Meet the 2022 ISFA Board of Directors

President: Joe Duszka

Joe Duszka is theowner and president of Carolina Custom Surfaces. With a degree in industrial engineering and an MBA, Joe’s strong interest in the relationship between machinery, people and processes has served him well in various positions, including plant engineer, production manager and plant manager for two manufacturing companies. He began working for Carolina Custom Surfaces in 2004, and he purchased the company the following year.

A big believer in the importance of creating a customer-centered company culture, continuing education and business development, Joe has been a member of ISFA since 2017; he was the vice president of the association in 2021. Joe is also a member of the Natural Stone Institute, the International Cast Polymer Association, the Rockheads Group and a Park Industries Business Group. Joe has been a presenter and panelist at several industry education events. He attributes his success to a thirst for knowledge and a passion for improving the decorative surface industry.

Immediate Past President: Steve Mast

Steve Mast is the director at Precision Countertops in Portland, Oregon. He began working in the decorative surface industry in 1996, and he joined ISFA the following year. He served as ISFA's president in 2021.

Steve got his start working for Avonite Solid Surfaces where he leveraged his degree in Japanese as well as his MBA to train and work with distributors in the United States and Japan. He joined Precision Countertops in 2004, which has since become one of the largest shops in the United States. In addition, Steve coowns a remodeling company, a laminate edge manufacturer and the software company behind the popular SPEEDlabel solution. Passionate about the industry, he loves visiting other fabrication shops, learning and sharing ways to improve business. In addition to ISFA, Steve is a member of the Rockheads Group, Artisan Group, Stone Fabricators Alliance and the Natural Stone Institute.

Vice President: Austin Maxwell

Austin Maxwell is the president and second-generation owner of Maxwell Counters, Inc. Since 1981, Maxwell Counters has provided central Illinois and surrounding areas with full-service, custom surfacing for commercial and residential stone, solid surface and laminate countertops.

Austin grew up spending his summer breaks sanding Corian and filing laminate end caps. He joined the company full time in 2015 after graduating with honors from Illinois Wesleyan University, where he studied business management and economics.

Maxwell Counters has been a member of ISFA since 1997. Austin is also a member of the Rockheads Group, Stone Fabricators Alliance.

Secretary: Laura Grandlienard

Laura Grandlienard is a leader in the industry and an advocate for the importance of environmental sustainability and increasingly prominent roles for women. She founded ROCKin’teriors in 2008 as an eco-friendly showroom, fabrication and installation company serving the triangle region of North Carolina.

Laura and her team at ROCKin’teriors were awarded 2018 ISFA Fabricator of the Year. In addition, ROCKin’teriors was recognized as North American Fabricator of the Year by global manufacturer Cosentino.

Laura guided ROCKin’teriors through Natural Stone Institute accreditation to become one of only five certified fabricators in the state of North Carolina. They work with top ASID interior designers, architects and general contractors throughout the state.

Prior to her career in decorative surface fabrication, Laura spent 14 years with IBM consulting on behalf of Fortune 500 companies. Her corporate and industry experience centers on exceptional quality craftsmanship, sustainability and client service.

Treasurer: Ted Sherritt

E.J. (Ted) Sherritt, CPA, CBV, joined FLOFORM Countertops in 1995 as vice president of finance and administration. Ted has previously worked with the company as part of his scope with KPMG in their corporate finance group where he gained experience in business valuations, corporate finance, receivership, insolvency, bankruptcy, forensic accounting, insurance and litigation support. He was named CEO after successfully restructuring the company to allow for the two founding shareholders to be bought out and retire in 2000. The focus was then shifted to building a management team ready to grow the business through broader product offerings and into new geographic marketplaces.

Director: Augie Chavez

Augie Chavez is the owner of GECKO Solid Surface Solutions (GECKO SSS) in San Antonio, Texas, and he has over 35 years of experience in the surface fabrication industry. After graduating from high school, he attended the University of California in Santa Barbara where he was introduced to the countertop industry while taking a summer job between semesters at a solid surface fabrication shop. He opened GECKO SSS in 2005, and the rest is history.

Augie’s expertise is primarily within the commercial space specializing in custom inlays and thermoforming projects for recreational centers, hospitals and more. He is passionate about safety, sustainability and creating a thriving company culture in which he treats his employees like family. He was named ISFA Fabricator of the Year in 2016, and he served as president of the association in 2020.

Director: Mike Langenderfer

Mike Langenderfer is the president and CEO of The Countertop Shop in Monclova, Ohio. He has been a member of ISFA since 1997, and he served as president in 2013.

With a degree in business from the University of Toledo, Mike forged his way into the countertop industry more than 30 years ago. An expert in business development and strategy, Mike prides himself as a mentor and advocate for other fabrication shops, helping them to learn, grow and find success. At The Countertop Shop, Mike nurtures a thriving company culture and regularly gives back to his employees, whom he calls his most valuable assets.

Director: Paul “Max” Le Pera

Paul “Max” Le Pera is the president and founder of Proprietary Ventures, LLC, a boutique-style global firm devoted to researching, discovering and deploying disruptive and sustainably oriented proprietary products and technologies.

Having earned a dual master’s degree in finance and accounting, Max managed and grew one of the largest multisurface fabrication shops in the United States, and he was responsible for the proliferation of quartz surfacing in the mid-Atlantic region as well as building the category nationally when it was first launched in 1998.

Max’s tenure as a building materials executive allows him to remain active and influential while expanding the synergistic scope of his firm. A member of ISFA since its inception, Max is fervent about sustainable manufacturing and helping the industry find and develop new products and processes that contribute to the health and safety of the environment.

Director: Rodrigo Velázquez

Rodrigo Velázquez is the founder and owner of Indeko, a worldclass fabrication outfit headquartered in Jalisco, Mexico. After high school, Velázquez started working in the kitchen remodeling industry where he proved his construction skills. He did so well that in 2002, at the age of 17, DuPont offered him certification to fabricate Corian solid surface.

Indeko strives to be a socially responsible company by collecting rainwater and recycling it when polishing stone. Around 20% of the scrap material generated is recycled for a different line of products. And thanks to an idea Velázquez picked up at an ISFA Annual Conference, Indeko uses solar panels to generate energy.

Velázquez was awarded Best Entrepreneur in the state of Jalisco in 2015, and Indeko is the only surface fabricator in Latin America that has received ISFA certification.

Director: Eric Tryon

Eric Tryon has started, grown and sold multiple businesses over 30 years. Most recently, Eric was the founder and CEO of Premier Surfaces. He parlayed the lessons he learned over 2 ½ decades of professional success as an entrepreneur and business owner into shaping one of the nation’s largest and most profitable countertop and specialty surfaces companies in North America. Eric sold Premier Surfaces in 2017 and retired in 2018. Eric has won many awards over the years including the city of Atlanta’s top entrepreneur in 2015; Stone World Magazine’s 2016 Stone Fabricator of the Year; and Top 20 Workplaces in Atlanta by the Wall Street Journal. Eric is one of the founding partners of the Rockheads Group.

He serves on several boards of directors for organizations in the Atlanta area. He is an investor in several startups and has numerous commercial real estate interests. He mentors and consults several executives specializing in leadership training and employee engagement programs for companies and their teams.

Director: Kimberly Homs

Kimberly Homs is the president and owner of Great In Counters in Smithfield, Rhode Island. She previously worked in sales and marketing for Cosentino North America and Kohler. She founded Great In Counters in 2003.

Kimberly has served on several boards of directors for industry-related associations including the Northeast American Woodworking Industry and the National Association for Women in Construction. She has also acted as a Women In Stone mentor.

Kimberly graduated from the University of Massachusetts with a bachelor’s degree in business administration and later earned her MBA from Concordia University in Wisconsin.

Director: Travis McDermott

Travis McDermott serves as operations manager for McDermott Top Shop in Jefferson, Wisconsin. Having worked in many roles in the company over the past 16 years, Travis is well-positioned to lead the McDermott teams across all aspects. He is adept at all parts of the business, including best practices in fabrication, shop management, CAD and related software programming, sales, inventory, installation and more. Travis is passionate about leadership and contributing to a thriving company culture; he prioritizes professional development among his team members.

Travis attended the University of Wisconsin, where he earned a Bachelor of Engineering degree with an emphasis in civil engineering. He worked as a civil engineer for two years before transitioning into the family business. Travis serves on ISFA’s events committee, and he is an active champion for the association.

Associate Member Representative: Jim Callaghan

Jim Callaghan is a sales director for GranQuartz, the largest distributor of stone fabrication tools, equipment and supplies in the United States. He graduated from Michigan State University with a degree in marketing, and he attended Central Michigan University where he earned his MBA.

For over 20 years, Jim has specialized in consulting with clients on how to pick the best capital equipment for their fabrication business, as well as integrating automation. Throughout his career, he has helped hundreds of fabrication firms lower their operating costs and increase productivity.

Jim has been a member of ISFA since 2016, and he has served on the board of directors since 2018. He is also a member of the Ancient Order of Hibernians, the St. John Paul II Society and Shrine.

Associate Member Representative: Jessica McNaughton

Jessica McNaughton serves as president at CaraGreen, a provider of sustainable building materials, including many alternative surfacing materials. She has 20 years’ experience in sales, marketing, business development and strategy. Previously the director of sales and marketing at CaraGreen, Jessica has maintained her status as a LEED Accredited Professional since 2009 and she hosts a podcast, Build Green Live Green.

Jessica has a degree in electrical engineering from the University of Vermont and a master’s degree in business from the Ivey Business School at Western University. She is an active member of ISFA, and she served previously on the board of directors.