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Katie Peralta and Rachel Jones
Triton Stone Group is a family business in every sense of the word, with siblings,
spouses, cousins, aunts and in-laws all finding a niche within the business. “My dad is an entrepreneur and has run his own trucking company for years,” says Katie Peralta. “As he watched his seven kids grow up, he started looking for a way to keep us in this area.” He bought a Triton Stone franchise and set Katie up to run it. Before long, younger sister Rachel Jones graduated and joined her in time to help with the city’s rebuild after Katrina. As more siblings were ready to come onboard, the family opened other locations, nine in ten years. Soon, some of their spouses were working in the company as well. “We’ve been blessed to be able to find jobs that fit each of our personalities,” says Jones. “Our mom laid down the law early on. She said if the business created problems within the family, she’d come in and pull the plug on the whole operation,” she laughs. Firm believers in promoting from within, the family rewarded employees who showed initiative by sending them to run new locations as they opened in other states. Triton Stone today is one of the largest importers of natural stone and other building products in the country, with 14 locations and a distribution yard. It also carries a large line of kitchen and bath fixtures and tile and assists customers with commercial or residential projects. In January, the family bought out the Triton franchise brand, acquiring five additional stores throughout the Southeast. “Now when our kids do projects for school about what they want to be when they grow up, they say they want to work for Triton,” says Jones. “I guess we’ve learned to separate work and family,” says Peralta. “Everyone understands their role and does their job. It helps that we love and respect each other and that we’ve been blessed with amazing employees who’ve become like family, too. It really doesn’t feel like work at all.”
Peggy Rodriguez Celebrating the 10th anniversary of everyBody wellness, Peggy Rodriguez continues to help clients meet their weight loss goals through commitment to healthy lifestyle changes. “Making permanent life changes is never easy but it is completely possible,” says Peggy. “I believe that you can change anything that you choose to change through structure, self-control and self-discipline. With the structure provided by the Ideal Protein Weightloss Method and daily and weekly coaching that we give our clients, healthy lifestyles emerge.” Ideal Protein is a physician-designed protocol to help clients not only lose the weight but also maintain their weight loss. As a registered nurse and product of Ideal Protein weight loss, Peggy firmly believes in its dependable, repeatable and predictable nature. “Ideal Protein was inspired by the alarming rate of obesity—and it works. I did it myself. Clients relate to me because I understand the struggles of what they are going through. I was a prime example—I thought I was eating healthy and exercising, but I was just adding pounds.” Peggy and the other coaches and dieticians on her team have all used Ideal Protein. Now, working one-on-one, they personally guide clients through the protocol and help them incorporate the program into real life long-term. Peggy says, “I love to see people catapult in their careers or in their personal lives. When they shed the weight, they bloom.”
Triton’s head office is located at 6131 River Rd. in Harahan. (504) 738-2228. 2090 Woodrow St. Suite A, Mandeville. (985) 951-2360
everyBody wellness is located at 2901 Ridgelake Dr. in Metairie
Mandeville location by appointment only. TritonStone.com.
and 8216 Oak St. in New Orleans. 287-8558. Women IN Business 17