EDUCATION CONNECTION
DEDICATED TO CRAFTSMANSHIP:
The Academy at Cambria By Sarah Peiper As a quartz manufacturer, Cambria is dedicated to quality. As a fabricator, Cambria is dedicated to exceptional craftsmanship. Headquartered in Minnesota, Cambria operates five fabrication shops across the country, and along the way, the company has developed best practices that keep those shops running with outstanding efficiency and precision. This knowledge is offered as coursework via the Academy at Cambria. What began in 2004 now includes a full catalog of resources and customizable classes all led by a team of five instructors who represent over 90 years of experience in the industry. “We are fabricators,” said Emily Kanz, field marketing specialist for Cambria. “We implemented vertical integration. Not only do we own the mine where we source our quartz, but we manufacture the product, fabricate it, install
only way you can stay on top of the industry is by listening and responding.” When a shop signs up for the academy, Cambria will do what they call a deep dive. “We’ll take a look at what you want to learn about and work with you to make sure we’re covering all the bases,” said Eccles. “Then we layer in our experience to see where you are at and help you get to where you want to be. It’s specific to your business needs.” The Academy at Cambria is always evolving based on the needs of the industry. But there are a few things that are consistent best practices. Preinspection, layout detail, cutting guidelines and finish work are some common points of interest. Preinspection Cambria believes that the process of preinspecting slabs is crucial. The time you invest
it, and offer the service to maintain the material.
reviewing your material can help you yield the
Taking that a step further, we offer learning
most out of your slabs.
opportunities for partners who want to expand their knowledge of fabrication and installation.” “We learn from the market just like the market
Since the material can have natural variation, review your slabs with your layout in mind before you cut. If you’re cutting slabs that come with any
learns from us,” said Cory Eccles, field training
kind of protection, make sure it’s removed before
manager for Cambria. “That’s collaboration. The
you inspect.
12 • Vol. 14 / Issue 2 • International Surface Fabricators Association
