much priority as the tools and
technologies and design, so it’s imperative your website is up to
equipment in your workshop. The internet is a busy place, riddled
date to ensure a rich user experience by your potential customers.
with queries and questions and potential customers. Every day,
It’s all about making a good impression. Spend the time to find
there are more than 63,000 searches per second on Google, five
out what it is that’s most important to them. Content is king,
billion YouTube videos viewed, 95 million Instagram photos
and a good website should include various surfaces you provide,
posted, and more than two-thirds of the population access the
images of recent installations, stories about helping customers
internet on a mobile device.
realize their dream project, and, of course, reviews.
The fact of the matter is, your potential customers are
And with a well-planned website comes a robust digital
shopping online first, investing their time to research materials,
marketing plan. When you’re seeking an agency or expert to build
designs, installers and more. If you’re not investing in digital
your site, be sure comprehensive digital marketing is among the
marketing, you may be missing out on that powerful digital
requirements. Here are some tactics to consider including in a
connection — the conversation starter that brings customers
digital marketing plan:
to your door. Your competitors are likely investing in digital
• SEO – Search Engine Optimization. It’s one thing to build
marketing and showing up first online when customers are
a website, but it’s an entirely different endeavor to ensure
searching. See for yourself; search “granite installer” or “quartz
potential customers find you when they’re searching online.
installer,” and what you’ll see in the search results will give you an indication of whether you’re ahead of or behind the competition. You’re an expert in countertop installation and growing your business with traditional methods, but you don’t need to be an expert at digital marketing to take your business online. There are agencies and freelance digital marketers specializing in your industry, and it’s not as expensive as you might think. In fact,
Search engines use bots to scan pages on the web, going from site to site, collecting information, and creating an index. Then algorithms analyze the index, taking into account hundreds of ranking factors or signals, to determine the order pages should appear in the search results for a given query. How your website resonates within this index is the key to ensuring your site is a top result when someone searches for a business
you’ll likely realize a return on investment relatively quickly. Here
like yours.
are a few pointers to get you heading in the right direction.
• SEM – Search Engine Marketing. Augmenting.
For starters, if your website hasn’t been redesigned in more
Augmenting SEO is paid search advertising based on specific
than three years, it’s outdated and overdue for a facelift. Your
search terms, like “best granite installer” or “quartz countertop
digital presence says a lot about you, and an outdated website
installer near me.” SEM is essential in getting your business
could be turning off your customers. Is your website responsive,
on the front page of google while you are using SEO to International Surface Fabricators Association • Vol. 14 / Issue 3 • 23
EDUCATION CONNECTION
Frank is a third-generation stone fabricator with over 20 years’ experience in the stone industry. Currently, Frank is a managing partner of Quote Countertops and president of Granite Gold Services, Inc. He regularly advises fabricators and marketing companies across the nation to help drive more sales through digital marketing strategy and technology.
organically rank. It’s the quickest way to get
also includes optimizing websites, landing
consumers to find your business when they
pages, emails and content for an optimal
are shopping for countertops online.
experience. Is your website responsive?
• Content. This might sound out of reach,
Remember, the majority of your customers
but it is so much easier than you think.
are searching for you on a mobile device. If
Content is pretty much telling stories about your business and expertise, whether in the form of blogs, pictures, videos, or all three — all using powerful keywords and frequent search terms. This content helps to convey the level of service you will provide to new customers. In addition to this content living
the user experience is clunky, they’re likely to move along to the next search result. • Social media marketing. Social media marketing is a key component of digital marketing. Platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, Tumblr,
on your website, it’s tied to your SEO strategy.
LinkedIn and even YouTube are great ways
Remember the scanning bots? The more
to reach your customers and build integrity
relevant content you give them to scan — the
for your business. Campaigns often combine
keywords and search terms — the better you
organic efforts with sponsored content and
will index.
paid advertising promotions.
• Customer reviews. You’re proud of the
• Email marketing. Email marketing is an
quality of your work, so ask customers to post reviews on your site or third-party sites like Yelp. Additionally, it’ll pay dividends to monitor review sites regularly and engage with customers on those platforms. Comment back and thank them for being
effective approach for sending personalized messages that target customers’ needs and interests. It’s a great way to stay top of mind with your consumers and keep them updated on any new products, services or special
great customers. It’s a feel-good opportunity
promotions.
that others will appreciate. And sure, some
• Web analytics. Analytics allow you to
reviews may not be as positive as you’d like,
track user activity. Capturing and analyzing
but how you respond publicly to those can
this data is important because it gives you
help you win new customers. It’s all about creating integrity in how you do business, that you are customer-focused, in good times and bad. Remember, customers are searching first online before making purchase decisions, and that includes checking out reviews. They want to know the character of the company they plan to welcome into their homes. • Mobile marketing. Mobile marketing is the promotion of products or services via mobile devices. Some examples
insights into online customer behavior and their preferences. Where did they come from? How did they find you? Which pages did they click on? How much time did they spend on your site? Where did they go after visiting your site? It’s powerful information that can help you understand what is working and what isn’t. The most widely used tool for analyzing website traffic is Google Analytics. Digital marketing isn’t a daunting task, but it’s a must-have tool in your arsenal to grow
include mobile advertising through text
your business. If you’re not investing in digital
messages or advertising in apps. However, a
marketing, you’re already losing out to your
comprehensive mobile marketing approach
competitors.
24 • Vol. 14 / Issue 3 • International Surface Fabricators Association
EDUCATION CONNECTION
Get in the Fast Lane with a Digital Templating Solution By Dan Peter, edited by Sarah Peiper Whether it’s the labor shortage, supply chain ramifications, capacity or operational costs, businesses face all kinds of uphill battles when it comes to creating growth opportunities or even just keeping up with demand. With advancements in technology, there are certainly a few ways you can make your operations more efficient, increase profitability and up your capacity by allowing you to complete more jobs per week or even expand your services. The emergence of digital templating and fabrication offers a host of solutions that can keep you ahead of the game. Increase Productivity The average kitchen (60 square feet) can take an hour or more to template by hand depending on the complexity of the job. With a digital templating system, you can template the same kitchen in about half the time. Create cut-ready digital files in the field, email them back to the shop and move on to your next job. Slick, right? Productivity soars and you’ve just solved for at least some of the labor shortage you may be facing. No need for ladders or scaffolding to access hard-to-reach areas. Point-andclick templating from a single location reduces operator fatigue
Tackle Complex Jobs with Ease With a digital templating solution, you can let the software solve complex problems for you. It makes it easy to template curves, arches and other complicated designs, as well as capture imperfections and contours of walls for accurate measurements and installs. Select from several DXF files of sinks, outlets and more to add to your template. You can even add new DXF files to build your library. If there is no DXF file available, template it digitally — no problem. Expand your business beyond countertops. Now you can template vertical or complex applications such as full-height backsplashes, fireplaces, windows, showers, balustrades, stairs and more. Streamline Your Workflow A lot of solutions will include the ability to create estimates, shop sheets, customer signoffs, contracts, saw pages, slab layouts and jobsite photos into one complete package that keeps all job
and risk of injury, too.
information together. Eliminate paperwork, filing systems and
Reduce Consumables
comprehensive dashboard.
There’s also a cost savings to be had. Manual templating requires an ongoing budget on materials such as luan, coraplast, glue, staples and more. A digital solution will help you template,
other outdated processes and stay on top of the job with one
Making the Leap to Digital You’re interested, but where do you start? Digital templating
fabricate and install correctly the first time (no remakes!) without
is the first step in the transition to becoming a fully digital
the need for a lot of these materials. And let’s not forget the
shop, but it doesn’t have to be intimidating. While there is
sustainability we’re all looking to achieve — this means less waste
an investment to be made when going digital, the increased
for the landfill, too. You can reduce gas consumption, emissions
revenue and operational cost savings provide a quick return on
and your overall carbon footprint with the use of smaller, more
investment. Often providers will offer flexible financing options,
fuel-efficient cars due to the compact design of digital templating
so the investment can be affordable.
systems and the elimination of cumbersome physical templates.
There’s an entry point to a digital workflow for every kind of International Surface Fabricators Association • Vol. 14 / Issue 3 • 25
EDUCATION CONNECTION countertop template. Need to do a full height backsplash? Switch to a vertical plane and template the walls, no problem. • Sinks and seams are a no-brainer. Remember the centerlines you added? Select the sink from a drop-in library or include a custom sink. Tap on those centerlines to add them. You can also add and identify seam locations. • Separate seams made easy. Begin file prep for fabrication by separating the sections that will need to be fabricated. Sections will be separated by seam location along with the sections that were templated individually. • Slab layout is a snap. With the separated sections, you can shop. All it takes is a first step: an open mind on how you might do things differently and the promise of how your business can benefit from the transition. Because once you have a digital templating system in place, you’ll wonder why you didn’t make the leap sooner. The good news is you don’t have to make an entire sweep of change all at once. You can transition to digital at your own pace. For example, you can start by combining with a vinyl plotter as a first step to becoming more efficient and profitable at templating before going fully digital. Some software will allow you to import
use the slab layout function to lay out and move each piece on a virtual slab for optimal slab usage. Just enter the slab size into the program and lay out the sections. • Shop sheet and dimensions at the touch of a button. Easily pull up dimensions and square footage (segmented by type) for reference and estimates. • Cross-functionality with CNC saws, yes please. If you have a CNC or are looking to purchase one, create a saw page that can output fabrication-ready files. With a fully digital operation, you can import your templated file into your CNC and let it do the
your templated file into the plotter and print out a vinyl template
rest.
to arrange on a slab for manual fabrication. Mastering this part
• Generate estimates on the fly. Since it’s all customizable,
of the process makes the transition to a full digital process with a
estimates are based on your pricing structure, so everything is
CNC easier.
automatically calculated as you template.
What does the digital templating process look like? Here are some points of interest that just might convince you to make the transition:
• Go paperless. Estimates, photos, signoffs and email are at your fingertips. Take job site photos and include them with the template files, estimates and customer signoffs in one
• Existing cabinets or countertops do not have to be cleared
comprehensive file and email it back to the shop for fabrication.
or removed. Just set up your laser, select your line color, then
Going digital doesn’t have to be a daunting move, from both
point and shoot the cabinets. Use the auto-fillet feature to automatically connect corners as you shoot. • Switch your line color to template walls and centerlines. Scribe walls to capture imperfections or intricate wall designs
a technical and fiscal perspective. The same fundamentals and experience from manual templating still apply with digital; they’re just executed in a different and more efficient way. With continued labor challenges, rising material costs, and high
for accurate installation. Add centerline locations for sinks and
level of construction and remodeling activity, the evolution of your
other items, too.
company to digital can help you grow and sustain your business
• Calculate for overhangs, edge profiles and backsplashes
now and down the road.
with ease. What edge profile and how much overhang does the customer want? What height does the backsplash need to be? Enter the information into the program, including multiple profiles, and simply tap the corresponding sides to add to the 26 • Vol. 14 / Issue 3 • International Surface Fabricators Association
Dan Peter is a senior marketing manager for Laser Products Industries, and he can be reached at dpeter@laserproductsus.com. For more information on how you can make the switch to digital, visit www.laserproductsus.com.
International Surface Fabricators Association • Vol. 14 / Issue 3 • 27
SOFTWARE,TEMPLATING & TECHNOLOGY SPOTLIGHT presence in order to turn website visitors into customers. Not a digital marketing expert? No worries. It’s a lot of work and it can be overwhelming. Countertop Marketing Co. has extensive marketing plans that handle everything so you don’t have to. They’ll communicate with you each week to provide progress updates and more. It’s an in-house marketing team feel that will help you grow your business, leaving you to focus on your customers. For more information, visit www.countertopmarketingco.com.
CounterGo by Moraware
ETemplate Systems Featuring ELaser Xpress Templating
Moraware is a SaaS company that designs and supports industry-leading software for countertop fabricators. CounterGo is a straightforward drawing and estimating solution that allows fabricators to become more efficient, accurate and professional. Systemize, our scheduling and job management solution, gives countertop fabricators the tools to streamline and organize job information. Since 2002, Moraware has helped countertop fabricators take their ineffective, multistep processes and streamline them so that selling, scheduling and communication are fast and easy. Today, Moraware has over 14,000 users in more than 2000 shops creating over 30,000 quotes and 30,000 jobs a week. Learn more about taking your countertop shop to the next level at www.moraware.com.
Countertop Marketing Company Formerly known as Hey Remodelers, the Countertop Marketing Co. has helped countertop companies land more jobs from Google, Facebook, Instagram and anywhere
ETemplate Systems, the experts in digital measuring, are the makers of the ELaser Xpress Templating System. Powered by award-winning ETemplate Measure Manager software, templates are faster and easier, and the software provides seamless compatibility with all CNC machinery. The ELaser Xpress system features auto-start software, an industry-best, three-year warranty, enhanced speed averaging one second per point, accuracy of 1mm for a standard-size space, horizontal
your potential customers might find you
and vertical fine adjustment knobs, digital leveling, hand-held
online. It all starts with your website. Your
remote, rechargeable batteries with charger, and compact
countertop company needs a solid online 28 • Vol. 14 / Issue 3 • International Surface Fabricators Association
design with rugged case coming in at a very portable 13 lbs.!
These enhancements, along with automated countertop functions and new manual design updates within Measure
PHOTOTOP 5 by Fabricator’s Choice
Manager allow the user to create templates much faster than ever before. Set up, shoot your points, press enter and you’re done! For more information, visit www.etemplatesystem.com.
Hot Sauce Selling Software Every day, you are introduced to upgrades and options, whether you are being asked to supersize your meal, get a wheel shine with your car wash or purchase the extended warranty on your TV. These offerings, called “Hot Sauce,” can enhance your purchase. The same holds true for countertops. Hot Sauce will dramatically improve your profitability with the most immediate earnings boost you can do for your company. The Hot Sauce selling software provides content, pictures and pricing so that every customer-facing employee will now become a salesperson. And, yes, it is that easy. In fact, field measurers will sell 50% of the Hot Sauce to your customers. Visit www.hotsauceyourtops.com to learn more about this powerful selling tool and why over 500 users are making more money every day.
PHOTOTOP 5 from Fabricator’s Choice just keeps getting better with added power capabilities. Functionalities include Auto-Create Miter Strips, Auto-Create Lamination, Auto Dimension On PDF Output and more. PHOTOTOP makes templating fast, accurate and the program is easy to use. Professional training and online support are available. Digitally integrate templating with office inventory and job management systems, as well as shop equipment. Additional software licenses are not required to expand PHOTOTOP 5 to
LT-2D3D Laser Templator by LPI
additional templaters. Simply order additional ORGANIZE Field The LT-2D3D
Kits, which include a laptop, camera and markers. The exclusive
Laser Templator
Organize On-site Tool provides immediate on-site confirmation
is designed to
and file delivery of the most highly detailed digital templates in
be extremely
the business. PHOTOTOP users enjoy constant upgrade options
intuitive — CAD
due to our ongoing R&D developments. For more information,
experience is not
visit www.fabchoice.com.
required. The same fundamentals and experience from manual templating
Proliner by Prodim Countertops,
still apply in a
backsplashes,
digital approach,
bathrooms, stairs
but they’re executed in a different and more efficient way
and more. All these
allowing you to complete more jobs per week or even expand
beautiful things
your services. Quickly shoot any horizontal and vertical job, and
begin with an accurate
then finish your file with overhangs, edge and corner profiles,
measurement. With the
sink and appliance cutouts, backsplashes and much more all
Proliner measuring tool
on-site. Send job site photos, estimates, customer signoffs and
you create accurate, detailed
even CNC-ready files back to the shop directly from the job site
digital templates in a matter of minutes. Measurements can be
to expedite the process. For more information, visit
reviewed and changed on-site and exported as ready-to-use
www.laserproductsus.com.
production files for CNC machines. Specialized Prodim Factory International Surface Fabricators Association • Vol. 14 / Issue 3 • 29
software enables stone shops to manage, digitize and improve their daily business processes. The latest improvements enable users to design their projects while making use of views in 2D and 3D. The software will help prevent mistakes beforehand by alerting the operator when problems occur, like the collision of solids. This allows for eliminating all uncertainty before installment. Measurements can be reviewed and changed on-site and exported as ready-to-use production files for CNC machines. Specialized software packages enable stone shops to manage, digitize and improve their daily business processes. Connect field, office and production using only one platform. For more information, visit www.prodim-systems.com.
Quotes can be printed alongside the drawings on a single page, exported to a number of different formats such as PDF, and transferred directly to QuickBooks. The built-in schedule provides a place to keep track of everything from fabrication to installation, and the internal slab inventory lets users lay out the parts on the slabs for more accurate material counts. For more information and a free trial of QuickQuote, visit quickquotecountertops.com.
QuickQuote by Crystallyne QuickQuote Countertop Software from Crystallyne makes quoting, drawing, scheduling and laying out countertops easier and faster than ever. It features a uniquely intuitive interface that creates a fully-labeled scale drawing side by side with every quote. Its flexible pricing system offers multiple pricing methods so virtually any material can be quoted, and it provides the option to customize items and services to fit a particular business.
Quote Countertops Quote Countertops is a web-based visualization and instant quoting software that reshapes how consumers shop and buy kitchen and bathroom renovation projects. This sales and marketing software generates and captures consumer leads and transforms a company’s online presence into a 24/7 e-commerce platform by putting the power of design, visualization, online shopping and instant quoting into the hands of consumers. The software can also transform the current sales process to reduce time and increase efficiency. The software is fully customizable, with nothing to download or install. It is accessible by all devices and screens, and is easily integrated into traditional and digital marketing promotions and social media platforms. For more information, visit www.quotecountertops.com/landing-quoting-tool.
SIDE-SHOT by Park Industries The SIDE-SHOT Digital Slab Station by Park Industries provides fabricators the tool to capture slab images right at the machine with an extremely small footprint requirement. The SIDE-SHOT incorporates Slabsmith Lite software for vein matching and 3D rendering. The equipment allows the user to capture high dimensional accuracy of digital slabs, view a veinmatched project preview before cutting the material (up to two slabs), and uses common line cutting to optimize material yield with the ability to communicate with multiple cameras (great for 30 • Vol. 14 / Issue 3 • International Surface Fabricators Association
twin table machines). An upgrade to the full Slabsmith Basic Bundle is available at any time. For more information, visit www.parkindustries.com. Slabsmith Slabsmith produces digitized slabs that are highly accurate and detailed through proprietary calibration techniques. The digital slabs are true to life in both color and dimension, and they contain all of the relevant properties of the original slab that was photographed. The digital slabs are inventoried and are used to create 3D visual layouts for customers. When a digital slab is created it is immediately saved into Slabsmith’s SQL database. It provides the ability for anyone in a company to easily locate and view the slabs in inventory based on any of the properties of the slab. Layout tools allow for easy optimization for aesthetics or yield. The Perfect Match layout module provides tools that are customized for the specific needs of users to efficiently lay out countertops. For more information, visit www.slabsmith.com. SPEEDlabel Since 2017, SPEEDlabel has changed the way many fabricators label their jobs. It can be used with hand drawings or CAD files, and it works automatically with most countertop software. The labels are waterproof and tearproof, and they come off easily at install. There are customized label designs to choose from including top, bottom and edge formats. SPEEDlabel eliminates the need to handwrite on your pieces and ensures no parts are left behind. SPEEDlabel provides a quick understanding of the status of every part in the shop and helps ensure entire jobs are kept together. It can even help you become paperless in the shop as all you really need are the labels. It takes about one hour to implement the process. SPEEDlabel is developed by fabricators to help other fabricators streamline processes. For more information, visit www.speedlabel.net. International Surface Fabricators Association • Vol. 14 / Issue 3 • 31
The Road to Profitability is Paved With Software By Katherine Gifford We’ve learned over the years that fabricators are some of the most creative and resourceful people, and they’re definitely no strangers to hard work and quick thinking. However, the only way to manage growth and reduce the overwhelming stress that comes with fabricating fragile materials is to work smarter, not harder. Any successful fabricator will tell you that you need trackable processes in your shop for all parts of your business. This is the only way you can truly look at your business, see where improvements can be made, and get better results. The best place to start is at the beginning of your customer’s experience with you. The way you quote a job sets the tone. A seamless and professional experience will lead to a happy customer, which in turn leads to more sales, referrals and repeat business. Plus, it will naturally reduce those expensive mistakes that can happen as a result of disorganization. It means more money in your pocket all around! Increase Your Professionalism I’m sure you’ve heard that you never get a second chance to make a first impression. Before you roll your eyes, admit that it’s true! Homeowners are most likely shopping around for their new countertops. If your competitors have a professional quoting process in place, and you are sending them a text message with just an amount, it’s almost a guarantee that the customer will choose your competitor even if they cost more. At least, the type of customers that you want will make that choice. Customers who choose based on the lowest price will never bring you the profit and growth that lead to financial freedom. 32 • Vol. 14 / Issue 3 • International Surface Fabricators Association
Your first impression can be your website, social media, a phone call or your showroom. Your team should be trained in customer service, pricing, ongoing promotions and materials. If a homeowner visits your website and then calls in, would the information being provided be consistent no matter who they talk to? Buying countertops is expensive and can be nervewracking for your customers because they aren’t the experts. But you are! Educate the customer throughout every channel to help them understand what to expect during their purchase. This kind of consistency and transparent communication leads to trust, which leads to higher sales. An easy way to increase your professionalism is to update the way you deliver quotes. Whether you use a Word template or professional software, make sure it has your logo and company information at the top. You’ll want to include just enough of a breakdown of your pricing to help your customer understand the cost, but not too much that they can take it to your competitors. Including some sort of visualization of the countertop never fails to impress as well. Empower Your Sales Team Give your employees the tools they need to do a great job. In this case, making sure you provide team members a way to sell countertops independently is the key to better sales. If all the pricing is in your head, then you are the bottleneck to your own growth. Documenting a process for estimating a job might seem like more work upfront, but it will save you an incredible amount of time in the long run. Taking all the knowledge that lives in your head and making it into a repeatable process will stop everyone
project. Also, it should enable you to lay out your drawing onto slabs. This will help you correctly estimate how much material you will need. It will also work as a selling tool to educate your customer on veining and the need for a certain number of slabs. Basically, having your process customized in estimating software leaves no room for human error which means fewer mistakes and greater profits. Keep Improving Profitability Creating a sales process allows you to track success. Take the time to think about which data is going to be important. Then, you can create from tracking you down for answers. Aren’t you tired of being pulled in a hundred directions? Once you create a consistent pricing structure, you’ll be able to focus your time on other areas of your business that need improvement. It’ll be easy to trust your team to produce consistent, accurate and professional quotes because you established a repeatable process that works without you. The number one reason why fabricators seek
reports that give insights into what is working and what isn’t. By having this understanding of your business, you’ll know which levers to pull to increase your profits. That might mean keeping track of which material is selling the most or how much square feet you are selling every week. This will keep expectations realistic and error-free. For sales, it’s important to remember that it’s more than just tracking won or lost bids. It also
estimating software is usually about saving time.
matters who won or lost those bids and why. You
And that requires having more than one person do
can reward salespeople who are excelling, and
the quotes. Having one central place for pricing,
you can help those who are struggling. Or, if sales
customer information and quote templates will
are down across the board, then the right data
make it easy to train any new staff and get them up and running quickly. Prevent Expensive Mistakes When you’ve got a lot of bid requests coming in, it’s a blessing and a curse. On one hand, how exciting! More jobs, more money, more growth. On the other hand, there is more room for error when everything is rushed, and everyone is scrambling. Things start falling through the cracks and that is costing you too much money. Implementing software in your shop reduces
Katherine Gifford is a marketing coordinator for Moraware, one of the industry’s leading digital solutions for fabricators. Curious about whether or not software would benefit your shop? Check out Moraware’s free countertop quoting software ROI calculator at www.moraware.com/ QuotingSoftwareROI to get a quick estimate on how much time and money you could save. For more information about Moraware, visit www.moraware.com.
will help you understand why and what needs to change. Lastly, we love hearing how successful shops implement marketing strategies into their sales process. By tracking your outreach efforts, you’ll have fun seeing which promotion or channel is bringing you the most business. Many find social media or referral programs the best and easiest way to bring in more business. Just don’t forget to track the success of these efforts or else you’ll be spending unnecessary time on tactics that aren’t
those costly mistakes. Within your estimating
working. If you know what is working and what
process, software establishes your pricing, and it
is not, you’ll be able to focus your energy on the
automatically calculates pricing as you draw the
right marketing moves instead of guessing.
C
International Surface Fabricators Association • Vol. 14 / Issue 3 • 33
FABRICATOR PROFILE Completed in 2019, the McDermott Top Shop facility is a 65,000-square-foot fully customized fabrication outfit.
Ron started small, together with a couple of employees, doing laminate and Corian solid surface. It was a tiny facility in comparison to what he has now — a mere 1500 square feet. “It was exciting. As with starting any new business, there is always a level of uncertainty, but we believed in the opportunity,” recalled Ron. “Things moved quickly, and it has always been fast-paced and a lot of fun.” In 2019, McDermott Top Shop moved to a fully customized state-of-the-art facility that most only dream of. Alongside his son Travis McDermott, who
McDermott Top Shop
serves as operations manager, and a host of longtime
By Sarah Peiper
trying to coordinate running an efficient production
McDermott Top Shop, located about an hour west of Milwaukee in Jefferson, Wisconsin, was founded in 1995 by Ron McDermott. Ron was
employees, they built a new facility with safety, efficiency, comfort and future growth in mind. “It was our chance to get things right — to build the shop of our dreams,” said Travis. “And when you’re line with a great customer experience, there are all kinds of factors to keep in mind.” The new shop features additional crane
working in cabinetry and countertops when he
operations that limit the need for forklifts, a fully
noticed a need for countertops in the area, as most
climate-controlled environment that keeps materials
customers had to travel between Milwaukee or
and production lines protected from Wisconsin’s
Madison to source a fabricator. Identifying the
harsh winters, a full sprinkler system for safety, an
opportunity was the first step toward what is now
integrated dust collection system, water containment,
a bustling 65,000-square-foot operation with an
and an improved system flow for incoming material
additional service location in Appleton.
to fabrication to installation — a real streamlined
This apartment complex common area includes a custom club room kitchen featuring Haida Quartz by Wilsonart.
34 • Vol. 14 / Issue 3 • International Surface Fabricators Association
65 units in the Landmark apartment complex feature Babylon Gray Quartz from MSI.
FABRICATOR PROFILE
The McDermotts didn’t miss any details when it came to planning their production lines.
operation. And that’s just the fabrication side. The
to be more efficient and deliver
facility also includes a full kitchen for hosting events
a higher quality product to our
and parties, a beautiful showroom, training and
customers.”
meeting spaces as well as a large office area. The McDermotts focus is on residential work,
Since many customers don’t realize all the capabilities of a
which makes up about 90% of their business. As a
fabricator, McDermott Top Shop
wholesaler, the majority of their customers come
finds it imperative to review all
through K&B, builders and box stores. They cover
the options early in the planning
all of Wisconsin and parts of Iowa, Illinois and
stage, so they don’t reach the end of a project and
Michigan. Primarily working in granite, quartz, stone
realize they missed an opportunity. “We’ve always
and solid surface, they value the ability to provide
offered our customers upselling items like brackets,
customers with all kinds of options for their projects.
sinks, plumbing, upgraded edges and more,” clarified
Working with a variety of materials enables them
Travis. “It is a great way to add to the bottom line,
to go the extra mile with their customers — to offer
while getting the customers what they truly want.
solutions that their customers might not be aware of.
It’s a great way to showcase
McDermott Top Shop also offers plumbing solutions,
everything we can do. We’ve
custom brackets, removal services, sinks and more.
just recently started working
The drawback, of course, is having the space to stock
with the Hot Sauce app to
all that material and making sure they get the most
offer new upgrades and help
yield. The new space was definitely built with this in
track these upgrades, and we
mind; there is plenty of room to grow.
are really excited to get it in
On the stone production line, McDermott runs a state-of-the-art dual table BACA Robo SawJet, dual table Fusion by Park Industries, three Titan
Travis McDermott (far left) and Ron McDermott (fourth from the right) stand alongside some of McDermott Top Shop’s office staff in their company kitchen, which they use to host events and parties.
full operation to improve our upselling game.” As with most fabricators,
CNC Routers by Park Industries, a BACA Miter
sustainability is important to McDermott Top Shop.
Saw, and a Zoller by GranQuartz. They also use a
They are always looking to make the most of every
Komo CNC router on the solid surface line, and
slab, and they find new ways to use remnants. For
an LT55 laser measuring system across all projects.
example, they’ve partnered with a local quarry to
“Technology is critical to our processes and how we
recycle granite, quartz, and solid surface offal into
The stone fabricators pride themselves in their clean, organized workspace.
do business on a daily basis,” said Travis. “Investing in road base material. They have a 100% closed loop water recycling system for the stone line, too. technology throughout our business has allowed us International Surface Fabricators Association • Vol. 14 / Issue 3 • 35
FABRICATOR PROFILE
Together with other McDermott staffers, Travis McDermott smiles next to Ron McDermott as he cuts the ribbon at the open house.
When they built the new facility, they worked with Focus on Energy, and they received grants to implement higher-efficiency lighting as well as other energy-saving systems. McDermott proudly supports over 75 employees and runs eight installation crews. “Our employees set us apart more than anything else,” said Ron. “We have a group of dedicated, hard working folks who all share common values and understand what we are working toward. Their dedication to our customers is what really sets us apart.” The McDermotts attribute their success to their Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS), which incorporates six key components as drivers. The company adheres to their vision, and they strive to make sure everyone is clear on the goals and how to get there. Their employees are a huge part of this, and
McDermott Top Shop’s installation team stands on the loading dock, which is directly adjacent to the production lines and fully enclosed from the elements.
on the pulse of what is happening in your business and in the industry,” said Ron. “You can stay where you are … and there you are. But if you aren’t looking for what’s ahead of you, you’ll waste a lot of time trying to catch up to it.” The McDermott team prides itself in its detailoriented and streamlined process that focuses on a high-touch customer experience. This paired with their state-of-the-art facility differentiates them from any competition. Outside the shop, the McDermotts value industry connections through groups such as the International Surface Fabricators Association (ISFA) and the Rockheads. “ISFA is a great community full of fabricators and
they actively invest in their company culture to ensure
vendors willing to pour out all kinds of information to
openness and honesty. It’s an environment where
help others,” said Travis. “ISFA’s Mixers have been a lot
everyone is inspired to do great work, feels valued in
of fun and helped us get through the pandemic! It has
their opinions and understands that they are the keys
been tough not being able to get in person with these
to success.
groups, and we are really looking forward to getting
Certainly, in a production environment, processes are critical, and the McDermotts have gone to great
back together.” The McDermotts feel these groups are well worth
lengths to develop best practices for everything they
the investment of time and money, likening it to
do. With that comes a reflective piece where they look
investing in a mentor or a consultant. By doing so they
at data to understand the good and the bad — because
gain knowledge and ideas that may have taken years
you can’t improve that which you don’t measure, says
(if ever) to come across on their own. “It enables us
Travis. They encourage everyone to bring issues to the
to achieve levels of growth we may have not realized
forefront, and they spend a lot of time doing root cause
otherwise,” said Travis.
analysis to identify opportunities for improvement. And finally, traction is a priority. “It’s about staying 36 • Vol. 14 / Issue 3 • International Surface Fabricators Association
Find out more about McDermott Top Shop at www.mcdermotttopshop.com. C
Four Qualities of an Excellent Manager by Ted Janusz Do you do a great job managing your people? I bet you do! In my experience, managers who have outstanding technical knowledge and skill often mistakenly believe they are also gifted at guiding and motivating their employees. These managers forgo the possibility of new ideas. At the same time, they wonder why their organization is plagued with a high turnover of both employees and customers. If you’re a manager, identify how many of these four statements describe your approach. 1. As a manager, I like to make my employees feel important.
The number one desire of most people is the need to feel that their lives matter, and that the world is a different and better place
transferred from his old school to our new school, most of his staff came along with him. Why? Because he uniquely made people feel important. More recently, early this past Sunday morning, I was out for my daily run. My iPhone rang. I wondered who would be calling me from a different time zone so early in the morning. I didn’t recognize the phone number and so I let the call roll over to voicemail. I had recently published a book and had quoted a famous speaker in the book, so I sent him a copy of my book. It was this speaker who was calling. In his voicemail, he expressed that, in a moment of reflection, he was wondering if his words were making any kind of an impact. He went on to say that today, by reading his words in my book, he had received that assurance. You would think that this famous speaker, who flies only
because they are in it. How often do you remind your employees
first class, would know that his words were important. But
that each of them is valuable to you and to your organization?
that exchange convinced me that we all sometimes need to be
As an example, our family had just moved to town and our oldest daughter, Allison, was just starting high school. The school was both new to us and new to the town. To become involved in the community, and because I have a face for radio, I had volunteered to be the public address announcer for the high school football games. This particular evening, I was wandering down the school’s hallway during the meet-the-teachers night when suddenly I heard a voice ring out from behind me, “Ted Janusz!” I thought to myself, who would know me in our new town, let alone at the new high school? I turned around to see someone who was smiling from ear to ear. He extended his hand to me and said, “Ted Janusz, voice of the Hilliard Darby Panthers, how in the heck are you?” He then introduced himself as Jeff, the principal of the new school. Stunned, I shook his hand. That encounter lasted twenty seconds and occurred over twenty years ago. But when I think of it, I can easily recall my emotions. In that moment, as a parent in a new town and in a new school, Jeff made me feel as tall as the Empire State Building! I later learned that Jeff took the time to personally get to know as many people in the school community as he could. When he
reminded. 2. As a manager, I strive to make my employees feel appreciated.
In taking worker satisfaction surveys over the last 75 years, employees’ number one complaint is neither wages nor benefits, but a lack of appreciation. In my last corporate position, I had a co-worker, Amy, who always did a good job. But one particular time Amy went above and beyond what she needed to do. I wanted to recognize Amy’s efforts but times were tough, and I wasn’t in a position to give her a raise or promotion. Instead, I went to the Hallmark store and designed a postcard that said at the top, “The Top 10 Reasons Why You Are Marvelous” and I then filled it in. When I gave the postcard to her, Amy looked at the card, then looked up at me. There were tears in her eyes. Apparently, no one had ever shown her appreciation like that before — a simple gesture, really. Average managers say, “My employees are getting paid. That should be enough!” Excellent managers regularly demonstrate how glad they are to have their employees on the team. International Surface Fabricators Association • Vol. 14 / Issue 3 • 37
Ted Janusz is a certified speaking professional and a certified virtual presenter. He has facilitated over 1,100 workshops (over 6,500 total hours) in 49 of the 50 United States, Canada, Australia, Mexico and Puerto Rico. Janusz’s work has appeared on BusinessWeek. com, MSNBC.com, and he has been invited to appear on the Fox News Channel. He is a member of the National Speakers Association and earned his MBA in marketing from the University of Pittsburgh. Learn more at
www.januspresentations.com.
3. As a manager, I like to get to know my employees as people.
4. As a manager, I am a role model for the organization.
Vince Lombardi, the legendary coach of the Green Bay Packers said, “Nothing is more unequal than the equal treatment of unequals.” Translating the coach-speak: Even though your employees may be equal, to motivate them properly, you can’t treat them all the same way. For instance, one of your employees is interested in taking on additional responsibilities so they can be promoted into management; another employee desires to buy a house, so they want an opportunity to make more money; yet another employee treasures time off, so they can spend that time with children or grandchildren. The key to successful motivation is to reward your people the way that they want to be rewarded, not necessarily the way that you or I would like to be rewarded. Unlike my daughter Allison, who is a loud, aggressive go-getter, my youngest daughter, Heidi, is quiet, shy and sensitive. As middle schooler, Heidi was about to get her first experience on a competitive sports team. With the wrong kind of coach (one that would primarily bark or yell at her), Heidi might last only days or even hours on the softball team. I watched from the stands as Heidi’s coach, instead, worked his magic like a skilled craftsman. He learned exactly what to do to individually motivate each player on the team. The coach understood when someone misplayed a ball, for example, it might be a verbal kick in the pants or a literal pat on the back to get that player back in the game. He also knew exactly how to motivate Heidi, who, as a result, went on to become an outstanding catcher. Realize that Bob or Alice, who work for you, are more than “just” a bookkeeper or a fabricator. They have a family and plans and dreams just as you do. How much do you know about Bob or Alice? Their favorite sports team? Where they like to go out to eat? What they like to do on their free time? Get to know your employees as people, and not just as “cogs in your machine.” Realize that people don’t work for companies; they work for (or leave) their bosses.
I recently took the car through the local car wash. The operator, as he took my money said, “You are driving your wife’s car today. And you are not riding your bike like you always do, either.” I had no idea who this person was, but they certainly gathered a few things by observing me! People are watching you, too! As a speaker, I watch others in my industry. It makes me feel good when my role models act appropriately, and it disappoints me when they don’t. Similarly, whether you realize it or not, your employees are constantly watching you. They want to be sure that:
38 • Vol. 14 / Issue 3 • International Surface Fabricators Association
• You don’t play favorites among your employees. • You enforce the rules fairly. • You have technical knowledge. They know they can always come to you to help solve a complex issue. • You have emotional intelligence and people skills. They know that you will help them through a challenge they may have with a customer or even with a fellow employee. • No matter what happens, you will always have their back. • You maintain an even keel, no matter how the economy or other external forces impact the business. • Most importantly, you are in charge, and that knowledge frees them to do their jobs. Your employees want to belong to something that is bigger than themselves. They want to look forward to coming to their job every day, to enjoy working with you and their fellow employees. Your employees want to feel proud when they tell people in the community that they work at your organization. As an excellent manager, you realize that you make all of that possible. C
PERSPECTIVES
It’s Been a Year, Hasn’t It? it turns out Geoffrey Gran might be a little competitive. If you haven’t joined us yet, we’d love to have you. We’ve It’s hard to believe it has been one year since my changed the time to 4 p.m. EST to accommodate your journey with the International Surface Fabricators schedules. Association began. While the year flew by, at the same Also, last fall, we held our first virtual Annual time, so much has happened. Conference. Carol Wilhite, director of operations, Last fall, we hosted the first-of-its-kind virtual stepped up to create nearly one hundred meeting Modern Surfaces training. Using a training platform, we engagement kits and sent them to every participant. She trained over two dozen fabricators. Fast forward to May took such care in considering ways to make everyone of this year when Amy Kyriazis, ISFA’s web data feel connected. This fall, we are excited to host a live coordinator, created a landing page and registration event again. We chose Rancho de Los Caballeros, a portal to eliminate the need for the training platform for luxury dude ranch in sunny Arizona, as the destination this year’s sessions. The savings from Amy’s efforts — a fun setting where our members can reconnect with meant we could reduce attendance costs and reach over each other. 140 fabricators thanks to our series sponsors, At TISE in June, it was clear that our industry is GranQuartz and Moraware. eager to do just that. Thanks to Augie Chavez, our Samantha Winslow, our member experience immediate past president, for taking time out of his coordinator, has worked diligently behind the scenes to schedule to introduce me to so many familiar faces I’ve ensure all technical systems function properly at our been blessed to work with this year. online events. As a result, last spring, over 145 Our team has changed this year, too, and one of participants learned proper fabrication specific to seven them is carefully editing my words. Sarah Peiper, ISFA’s manufacturers’ materials — entirely virtually. content manager and editor, is another eager soul who Speaking of Modern Surfaces, recently ISFA made has jumped all-in this year. Just a few weeks in, she the decision that Mineral Surfaces would best describe cranked out the Q2 edition of this magazine, and we the category. A special thanks to Paul “Max” LePera for didn’t miss a beat. Sarah has also been a critical driver his steadfast support of ISFA by leading the effort to for brand and marketing strategies at ISFA. address this category and his work as a U.S. Tag And most recently, ISFA welcomed a new Delegate for the ANSI/ISO Global Engineered Stone administrator, Kanani Camacho, who hit the ground Standard effort. For more information, you can check running, too. She manages to keep us all organized and out the full announcement about Mineral Surfaces at performing like the well-oiled machine we are. www.isfanow.org/mineral-surfaces-training. Team building is only as good as the mission, and In February, we began the ISFA Mixer series, which the mission here at ISFA gets this team fired up! We’re occurs on the last Thursday of every month. With the here to champion this industry, and that means you. help of the Events Committee, Samantha makes sure Whether it is finding the answer to a problem you’re each one goes off without a hitch. At these mixers, we’ve facing, connecting our members and building the power shared ideas about supply chain issues, the labor of community, or developing informational and shortage, managing lead times, and some laughs along educational programs, we are here for you. For me, one the way. We even play a few games, and let me tell you: year in, that’s everything. By Nancy Busch, ISFA Executive Director
International Surface Fabricators Association • Vol. 14 / Issue 3 • 39
ISFA NEWS
Learn From the Best with ISFA’s Solid Surface Training Program Whether you’re a new shop just starting out or an established operation looking to grow, ISFA’s Certified Professional Solid Surface Fabrication Training programs are a terrific way to make sure your staff has the skills they need to fabricate all kinds of solid surfaces. The training is open to anyone interested, and it is discounted for ISFA members. Coursework includes product orientation, safety, tooling, best practices in shop layout, fabrication, installation and more. More advanced instruction includes specific manufacturers’ fabrication and installation requirements. ISFA’s training programs are approved by all major solid surface manufacturers. An observeronly option is available at a reduced price for those in productionadjacent roles such as sales, office management, and other nonfabricators interested in the knowledge who don’t need the hands-on training. ISFA offers two options for solid surface training. General Solid Surface Training is held in San Antonio, Texas, up to five times per year. Training sessions last two to three days and include both classroom and hands-on learning. Interested participants can sign up at any time, and they will be folded into the next available session that aligns with schedules. On-site training is also available. Our expert facilitator, Chris Pappenfort, will travel to your shop to provide training to your staff over two to three days, depending on your needs. “Now more than ever, ISFA’s goal to help progress the use
of solid surfaces is meaningful because demand for sanitary, monolithic countertops and surfaces continues to grow postCOVID,” said Pappenfort. “Consumers don’t want seams, rims under sinks, or anything that might sustain bacteria. If you’re not up to date on solid surface fabrication, you’re missing a huge piece of the market.” All attendees (except observers) will complete the coursework and earn ISFA’s Solid Surface Fabrication Certification, which is accepted by all major manufacturers. Interested in learning about a specific material or product? Customized coursework is available. “ISFA is for fabricators and by fabricators, and the power of the association reveals itself when we share common challenges and solutions within the industry,” said Pappenfort. “I like helping companies become successful in solid surface fabrication and ISFA. By providing fabrication training, we further the awareness around premium decorative surfaces.” Recently the staff at Lone Star Surface, LLC, a budding startup, traveled to an ISFA Training Session in San Antonio, Texas. Previously a truck driver, owner Mervin Smith was looking for a new career path that would keep him home with his growing family. Together with his wife Crystal, they kept an open mind about their options when opportunity knocked. They bought an established surfacing business in Colorado and transferred it to Texas. It’s been a huge learning curve for the Smiths, who had almost no solid surface fabrication experience previously. They needed to start from the ground up — everything from bidding jobs, stocking materials, project lead times, shop setup — not to mention fabrication processes and best practices. “It’s meant to be a family business,” added Crystal Smith. “We hope we can keep growing and hand this legacy down to our children. The coursework ISFA provided was instrumental in helping us get established. We are grateful to Chris and everyone at ISFA for everything they do to support new businesses like ours.” For more information on how you can take advantage of ISFA’s solid surface training programs, visit www.isfanow.org/solid-surface-fabrication.
40 • Vol. 14 / Issue 3 • International Surface Fabricators Association
ISFA NEWS Thank You and Welcome ISFA Members (In Alphabetical Order) NEW FABRICATOR MEMBERS
Fernando F Machado Marlborough, Mass.
Rock Bottom Granite Garden City, Idaho
Floor Diva Georgetown, ON
Stone Interiors Gaston, S.C.
Alpha Countertops Russellville, Ark.
Granite Mountain Countertops Bozeman, Mont.
Unique Countertops Buda, Texas
American Stone & Marble Garfield, N.J.
KLC Supreme Homes, LLC Baltimore, Md.
Deer Mountain Cabinetry Ramsay, Mont.
NMG Workspace Solutions Houston, Texas
RENEWING FABRICATOR MEMBERS
Hartson-Kennedy Cabinet Top Co., Inc. Marion, Ind.
Accent Countertops Murray, Utah
Henry H. Ross & Son, Inc. Lititz, Pa.
Alpha Granite Austin, Texas
INDEKO, Inc. Henderson, Nev.
American Epoxy Scientific Mountain Home, Ark.
Italstone Marble & Granite Yakima, Wash.
Artistry Stone Surfaces, Inc. Indio, Calif.
Jaynes Structures Albuquerque, N.M.
Atlanta Kitchen, Inc. Decatur, Ga.
King County Library System Issaqua, Wash.
Bella Casa Countertops and Stone Littleton, Colo.
Kramer’s Fabrications, Inc. Bernville, Pa.
Advanced Interiors, Inc. Jennison, Mich.
MEET OUR SOLID SURFACE TRAINER:
Chris Pappenfort
Chris has over 35 years in the premium decorative surfaces industry. He worked for a midwestern DuPont Surfaces distributor for 25 years serving as a technical services manager covering 10 states. During that tenure, Chris obtained instructor certifications for DuPont Corian Solid Surfaces, DuPont Corian Quartz Surfaces (Zodiaq), Soterra Natural Granite Systems and LuminOre Metal Surfaces Systems. Chris attended The DuPont School for Industrial Fabrication and worked as the national technical adviser for Corian military sales. He served on many residential and commercial task forces to upgrade DuPont’s fabrication and technical manuals. He also participated in many project teams for DuPont, launching several initiatives that helped fabricators’ businesses flourish. He continues to consult on fabrication and technical manuals. In 2012, Chris founded Surface Menders, a company which specializes in repairs and restorations of solid surface, quartz surface and natural stone in the Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma and Arkansas areas. Dealing with manufacturers’ warranty claims and private individual issues has given him special insight into fabrication and installation errors, their causes and remedies.
Carpenters International Training Fund Las Vegas, Nev. Classy Closets Etc., Inc. Chandler, Ariz. Counter Fitters, LLC Savannah, Ga. Countertop Source Hurricane, Utah Countertops of Memphis, LLC Memphis, Tenn. Craftmark Solid Surfaces, Inc. Norcross, Ga.
Laminated Tops of Central Indiana, Inc. Bloomington, Ind.
Solid Surface Creations, Inc. Villa Grove, Ill. Spaulding Fabricators, Inc. Brick, N.J. Stonecrafters Lakemoor, Ill. The Countertop Factory Midwest Addison, Ill. The Granite & Marble Depot, Inc. Aurora, Ill. The Granite Place Inc. Burllington, Mass. The Pinske Edge Plato, Minn. Top Priority, Inc. Waipahu, Hawaii
Legacy Granite and Marble Houston, Texas
Valley View Granite Tremonton, Utah
Marble Works South Elgin, Ill.
W.R. Watson, Inc. Stafford, Texas
Marvic Corp. Union, N.J.
White House Stone Lake Park, Fla.
Maxwell Counters, Inc. Farmer City, Ill. Mill-Rite Woodworking Company Pinellas Park, Fla. Modern Home Distributing Nunda, N.Y.
Chris has been an ISFA accredited instructor since 2014. He conducts training at the ISFA training center and in the field for ISFA’s ondemand program.
Deer Mountain Cabinetry Ramsay, Mont.
Natural Stone Countertops Huntsville, Ala.
Eastern Surfaces Allentown, Pa.
New Age Surfaces Romeoville, Ill.
Originally from Overland Park, Kansas, a suburb of Kansas City, Chris lives near Branson, Missouri, where he enjoys boating, fishing, golf and helping his wife spoil their 13 grandchildren.
Great In Counters Providence, R.I.
Plastic Specialties, Inc. Salt Lake City, Utah
Hard Rock Stone Works Sterling Heights, Mich.
International Surface Fabricators Association • Vol. 14 / Issue 3 • 41
ISFA NEWS ISFA BOARD OF DIRECTORS Steve Mast, President Precision Countertops (503) 660-3023 Steve.m@precisioncountertops.com www.precisioncountertops.com Augie Chavez, Immediate Past President GECKO SSS augie@geckosss www.geckosss.com Joe Duszka, Vice President Carolina Custom Surfaces (336) 215-5518 Joe@carolinacustomsurfaces.com www.carolinacustomsurfaces.com Ted Sherritt, Treasurer FLOFORM Countertops (204) 474-2334 tsherritt@floform.com www.floform.com
Paul “Max” Le Pera, Director Global Surfacing Alliance (908) 358-5252 pmlp33@gmail.com
Rodrigo Velazquez, Director INDEKO 52 331-028-7863 rodrigo@weareindeko.com Eric Tryon, Director Founding Member of Rockheads Group (678) 614-7111 tryonea@gmail.com www.rockheadsusa.com
Jim Callaghan, Associate Member Representative and Executive Committee Member GranQuartz (248) 660-3291 jcallaghan@granquartz.com www.granquartz.com
Austin Maxwell, Secretary Maxwell Countertops (309) 928-2848 austin@maxwellcounters.com www.maxwellcounters.com Kelley Montana, Director Humboldt Countertops & Surfacing (707) 442-5918 kmontana@humtop.com www.humtop.com
Joe Connolly, Associate Member Representative SASSO7 (224) 200-8004 Jconnollysassousa@gmail.com www.sassousa.com
ISFA CONTACTS ISFA P.O. Box 627 Ingomar, PA 15127 (888) 599-ISFA www.ISFAnow.org Executive Director Nancy Busch (253) 691-0169 nancy@ISFAnow.org Content Manager | Editor Sarah Peiper (913) 449-2280 Sarah@ISFAnow.org
PLATINUM
Laura Grandlienard, Director ROCKin’teriors (919) 577-0207 laura@rockinteriors.com
Kimberly Homs, Director Great in Counters (401) 233-0666 kimberly@greatincounters.com www.greatincounters.com
Mike Langenderfer, Co-Treasurer The Countertop Shop (419) 868-9101 mike@countertopshop.net www.countertopshop.net
T H A N K S TO O U R 2 0 2 1 S P O N S O R S
Operations Manager Carol Wilhite (412) 487-3207 Carol@ISFAnow.org
Administrative Assistant Kanani Camacho (888) 599-ISFA ext. 6 Kanani@ISFAnow.org
Member Experience Coordinator Samantha Winslow (888) 599-ISFA Samantha@ISFAnow.org
Solid Surface Fabrication Trainer Chris Pappenfort (417) 598-2390 Chris@ISFAnow.org
Web/Database Administrator Amy Kyriazis (412) 487-3207 Amy@ISFAnow.org
Quartz/Stone Fabrication Trainer Fred Hueston (321) 514-6845 Fred@ISFAnow.org
42 • Vol. 14 / Issue 3 • International Surface Fabricators Association
GOLD
SILVER
BRONZE INTEGRA ADHESIVES
HYUNDAI L&C USA
ISFA Booster Club The ISFA Booster Club is a program comprised of ISFA members committed to growing ISFA membership, benefits and programs. Each club member makes a financial contribution and participates in a quarterly conference call led by Executive Director Nancy Busch and President Steve Mast. During the calls new ideas for projects and programs to benefit ISFA members and the industry are discussed, as well as timelines for implementation. Those interested in joining can contact Nancy@ ISFAnow.org for more information.
ISFA ASSOCIATE MEMBER DIRECTORY Companies listed in red are ISFA 2021 Sponsors AAA Adhesive 1226 79th St. S. St. Petersburg, FL 33707-2719 520-954-0534 ACS International 4775 S. 3rd Ave. Tucson, AZ 85714 520-889-1933 www.acstone.com Aetna Plywood Inc. 1401 St. Charles Rd. Maywood, IL 60153 708-343-1515 www.aetnaplywood.com Akrilika Svobody Str., 29 Moscow 125362 Russian Federation 79119451961 www.akrilika.com Al-Badaha Company for Modern Industries P.O. Box 126444 Jeddah 23643 Saudi Arabia 966920002964 www.albadaha.com Alf Noon for Modern Kitchen Co. P.O. Box 54210 Al Raboua, Sari Street Jeddah 21514 Saudi Arabia 966 12 275 2309 Andres O'Neil & Lowe 212 N. Defiance St. Archbold, OH 43502 419-636-5050 www.andresoneilandlowe.com
BNP Media 210 Rte. 4 E. Ste. 203 Paramus, NJ 07652 201-291-9001 www.bnpmedia.com
Colonial Saw 122 Pembroke St. Kingston, MA 2364 781-585-4364 www.csaw.com
DuPont 200 Powder Mill Rd. Wilmington, DE 19803 314-941-5179 www.dupont.com
Breton S.p.A. Via Garibaldi 27 Castello di Godego 31030 Italy 3904237691 www.breton.it
Cosentino USA 355 Alhambra Cir. 10th Floor Coral Gables, FL 33134 786-812-0509 www.cosentino.com
Durasein USA 7030 Quad Ave. Ste. 3 Rosedale, MD 21237 877-771-7712 www.durasein.com
Caesarstone US 1401 W. Morehead St. Charlotte, NC 28208 818-378-2667 www.caesarstoneus.com Cambria USA 31496 Cambria Ave. Le Sueur, MN 56058 507-665-5003 www.cambriausa.com CaraGreen, Inc. 1406 Transport Dr. Raleigh, NC 27603 919-929-3009 www.caragreen.com CH Briggs Co. 2047 Kutztown Rd. Reading, PA 19605 800-355-1000 www.chbriggs.com
Countertop Marketing Co. (formerly Hey Remodelers) 402 Pequot Ave. #772 Southport, CT 06890 203-993-6676 www.countertop marketingco.com Covia Corp 9930 Kincey Ave, Ste. 200 Huntersville, NC 28078 800-243-9004 www.coviacorp.com Crossville Inc. 349 Sweeney Dr. Crossville, TN 38555 931-456-2110 www.crossvilleinc.com Dafanie Financial Group, LLC 850 Pacific St., Ste. 1162 Stamford, CT 06902 203-666-5560 www.bestburialins.com
Chemcore Industries, Inc. 5311 Fleming Ct. Austin, TX 78744 512-243-6823 or 866-243-6267 www.chemcore.com
Dal-Tile Corp. 7834 CF Hawn Frwy. Dallas, TX 75217 214-309-3162 www.daltile.com
Chemical Concepts, Inc. 410 Pike Rd. Huntingdon Valley, PA 19006 800-220-1966 www.chemical-concepts.com
Dixie Plywood & Lumber P.O. Box 2328 Savannah, GA 31402 912-447-7000 www.dixieply.com
BB Industries, LLC 4100 Appalachian Way Knoxville, TN 37918 800-575-4401 www.bbindustriesllc.com
Chintan Corp. 901, Mauryansh Elanza, Nr. Parekh Hospital Shaymal Cross Rds., Satelite Rd. Ahmedabad 380 015 India 9825023859 www.neonnex.in
Dongguan Kongder Industrial Materials Co. Room 3006-3007, G1 Building, Hongtu Rd. Nacheng District, Dongguan Guangdong 523071 China 8613925574811 www.dgkongder.com
Bill Barton 6131 Long Meadow Rd. McLean, VA 22101 703-624-1191
Chuck Sawyer 4802 Au Sable Dr. Gibsonia, PA 15044 412-213-0370
Duda Consulting 3601 S.W. River Pkwy. Portland, OR 97239 503-949-7738
Aristech Surfaces 7350 Empire Dr. Florence, KY 41042 859-283-1501 www.aristechsurfaces.com BACA Systems 101 Premier Dr. Orion Township, MI 48359 248-791-3060 www.bacasystems.com
Durcon 206 Allison Dr. Taylor, TX 76574 512-595-8000 www.durcon.com Dwyer Marble & Stone Supply 23177 Commerce Dr. Farmington Hills, MI 48335 248-476-4944 www.dwyermarble.com Dwyer Marble & Stone Supply 5300 Broadmoor Ave. S.E. Ste. E Grand Rapids, MI 49512 616-583-7025 www.dwyermarble.com Etemplate Systems, Div of Tri-Tech 106 Wind Chime Ct. Raleigh, NC 27615 919-676-2244 www.etemplatesystem.com Evans Midwest 11441 E. Lakewood Blvd. Holland, MI 49424 616-546-8225 www.evansmidwest.com Evolv Surfaces 1313 Armstrong Ave. San Francisco, CA 94124 415-767-4600 www.evolvsurfaces.com Federal Brace 710 E. Catawba St. Ste. A Belmont, NC 28012 877-353-8899 www.federalbrace.com GEM Industries 5030 N. Hiatus Rd. Sunrise, FL 33351 954-749-1228 www.gem-industries.com Gemstone 2040 Industrial Pkwy. Elkhart, IN 46516-5411 574-294-8899 www.gemstonesinks.com
International Surface Fabricators Association • Vol. 14 / Issue 3 • 43
ISFA ASSOCIATE MEMBER DIRECTORY Companies listed in red are ISFA 2021 Sponsors Gluewarehouse.com 455 W. Victoria St. Compton, CA 90220 www.gluewarehouse.com Granite Gold Inc. 12780 Danielson Ct. Ste. A Poway, CA 92064 858-499-8934 www.granitegold.com GranQuartz 3950 Steve Reynolds Blvd. Norcross, GA 30093 800-458-6222 granquartz.com Groves Inc. 818 Trakk Ln. Woodstock, IL 60098 815-337-9780 www.groves.com Hallmark Building Supplies 901 Northview Rd., Ste. 100 Waukesha, WI 53188 800-642-2246 www.hllmark.com Hyundai L&C USA 2839 Paces Ferry Rd. Ste. 1100 Atlanta, GA 30339 888-426-9421 www.hyundailncusa.com IceStone LLC 63 Flushing Ave. Unit 283 Building 12 Brooklyn, NY 11205 718-624-4900 www.icestoneusa.com
IPS Adhesives LLC 455 W. Victoria St. Compton, CA 90220 604-850-1321 www.integra-adhesives.com
Meganite, Inc. 1461 S. Balboa Ave. Ontario, CA 91761 909-391-8886 meganite.com
Jaeckle Distributors 4101 Owl Creek Dr. Madison, WI 53718 608-838-5400 www.jaeckledistributors.com
Mirage Granito Ceramico s.p.a. DBA Infinity Via Giardini Nord 225 Pavullo Nel Frignano Modena 41026 Italy 390536329322 www.infinitysurfaces.it
Karran USA - Plexicor USA P.O. Box 667 1291 East Ramsey Rd. Vincennes, IN 47591 410-975-0128 www.karran.com Kohler Co. P.O. Box 899 Kohler, WI 50344 920-457-4441 www.kohler.com Krion Solid Surface SA CTRA Villarreal-Puebla De Arenoso Km 1 Villarreal 12540 Spain 34964506464 www.krion.com Laminam 156 State St. Boston, MA 02109 289-924-0394 www.laminamusa.com
Moksh Tech #1204, Pushpak Landmark Bldg., Near Titanium City Center, Anand Nagar Rd. Prahlad Nagar Ahmedabad - 380 015 India 3012522673 www.mokshcad.com Moraware Inc. 13125 Welcome Way Reno, NV 89511 866-312-9273 www.moraware.com MSI Surfaces 2095 N. Batavia St. Orange, CA 92865 www.msisurfaces.com
Plastiglas de Mexico SA. De CV. Frente a la Estacion del Ferrocarril FFCC Maciovio Herrera S/N Ocoyoacac 52740 Mexico www.piedmontplastics.com/ suppliers/plastiglas-de-mexico Princeton Chemical Company 7030 Quad Ave. Ste. 3 Rosedale, MD 21237 877-778-6878 www.princetonchemical.com Pure Surfaces/Basix Surfaces West 16411 Carmenita Rd. Cerritos, CA 90703 704-702-0441 www.pure-surfaces.com PWI 7930 W. 1000 N. Nappanee, IN 46550 574-646-2015 www.pwiworks.com Quote Countertops 11811 N. Tatum Blvd. #3078 Phoenix, AZ 85028 619-726-7660 www.quotecountertops.com Regent Stone Products 2656 Quality Ct. Virginia Beach, VA 23454 800-624-8210 www.regentstoneproducts.com
Lapitec Via Bassanese 6 Vedelago 310503 Italy www.lapitec.com
Natural Stone Institute 380 E. Lorain St. Oberlin, OH 44074 440-250-9222 naturalstoneinstitute.org
Ignite Consulting Group 450 N. Addison Ave. Elmhurst, IL 60126 630-606-8055 www.hotsauceyourtops.com
Laser Products Industries, Inc. 1344 Enterprise Dr. Romeoville, IL 60446 630-755-5402 www.laserproductsus.com
Ollin Stone 301 E. Ball Rd. Anaheim, CA 92805 714-535-0800 www.ollinstone.com
INEOS Composites 5200 Blazer Pkwy. Dublin, OH 43017 614-790-2078 www.ashland.com
LOTTE Chemical 6 Centerpointe Ste. 100 La Palma, CA 90623 714-443-0964 www.lottechem.com
Relang International, LLC, Durasein USA 7030 Quad Ave. Ste. 3 Rosedale, MD 21237 877-771-7712 www.durasein.com
Infinity, a division of Mirage Granito Ceramico s.p.a. Via Giardini Nord 225 Pavullo Nel Frignano Modena 41026 Italy 390536329322 www.infinitysurfaces.it
LX Hausys America Inc. 900 Circle 75 Pkwy. Ste. 1500 Atlanta, GA 30339 678-535-4113 us.lghausys.com
Pacific Shore Stones 10220 Metropolitian Dr. Ste. A Austin, TX 78758 512-568-0649 www.pacificshorestones.com
RouterBitsNow 1226 79th St. S. St. Petersburg, FL 33707-2719 520-954-0534 www.routerbitsnow.com
Park Industries P.O. Box 188 St. Cloud, MN 56302 320-251-5077 www.parkindustries.com
Sasso USA 220 N. Smith St. Ste. 414 Palatine, IL 60067 224-200-8004 www.sassousa.com
Parson Adhesives Inc. 3345 Auburn Rd. Ste. 107 Rochester Hills, MI 48309 248-299-5585 www.chromalok.com
Schechner Lifson Corp. 4 Chatham Rd. Summit, NJ 07901 908-598-7813 www.saferocks.com
InnoChem/Akemi 160 Candlewyck Dr. Avondale, PA 19311 www.akemi.com
Marble & Granite, Inc. 270 University Ave. Westwood, MA 02090 781-915-1250 www.marbleandgranite.com
44 • Vol. 14 / Issue 3 • International Surface Fabricators Association
ISFA ASSOCIATE MEMBER DIRECTORY Companies listed in red are ISFA 2021 Sponsors Schultz Forming Products 2796 Loker Ave. W. Ste. 105 Carlsbad, CA 92010 800-822-2875 www.schultzform.com
Stone Services Group 10308 S. Keeler Ave. Oak Lawn, IL 60453 815-210-1006 www.stoneservicesgroup.com
Siom Marble & Granite Factory LLC Sector 5, Emirates Industrial City P.O. Box 22149 Sharjah 22149 United Arab Emirates 97165422240 www.siommarble.com
Swan Surfaces 200 Swan Ave. Centralia, IL 62801 800-325-7008 www.swanstone.com
SolidSurface.com 6641 N. Cibola Ave. Tucson, AZ 85718 520-247-3304 www.solidsurface.com Stone Cloud 125 Walnut Dr. Tenafly, NJ 07670 201-776-6478 www.stonecloud.us
Synchronous Solutions 3405 Rainbow Dr. Waxhaw, NC 28173 704-560-1536 www.synchronoussolutions.com The Stone Collection 11935 N. Stemmons Fwy. #100 Dallas, TX 75206 972-488-5700 www.thestonecollection.com TotalHousehold Pro 65A Walnut Hill Rd. Bethel, CT 06801 203-733-1276 www.pro.totalhousehold.com
US Surfaces 4601 Spicewood Springs Rd. Building 1 Ste. 100 Austin TX 78759 512-454-2229 www.ussurfaces.com
Willis 1149 Pioneer Rd. Burlington, ON L7M 1K5 Canada 289-775-5814 www.4willis.com
Vicostone USA 11620 Goodnight Ln. Ste. 100 Dallas, TX 75229 972-243-2325 www.us.vicostone.com
Wilsonart 2501 Wilsonart Dr. P.O. Box 6110 Temple, TX 76503-6110 800-433-3222 www.wilsonart.com
Water Treatment Solutions 6 Merrill Industrial Dr. Hampton, NH 03842 603-758-1900 www.watertreatmentonline.com Welnest 350 South St. McSherrystown, PA 17344 844-935-6378 www.welnest.net
Wood Stock Supply Inc. 4705 S. I-90 Service Rd. Rapid City, SD 57703 605-341-6900 www.woodstocksupply.com ZOLLER Inc. 3900 Research Park Dr. Ann Arbor, MI 48108 734-332-4851 www.zoller.info/us/home
INTERN ATION AL SUR FACE FABR IC AT ORS ASSOCIATION
r Fabricato hip: rs e memb onth m r e p $45 r year e or $499 p
International Surface Fabricators Association • Vol. 14 / Issue 3 • 45
ISFA PLATINUM SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT
Corian Design, a division of DuPont Corian Design, a division of DuPont Water
Corian Quartz and Corian Endura creates superb
& Protection, is a USA headquartered, global
hygienic surfaces that need no sealing and stop
organization that creates, manufactures and
stains from settling into the surface. Corian can’t
markets advanced surfacing materials, products and
delaminate, fluids can’t penetrate it, and it provides
solutions for interior and exterior commercial and
inconspicuous joints for a remarkably seamless
residential applications. Marketed under the Corian
look and function.
brand and the Make Your Space tagline, its materials,
Fabricators can confidently create environments
products and solutions meet the most demanding requirements in
that are sustainable and support the health and well-being of their
terms of beauty, functionality and durability. The Corian Design
customers. Corian Solid Surface is LBC Red List and Greenguard
global portfolio is continuously evolving, and it currently includes
Gold certified, emits low Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) and
Corian Solid Surface, Corian Quartz and Corian Endura.
contributes to healthy indoor air quality. Installing Corian Solid
The company strives to make surface aspirations a reality with innovative designs and an enduring color palette. With
Surface can help buildings achieve Green Building certification. Corian Design will be adding exciting new colors to its Solid
availability in multiple thicknesses and sheet sizes, as well as
Surface and Quartz portfolios in Fall 2021. Making “Everyday
finishes, it’s easier than ever to provide custom fabricated,
Extraordinary” is Corian Design’s ambition with aesthetics that
seamless, thermoformed designs that achieve horizontal and
move beyond mere surfaces to create a sense of place, experience
vertical application requirements.
and captivating style.
In addition, the nonporous nature of Corian Solid Surfaces,
46 • Vol. 14 / Issue 3 • International Surface Fabricators Association
To learn more about Corian Design, visit www.corian.com.
PRODUCT NEWS GEM Orbital Sander The GEM Orbital Sander features an 11inch drive pad which reduces labor by at least 50% over traditional 5-inch or 6-inch rotary tools. And as opposed to high speed rotary sanders, the 100% orbital action of the GEM sander eliminates the possibility of swirl marks, leaving a totally consistent and uniform finish. The weight of the machine does all the work. It comes with or without a shroud attachment for dust collection, and it is available in 220 volts. This is the ideal tool for sanding large flat surfaces for both the solid surface and woodworking industries. This sander can be used on concrete and metal surfaces. For more information, visit www.gemindustries.com
Meganite launches collection of Terrazzo With seven new colors now available in this stunning line, True Terrazzo is inspired by acrylic solid surface design. It captures the classic true look of natural terrazzo into modern design that reveals an extraordinary aesthetic potential and unprecedented versatility in daily use. Suitable to be installed in tough environments from health care to food service to residential spaces, Meganite’s key advantages are its nonporous and seamless functionalities. These hygienic performances limit bacteria or mildew growth which enables the surface to be stain-resistant and is easy to clean. For more information, visit www.meganite.com.
Better Vacuum Cups It’s hip to be square! Or is it?! Once again, the stone fabricators spoke and Better Vacuum Cups was listening. So here is the all-new 200 mm round cup from BVC. This cup comes in three heights of 105 mm, 150 mm and 200 mm for all new double-stacked tooling. As with all SS cups from BVC, this SSR200 is half the weight, and many customers are reporting double holding power for faster setup times. For more information, check out all the BVC videos at www.GREENBVC.com.
The Rooted Collection by Durasein The Rooted Collection is Durasein’s latest development of solid surface materials, a merger of nature and technology. These sustainabilityminded surfaces were painstakingly created to mimic the warmth and visual texture of wood. Available in Hickory, Cherrywood and Barnwood, the freedom and flexibility offered by this solid surface line is perfect for any environment. It’s as richly textured as the real thing, but lowmaintenance, easy to clean, and resistant to stains and chemicals. From health care to hospitality, entertainment to residential, Durasein is resistant to scratches, impact and heat. For more information, visit https://durasein.com/us/woods/
Durat - Baltic Sea and Avant Terra Durat Recycled Solid Surface is a unique solid surface material that can be used to create seamless surfaces for any custom project including countertops, desks, tables, integrated sinks, bathtubs, shower trays and more. All Durat surfaces are made with up to 28% recycled hard plastics. Durat’s most recent debut is a new pattern inspired by the Baltic Sea. With deep blue speckles on a foam-white base, this color introduces a cheerful marine look. Ten percent of all sales of this new Durat color will go to the John Nurminen Foundation to support their efforts to protect the Baltic Sea. For more information visit www.caragreen.com/products/ detail/durat-sheets.
International Surface Fabricators Association • Vol. 14 / Issue 3 • 47
PRODUCT NEWS Madreperola Quartz by Vicostone Advanced technology and premium manufacturing capture the most striking traits of Brazilian Taj Mahal and Madreperola quartzite in a unique and elegant design. Vicostone Madreperola quartz is a cool-taupe engineered stone with smooth brown veins and crystalline accents. It evokes the soft beauty of natural pearl and offers true depth that is difficult to replicate in quartz surfaces. Madreperola comes in a polished finish and is available in 3 cm and 2 cm jumbo slabs. For more information, visit www.us.vicostone.com.
Keeper Combat Ratchet Tie Down Straps Launch at The Home Depot Keeper, the innovative cargo control brand from Hampton Products International Corp, has announced that its Keeper Combat Ratchet Tie Downs are now available at The Home Depot. Keeper Combat Ratchets feature a stealthy and strong steel ratchet with “No Slip Grip” handles and vinyl-coated S-hooks to prevent scratching and marring. Leading the family of products is the 16-ft. Combat Ratchet Tie Down, which has durable 1.25-inch webbing to absorb shock and resist cut, rot and abrasion with a half-ton working limit. Keeper’s webbing design adds 67% more abrasion-resistance and 30% more cut-resistance than regular webbing, which enables Keeper Combat Ratchet Tie Downs to hold up and stay stronger for rugged outdoor use. Each strap also features a sewn-in, soft tie to lock down lighter loads. Keeper Combat Ratchet Tie Downs are available at The Home Depot store locations and online in two-pack and four-pack quantities ranging from $19.98 to $47.98. For more information on Keeper Products, visit www.keeperproducts.com.
48 • Vol. 14 / Issue 3 • International Surface Fabricators Association
STILE porcelain from MSI
Now available in 2 cm-thick, 128-inch by 64-inch slabs, these large format Italian porcelain slabs are the ideal solution for creating eye-catching countertops, floors, backsplashes and accent walls. Replicating marble and offered in three beautiful colorways — Calacatta Isla Polished, Calacatta Marbella Polished and Marquina Noir Matte — STILE is durable, easy to clean and to maintain. GREENGUARD Indoor Air Quality Certified and impervious to germs and bacteria, the STILE line is helping provide healthier spaces to residential and commercial building occupants. To learn more, visit www.msisurfaces.com/stile/porcelain-slabs.
Laminam launches Ardesia a Spacco Ardesia a Spacco is a surface inspired by “Pietra di Lavagna,” a natural slate that has been used for 2500 years and was widely used in Italian medieval and Renaissance urban architecture. Ardesia a Spacco (quarry-split slate), combines different levels of depth in the finish, creating a beautiful surface that preserves the craftsmanship of the original stone allied with the superior technical performance of Laminam. Extremely durable, hygienic and easy to maintain, Ardesia a Spacco comes in the classic Bianco and Nero colors, and it is excellent to use as kitchen countertops, floor and wall coverings and façade cladding applications. For more information, please visit www.laminam.com.
PRODUCT NEWS QUATRUS R15 Medium Apron Front Sink
BLANCO embraces small-space living by adding the QUATRUS R15 Medium Apron to their stainless steel apron front sink collection. The QUATRUS R15 brings a whole new level of design versatility to space-challenged kitchens, even fitting compact 27-inch cabinets. The new QUATRUS R15 Apron Front sink is an ultra-compact 25-inch-wide farmhouse design with a generous 9-inch bowl depth. It features soft, rounded outside corners and easy-to-clean 15 mm-radius inside corners. The result is a sink with a fresh, modern look that will solve many of the challenges faced in compact kitchens. The QUATRUS R15 Medium is made of durable, 18-gauge stainless steel with 18/10 chromenickel content for exceptional luster and strength. For more information, visit www.blanco.com.
Micro Fence Guide System Micro Fence is a precision guide system for the handheld router. The Micro Fence system includes micrometer-adjusted edge guides, circle and ellipse jigs, vacuum holddowns, and plunge bases for laminate trimmers and rotary tools. The system provides unprecedented accuracy and efficiency (measuring in thousandths of an inch) for all router setups and operations. The edge guide, circle jig and award-winning plunge bases are particularly well suited for one-off custom work, a wide variety of inlay requirements and architectural detailing. Made to fit virtually any router on the market, Micro Fence tools are available with either imperial or metric scales which provide the same kind of measurement accuracy found on CNC equipment. Learn more at www.microfence.com.
Scottsdale Faucet from Karran Karran’s new Scottsdale faucet comes in five beautiful finishes with gunmetal grey shown here, proving to be a prevalent choice with consumers. This pull-down, commercial-style faucet features a ceramic cartridge, a durable PVD finish and a practical dual-function spray head. Simple to install with its single-hole design, this new model is part of a collection of six new faucets introduced by Karran this year. For more information, visit www.karran.com.
New Staron Colors Inspired by nature and modern design trends, the new Staron colors introduce a variety of stylish options in solid surface. Terrazzo and Supreme collections continue to lead the palette, with more than 10 colors in addition to classic options as well, from rich and uniform tones to grain and chip particles. In response to recent high demand for ultra-hygienic material, a new addition to Staron’s Evermoin Collection, Angel White, provides a fresh option engineered for environments such as health care facilities, retail and high-traffic offices. The Staron line’s new colors deliver the outstanding performance for which the company is famous: nonporous construction for exceptionally easy cleanup, dimensional flexibility for use in wide-ranging commercial and residential applications, unparalleled durability, and low maintenance requirements. For more information, visit https://www.staron.com/staron/us/colors/colors.do.
Are you prepared for the worst? According to the U.S. Federal Reserve, “Many adults are not prepared to withstand even small financial disruptions when dealing with unexpected expenses.” A death in the family can create a short-term financial crisis as funeral expenses can range from $5,000 to $15,000 or more. Unfortunately, most life insurance policies do not provide funds for several weeks, and money in an estate may not be immediately available. Many families resort to credit cards or borrowing from friends — an emotionally draining process. There are affordable, nonmedical-exam insurance policies designed to bypass probate and provide money to beneficiaries within a few days after the loss. Are you prepared for the unexpected? For more information, visit www.bestburialins.com.
International Surface Fabricators Association • Vol. 14 / Issue 3 • 49
PERSPECTIVES
Making Hay While the Sun Shines when we were growing, and we decided to move from physical templates to digital. I’ll tell you it wasn’t Anyone tired yet? If you are in the countertop easy. But, if we hadn’t made the transition, it would industry right now, chances are you are running at have been tough to grow. We wouldn’t be anywhere capacity, facing challenges around finding and near where we are now without this technology that retaining staff, and feeling like you need five extra enabled us to do more in less time. (More hay!) hours a day just to keep up. And maybe your revenue Create a defined process for the entire life cycle of has dramatically increased, but perhaps your an order and then document it. Make sure it’s written profitability isn’t where it should be. You aren’t alone. clearly, and it’s easy for new people to understand. As we are trying to put out fires and get countertops It’ll make it easier for new hires to get up to speed. out the door in a reasonable timeframe, sometimes Record some simple videos of your processes. We use money is slipping away in areas we don’t know about a software called Snagit. It’s affordable (a one-time or have the bandwidth to fix. purchase of $49,) and it lets you record your screen My grandfather was a fifth-generation farmer in so you can create tutorials of your digital processes. the Sacramento Valley. He always said, “Make hay We post the videos where everyone can access them, while the sun shines.” (He was a tomato and wheat and they can refer to them whenever they need to. farmer, but the saying still goes.) The point is, he Even without a solution like Snagit, your cellphone knew how to take advantage of opportunities when will take great videos so you can record people doing they presented themselves. We find ourselves in this phenomenal market, so how can we make hay when various tasks around the shop. Another way to increase profitability is to sell we feel like our tanks are running on empty? more to the same customer. Adding a little more to You probably have as much work as you can the sale is much easier than getting a whole new sale. uncomfortably handle. It doesn’t seem like that long ago when the recession was upon us, and we were all Just like us, our customers are extremely busy. Sometimes they don’t know all the options, or they waiting for the phone to ring. In this current boom, we mustn’t waste any of the profits during the chaos. don’t know they want the thing until you explain the benefits. Offer profitable add-ons like tear-out It’s hard to make improvements or changes, services, plumbing reconnects, or even tile especially when we are busy just keeping our heads above water. Pick just one area of improvement each backsplashes. You already have a relationship with the customer, now just offer them more solutions to month and commit to focusing on it. By focusing their problems. It builds trust, and you’ll see that on just one thing at a time, customer come back or refer you to other customers because you went the extra mile. (More hay!) not only will you and the The good news is all of the investments we make team be able to accomplish the goal, over now will serve us well for the long term. Like all successful farmers, my grandfather knew to take time, you will see significant improvements. advantage of the sun’s bounty so he could invest in his operations to bolster him through the darker For some shops, this means going from manual times. Make hay while the sun shines. Words to live to digital. I remember by, to be sure. By Steve Mast, ISFA President
50 • Vol. 14 / Issue 3 • International Surface Fabricators Association
International Surface Fabricators Association • Vol. 14 / Issue 3 • 51
