ISFA's Countertops & Architectural Surfaces Vol. 7, Issue 2 - Q2 2014

Volume 7 / Issue 2 • Quarter 2, 2014 • Single Issue $14.95

Affordable Marketing Strategies Redefined Page 22 Questions to Answer Before Upgrading Your Equipment Page 24 Tipping the Scale of the Sale Page 26 Fabricator Profile: Lincoln Laminating Page 30

Making Waves

Australian fabricator highlights thermoforming skill in the showroom Page 16

Circle RS#01 on page 49 or visit www.isfanow.org/info.

ISFA Member since 1997

CREDITS Letters to the Editor

Photography

Please send letters to editor@isfanow.org or to Letters, ISFA, 2400 Wildwood Road, Gibsonia, PA 15044 or fax to (412) 487-3269 attention: Editor. Include a telephone number and address (preferably an email address). Letters may be edited for clarity or space. Because of the high volume of mail we receive, we cannot respond to all letters. Send queries about Countertops & Architectural Surfaces to editor@isfanow. org or mail to ISFA, 2400 Wildwood Road, Gibsonia, PA 15044 or fax to (412) 487-3269 attention: Editor.

Photography/graphics provided by: Wave Surfaces, Jon Olson, Stone Marketing Systems and Lincoln Laminating.

Countertops & Architectural Surfaces welcomes Letters to the Editor.

If you have questions about the magazine, or would like to make a comment, or voice an opinion about the magazine, ISFA, or the industry in general, please feel free to write to us.

Photos in this publication may not depict proper safety procedures for creative purposes. ISFA and Countertops & Architectural Surfaces support the use of proper safety procedures in all cases and urge readers to take steps to institute such procedures.

Magazine Credits

Publisher & Editor: Kevin Cole Proofreader: Nancy Mueller-Truax Design: V2 Marketing Communications

Contacting ISFA

ISFA Officers of the Board

About This Magazine

ISFA Directors

Phone: (412) 487-3207 Fax: (412) 487-3269 editor@isfanow.org www.isfanow.org

Countertops & Architectural Surfaces is published quarterly by the International Surface Fabricators Association (ISFA), with a fifth “Buyers Guide” issue publishing in September. Individual copies of Countertops & Architectural Surfaces are available at the nonmember “newsstand” price of $14.95. Countertops & Architectural Surfaces is also available by individual subscription at the following rates: ISFA nonmembers, one year (five issues) $30.00; ISFA members, one year free with every membership renewal.

Special rates and charges apply for orders outside of the United States.

Call for details. To subscribe, call (877) 464-7732. Printed in the United States of America. Copyright © International Surface Fabricators Association 2014. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reprinted or otherwise reproduced without publisher’s written permission.

Countertops & Architectural Surfaces and The International Surface Fabricators Association assumes no responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts or photographs.

Materials will be returned only if accompanied by a stamped, selfaddressed envelope. 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. Periodicals postage rate is paid at the Gibsonia, Pa., post office as well as others. Opinions expressed by writers in this magazine are not necessarily the opinions of Countertops & Architectural Surfaces or the International Surface Fabricators Association, but rather those of the individual writers.

Dave Paxton, President Mike Langenderfer, Immediate Past President Mell Hill, Vice President Erica Hussey, Treasurer Adam Albee, Secretary

Mike Woods, Director Kate Dillenburg, Director Ryan Miller, Director John Hansen, Associate Member Representative Jeff Smith, Associate Member Representative

ISFA Staff

Chuck Sawyer, Executive Director Kevin Cole, Communications Director and Magazine/Website Publisher & Editor Paul Wisnefski, Account Representative Paula Goncz, Administrative Assistant & Registrar Keith Haight, Project Manager

Cover Photo

Wave Surfaces’ amazing showroom was designed by Peter Carman of Dakota Design and fabricated from Staron Solid Surface. It goes well beyond the typical showroom, illustrating the possibilities that can be achieved with solid surface. Read the full story on Page 16.

Postmaster: Send address change to Countertops & Architectural Surfaces magazine, 2400 Wildwood Road, Gibsonia, PA 15044.

International Surface Fabricators Association • Vol. 7 / Issue 2 • 3

CONTENTS

Features 16 A Showroom That Doesn’t Fall Flat

Australian fabricator Wave Surfaces showcases real dimension

22 Give Me $200 and I’ll Give You $2,000 Affordable marketing strategies redefined 24 Equipment Minded? Mind These Rules Questions you should answer before upgrading your equipment 26 Tipping the Scale of the Sale

16

Five factors that can make or break your sales process

30 Fabricator Profile: Lincoln Laminating

Continuous improvement and learning from peers are two factors that made a big difference for this company

Departments 6 From the Editor 8 From the President 10 Education Connection

ENT MIND IPM E U QyzD

12 Management Matters 14 Industry News 36 ISFA News

?

E

22

11 Calendar of Events

41 ISFA Fabricator Directory 46 Product News

uestions you should answer before upgrading your equipment

49 Reader Service Form

BY AARON CROWLEY

24

26

30 4 • Vol. 7 / Issue 2 • International Surface Fabricators Association

50 Classifieds/Ad Index

ISFA Member since 2000

Circle RS#02 on page 49 or visit www.isfanow.org/info.

From the Editor From the desk of Kevin Cole, Editor & Publisher, and ISFA Communications Director

Communicating is More Than Just Sharing Information Journalist Sydney J. Harris once said, “The two words ‘information’ and ‘communication’ are often used interchangeably, but they signify quite different things. Information is giving out; communication is getting through.” I think this statement is as true today as ever, especially considering our fastpaced world in which there are more methods to communicate than ever.

Thirty years ago, face-to-face interaction, phone calls and letters (and possibly an occasional fax) were the dominant forms of communication. Today all of these still exist, but we’ve added to the mix texts, email, voicemail, chats, webinars, Internet posts, tweets, video conferencing, various forms of Web messaging, and so on. The list is long and continues to grow. With all of these different methods for sharing information, it seems how we communicate has taken a back seat, which is a step in the wrong direction.What we communicate is not just the literal information we share. The way we say something (or fail to say something) also carries many connotations.

In this digital age it’s easy to be overwhelmed by the number of communications we receive daily, especially when they are in so many forms. In any given day we may receive contact from customers, peers, family, co-workers, friends, subordinates and more. And each of these people is important to our lives and our businesses. So, there are some things we need to keep in mind that can help us to manage it effectively.

If you are working, then let personal contacts know you will respond to them during breaks or during lunch or non-work hours. If you are inundated with numerous requests, let those of lower priority know in a friendly way that you have received their message and you will get back to them (and make sure you do). That allows you to focus first on those things of immediate importance before working on the lesser items.

with employees or subordinates. Ordering someone

You should also be mindful that in written forms of communication, there are fewer social cues and so messages may be more easily misconstrued. When you are talking to someone face-to-face, they can see your expressions and hear your tone of voice, which can tell them a lot about your opinion of the subject. These things are less available in written forms of communication, and so it may be more difficult to understand the intent of the message. It is important in all communications that you are clear, appreciative and friendly, but especially so when social cues may be missing.

is something they don’t want to do and you are not

Another rule of thumb is to use careful, deliberate words, no matter what form the message is conveyed in. Just because you are sending a letter via email instead of postal mail does not mean that you should just fire off something without giving it thought.

Where possible, try to avoid argument, but in cases where you disagree, you can still be friendly and empathize with the other party. Being overly critical or condemning others may not only keep them from agreeing with you, but actually push them in the other direction. No one wants their flaws pointed out or to be told they are wrong. There are ways to express your opinion without creating instant opposition.

First, we should place a high importance on responding to all of these messages. Very few things are more upsetting than to be ignored. When someone reaches out to us, we should get back to them in a timely manner. Failing to do so can lead to However, you should’nt be afraid to share your lost customers, upset co-workers, irritated friends and opinions, especially in a work environment. Your family members, etc. experience and knowledge are extremely valuable to your business and are probably why you have the Try to set aside time just for this purpose. By job you do. However, no one likes a know-it-all. It is dedicating time to answer emails or make phone okay to be wrong or to have no opinion on a particular calls, we are more likely to do so. And doing topic. But if you are wrong, admit it and do so right it regularly helps to make it a habit rather than away. We don’t like to be wrong, but it is better than something we do when we get a chance. However, ruining a relationship over ego. we simply may not be able to respond with our full attention to everyone’s request immediately. If that is When dealing with others, it is always a good policy the case, then we must prioritize. to request rather than tell, even when communicating 6 • Vol. 7 / Issue 2 • International Surface Fabricators Association

to do something may automatically bring out a

negative feeling in them. But when you ask someone to do something, or better yet ask them a question

that will lead to them volunteering to do something, you come across as more understanding of their situation. And if you have to tell someone to do

something they absolutely don’t want to do, then do it with empathy. Let them know you understand it happy about making them do it.

There is also plenty to be said about face-to-face

communication. When you talk to someone in person, you go from a voice on a phone or words on a page (or a computer screen) to an actual person. Giving someone your direct personal attention shows

the importance you place on them. Face-to-face

communication shares emotion in ways that other

forms of communication cannot. It allows you to get

a read on the other person, and allows them to better get a sense of how you feel about an issue. In some cases a simple smile can convey more than any

written words, and it has a tendency to make others feel good and at ease. Even on the phone you can

hear when the other person is smiling. When possible try to talk to people in person. If you have the option of sending an email to your co-worker in the next

room or getting up and going to talk to them, to which do you think they will be most likely to listen?

Lastly, part of any good communication is listening.

If you are speaking to someone directly, make sure

you are listening to what they say and not just waiting for your turn to talk. Everyone wants to be heard.

Allow people the opportunity to share with you and

to provide feedback. If you aren’t so focused on what you have to say, but actually listen to others, you never know, you may learn something.

As always, I look forward to your feedback.

Sincerely,

Kevin Cole, Editor & Publisher kevin@isfanow.org

Circle RS#03 on page 49 or visit www.isfanow.org/info.

From the President From the desk of Dave Paxton, President of ISFA Board

Working Together I want to start off by reiterating what I said in the previous issue: I am open to talking to any of you about ISFA, or the industry or what you read here in my letter. And so, I’m giving you my cell phone number — (517) 719-0146 — because I really believe when I say the best way to learn is to talk to other people in the industry.

I feel as though I really don’t have anything to teach

in a family business may understand just how

countertops and vanities being used in big

met through ISFA have taught me so much.

emotions can run, how many different agendas are

topic and from what I can tell, the square footage

people, but I do know that so many people I have

I spent my editorial in the last issue just going over a list of them. And while I don’t want to spend too much of this letter doing that same thing, there

have been a lot of valuable lessons I have learned.

Here are just a few of the most recent:

rewarding it is. You may also understand how high

at play and all of the egos involved. My suggestion to making it work in a family business is to hold

back on the attacks, clearly state your goals and make sure the overall goals of the company are

set by all of the family involved. I find it helpful to constantly confirm the common goals to keep

Mitch Quint, of Formica, handwrites all of his

everyone focused on the same thing. And although

an impression on me and has influenced me to do

family members with honesty and sincerity, keep a

projects, like condos and such. I researched the

prices on finished product, including fabrication,

sink cutout, polishing and even shipping, ranges

from $4 to $11! In most cases we can’t even buy the material for that much, let alone cover the

fabrication costs. It seems pretty obvious to me that it is a case of these finished goods being

dumped into the U.S. market. I am not talking

letters on a Formica letterhead. This really made

it can be difficult at times, praise your co-worker

the same.

good attitude and smile a lot.

Michelle Getzinger handwrites thank you cards

Beyond that, our business is similar to any of your

a long way in showing that you care about your

that success doesn’t happen by chance. It is very

business. I have stolen this idea. Thank you.

and working your butt off. Our business plan is

Sean Jacobs embarrassed me once in a class by

our company that is constantly being improved.

I spoke with Meredith Rutherford at the U.S.

weaknesses, opportunities and threats to our

percent of the industry to sign a petition against

to each of her customers. I know this touch goes

businesses, and over time it becomes clearer

customers and is huge for developing future

intentional and must be built around setting goals

making me stand up for a long time in front of the lecture hall on one leg while holding a book out in

front of me. I still owe him a payback for that, but it was great how he was able to combine his sense of humor with a deep knowledge of the industry.

My connection with him has led to several referred jobs to me. Thank you, Sean.

Andy Graves gave me really good advice on

dealing with an employee issue. Thank you for

lending me your crystal ball. You were exactly right.

Keith Haight is an enthusiastic leader and is always eager to learn more. He is also highly

energetic and approachable. He always makes me think bigger about business.

These are the types of people with a lot of

knowledge to share that you need to get to know.

Anyway, I will try to share with you here more of who I am and what I have learned.

I am a part owner in a family business with heavy

really a bunch of goals. It’s a neat little book about

businesses like ours.

From talking with fabricators that offer these

products, I am of the opinion that they do it out of

necessity because others in their area are also doing it (or they fear others will do it) and they have no

choice. This issue will only get much, much worse.

Trade Commission and she said if we can get 51

business (SWOT), strategic and tactical focuses,

this practice, we could likely get a duty added

what product brands and vendors we are going to

focus on, and where we want to see ourselves next year, in five years and in 10 years.

If you haven’t put together and regularly updated

a business plan, and given some thought recently

at port on these prefinished granite and quartz

countertops. Recent duties on other products have ranged from 11 to 75 percent. As an industry we must do what is best, and put our collective foot

down. If we could accomplish a 75 percent duty,

to these types of things, then I would strongly urge

it would be huge for not just granite and quartz

you to do so because it can play a significant and

fabricators, but it would also trickle down to solid

positive role in the future of your business.

surface and even laminate fabricators.

There is one last thing I want to discuss before I

Let’s get it done. Or at least let’s talk about it.

come to a close here. This is a subject that is not

necessarily popular with some of my peers at ISFA because they worry there will be confusion as to what it is I am talking about. But, I mentioned in

my previous letter that I felt that there is a growing threat from cheap Chinese prefabricated goods

coming into the country, and I want to explain my

I will be at IWF in Atlanta for the ISFA annual

meeting August 20 to 23, and would be happy to

discuss it. Or call me. I want a level playing field for us, the fabricators, so we will be able to retire from this industry having made a great living. Help me.

Thank you,

thoughts on that.

I recently had a fabricator tell me that he has

I have met along the way. Those of you who work

cheap Chinese prefabricated granite and quartz

8 • Vol. 7 / Issue 2 • International Surface Fabricators Association

are coming in already fabricated and threatening

It states our understanding of the strengths,

growth in laminate, solid surface and stone. I was raised in this industry and really enjoy the people

about raw sheet or slab goods, just those that

lost a core part of his business because of

Dave Paxton, ISFA President

Circle RS#04 on page 49 or visit www.isfanow.org/info.

ISFA Member since 1998

OR THE FABRICATOR • FOR THE FABRICATOR • FOR THE FABRICATOR • FOR THE ABRICATOR • FOR THE FABRICATOR • FOR THE FABRICATOR • FOR THE FABRICATOR FOR THE FABRICATOR • FOR THE FABRICATOR • FOR THE FABRICATOR • FOR THE ABRICATOR • FOR THE FABRICATOR • FOR THE FABRICATOR • FOR THE FABRICATOR FOR THE FABRICATOR • FOR THE FABRICATOR • FOR THE FABRICATOR • FOR THE ABRICATOR • FOR THE FABRICATOR • FOR THE FABRICATOR • FOR THE FABRICATOR

Education Connection

Knowledge is Power ...

ISFA is happy to announce that it will be

introducing a new educational opportunity,

Knowledge is Power 2014, May 14 to 15 in

Pittsburgh. Founded on the concepts of the Million Dollar Mentor Program and the ISFA Business Boot Camp, Knowledge is Power

is a two-day event featuring presentations by and interaction with eight industry experts.

Comprising a mix of presentations, Q&A and

open discussions, the event is intended to open up a whole new world of understanding when it comes to effectively managing fabrication businesses.

period for our businesses, the opportunities for growth, efficiency, new markets, new products and new technologies are at our doorstep.

The new leaders in the surfacing industry need to be prepared to take advantage of these opportunities for growth and profitability. We an outstanding tool to help the next generation build a more dynamic industry than ever before.”

Wednesday, May 14: Shop Ops – Jason Nottestad will outline the ABCs of lean manufacturing and how to apply these principles in your shop. Harry Hollander,

ensure plenty of interaction, yet small enough to

keep track of your business, concepts and

allow for everyone to participate.

The concept for Knowledge is Power emanated from ISFA’s constantly evolving role as the

leading provider of educational opportunities for the entire decorative surfacing industry. In the

search to find an effective way to help today’s

industry leaders manage their way through the maze of opportunities and obstacles facing

them, ISFA looked to the successful offerings of the past, especially the CEO Roundtables, the Million Dollar Mentor Program and the

Business Boot Camp. ISFA has taken the best

components of each of these and crafted them

into this powerful two-day offering. The result is

Knowledge is Power 2014, a forum designed to share the wisdom from some of the brightest in the business!

Moraware expert, shows ways to help you applications. Russ Berry explores the pros and cons of commercial business.

will help you achieve balance in your growing business.

Thursday, May 15: Be A Leader – Michael Wood, change agent changing business environment. Jeff Schurman helps to make you a leader, not just a manager.

Chuck Sawyer shows you how to use metrics to assist in decision making.

Digital Grab Bag – Harry Hollander helps you

answers and comments provided will be the

basis for a dialogue about what today’s leaders are facing — a dialogue that will be woven

throughout the fabric of topics covered during the event.

Chuck Sawyer, executive director of ISFA

commented, “As all of us in the decorative

surfacing industry are recovering from a tough 10 • Vol. 7 / Issue 2 • International Surface Fabricators Association

Chuck Sawyer, Executive Director of ISFA – Specializes in Financial Management

navigate the maze of digital tools. Russ Berry

data management for financial improvement.

will be presented in advance of the event. The

Jason Nottestad, Sales Manager at VT Industries – Specializes in Manufacturing Technologies

extraordinaire, helps you to better navigate the

be requested from each participant. Several challenges facing the participating companies

Harry Hollander, President of Moraware – Specializes in Data Management

sales and marketing techniques. Russ Berry

explores the use of mobile devices for business.

questions about the goals, aspirations and

Aileen Davis, President of Stone Marketing Systems – Specializes in Marketing and Connecting

Fill the Funnel – Aileen Davis explores successful

An additional feature designed to provide

relevant interaction is the prework that will

Russ Berry, President of A.S.S.T – Specializes in Project Planning & Estimating

believe the Knowledge is Power concept will be

ISFA anticipates about 20 participants in

Knowledge is Power, a number large enough to

The 2014 Presenters

Chuck Sawyer shares tried and tested tips on To register for Knowledge is Power 2014, please contact Paula Goncz at paula@isfanow.org,

Jeff Schurman, Consultant at Leading Causes, LLC – Specializes in Leadership and Organizational Development

(412) 487-3207.

Sponsored By:

Michael Wood, Manager at Education Management Corporation – Specializes in Change Dynamics

Calendar of Events MIA Stone Summit May 14 Toronto, Ontario Canada (440) 250-9222

ISFA Knowledge is Power 2014 May 14 – 15 Pittsburgh, Pa. (412) 487-3207 paula@isfanow.org

Buddy Rhodes Basic Concrete Training May 18 Chattanooga, Tenn.

(877) 706-5303

ISFA Total Fabricator Training – Solid Surface May 19 – 20 Sparrow Bush, N.Y. (412) 487-3207 paula@isfanow.org

Buddy Rhodes Comprehensive Concrete Training May 19 – 21 Chattanooga, Tenn.

(877) 706-5303

Carrara Marmotec 2014 May 21 – 24 Merina di Carrara, Italy +39 0585-787-6022

Braxton-Bragg Fab King Training May 27 Knoxville, Tenn.

(877) 493-0205

Hermance Expo 2014 June 4 – 5 Williamsport, Pa. (570) 326-9156

Regent Stone Products Engineered Stone & Granite Repair Course

Gnomadic Arts GFRC, Countertop and Master Mold Making June 18 – 25 Woodinville, Wash.

206-349-6403

ISFA Total Fabricator Training – Stone/Quartz

Aug. 20 – 23 Atlanta, Ga. (404) 693-8333

June 19 Dulles, Va. (440) 250-9222

Hosted by Alpha Tools June 23 – 25 Las Vegas, Nev. (412) 487-3207 paula@isfanow.org

Fishstone Comprehensive Concrete Training June 23 – 27 Crystal Lake, Ill. (815) 276-0299

ISFA Total Fabricator Training – Solid Surface June 24 -26 Manheim, Pa. (412) 487-3207 paula@isfanow.org

June 13 St. Cloud, Minn.

(800) 328-2309

ISFA Annual Members Meeting Aug. 21 Atlanta, Ga. (412) 487-3207 paula@isfanow.org

ISFA Total Fabricator Training – Solid Surface Sept. 15-18 Sparrow Bush, N.Y. (412) 487-3207 paula@isfanow.org

MIA Stone Summit Sept. 19 Waite Park, Minn.

(440) 250-9222

Canada Woodworking East

Domcrete Professional GFRC Training with Tommy T. Cook

Concrete Décor Show

June 27 – 29 Miami Beach, Fla. (954) 509-9119

July 9 – 13 Sydney, Australia 130-0132-679

ISFA Total Fabricator Training – Solid Surface

Park Industries Digital Stoneworking Expo

IWF 2014 (with new Countertops Pavilion)

International Tile & Stone Show/Source Expo

Braxton-Bragg WerkMaster Training & Certification

June 12 – 13 Portage, Mich.

Countertops Symposium

MIA Stone Summit

SFA Workshop

SFA Workshop

Aug. 7 – 8 Liberty Lake, Wash.

Aug. 19 Atlanta., Ga. (404) 693-8333

June 5 – 6 Virginia Beach, Va. (800) 624-8210

June 10 – 12 Knoxville, Tenn.

(877) 493-0205

SFA Workshop

July 10 – 12 Kernersville, N.C.

July 14 -17 Sparrow Bush, N.Y. (412) 487-3207 paula@isfanow.org

ISFA Total Fabricator Training – Stone/Quartz Hosted by Alpha Tools Aug. 4 – 6 Oakland, N.J. (412) 487-3207 paula@isfanow.org

Sept. 26 – 27 Montreal, Quebec Canada (888) 454-7469 Oct. 1 – 3 Ft. Worth, Texas (877) 935-8906

ISFA Total Fabricator Training – Stone/Quartz Hosted by Alpha Tools Oct. 6 – 8 Las Vegas, Nev. (412) 487-3207 paula@isfanow.org

StonExpo/Surfaces/ TileExpo East Oct. 19 – 22 Miami Beach, Fla. (866) 550-6808

Submit your event for consideration in our Calendar by emailing Editor Kevin Cole at kevin@isfanow.org.

International Surface Fabricators Association • Vol. 7 / Issue 2 • 11

Management Matters From the desk of Jon Olson

The Importance of the Cove Backsplash in Solid Surface and How to Fabricate It When it comes to solid surface countertops, the

fabricated?” There are two main reasons: cost

cove backsplash is one of the most powerful,

and lack of know-how in fabricating the cove

yet overlooked, options. It not only provides

backsplash.

numerous benefits, but also can be a great

In response, I am going to show here a basic

selling point and a good opportunity for an

and relatively easy way to make a cove top that

upsell. I really can’t say enough what an

does not require any different tools than what

important feature it can be.

are found in a typical solid surface shop. This will

When we think of countertops, most people

help solve both the lack of information and the

think of a pretty basic design, with flat cutout

cost problem on the fabrication side, which may

shapes that match the cabinetry it sits on. And with many of the surfaces being installed, that

may very well be the case. However, with solid

Figure 1 – A ⅜-in. core box bit with a ½-in. shank

surface there is the ability to go well beyond the

help you to be able to offer this option to your clients without the price being a deal killer.

Tools Needed:

flat cutouts. One of the options that allows this is

• Table saw

the cove backsplash.

• - hp router

As you probably know, the cove backsplash is

basically a way to connect the countertop to the

• ⅜-in. core box bit with a ½-in. shank (see Figure 1)

backsplash in a way that eliminates visible

• ⅞-in. rabbit bit with a ½-in. shank

seams, with the top sort of curving up into the

splash. This provides a number of benefits to the

(see Figure 2) The Process:

end user:

Step 1 – Using the ⅜-in. core box bit, rout the

Appearance – Kitchen tops that have a cove splash scribed to the wall have the look of

custom craftsmanship, which, from a design aspect, looks beautiful year after year and

length needed on the full sheet of solid surface

Figure 2 – A ⅞-in. rabbit bit with a ½-in. shank

before cutting your cove strips. Routing before you cut the strips from the sheet will make it easier to manage.

stands the test of time. Also, even if the cabinets settle over time, the backsplash is part of the

Step 2 – Using the table saw, cut the routed

unsightly lines on the wall that settling may

will become the actual cove for the top/splash.

countertop, so you won’t be able to see any

end off of the sheet in a ⅞-in.-wide strip. This

cause.

Note the back of the strip should have a ½-in. deck (see Figure 3).

Sanitation – Solid surface is already nonporous, meaning it doesn’t offer bacteria and germs a place to grow, but cove backsplashes go one

step further. Because they have invisible seams

and are adhered to the countertop, there are no

cracks and crevices where the countertop meets the wall for dirt or food to become trapped,

Step 3 – Cut the piece of solid surface needed Figure 3 – The ⅞-in. routed strip will become the actual cove for the top/splash. Note: the holes in the image are only there to indicate the portion of the strip that should be ½ in. wide.

further eliminating places for dangerous

seam-free curved cove, cleaning it is much less

microbes to hide.

of a chore for the end user.

Convenience – Because the crevasse where the

So, the question then becomes, “Why aren’t

top meets the wall is replaced by a virtually

12 • Vol. 7 / Issue 2 • International Surface Fabricators Association

there more kitchen countertops with cove being

to make the desired backsplash height and

length. Remember to account for the thickness

of the cove strip (and also the depth of the rabbit you will be cutting into the top in Step 7).

Step 4 – Run the back side of the backsplash

through the table saw at a depth of ¼ in. about 1 in. up, creating a groove (see Figure 4). This groove will be used to help clamp the backsplash to the top in Step 8.

Figure 4 – Cutting a groove in the back side of the backsplash will allow for easier clamping during glue-up.

Figure 5 – The backsplash will be glued onto the top of the cove strip, so when measuring to cut the splash, the thickness of the cove strip should be taken into account (as well as the depth of the rabbit that the strip will sit in).

Figure 6 – A ⅛-in. rabbit routed into the back of the countertop deck will allow for the cove strip to sit flush with the deck. Note: The holes in the image are only there to indicate where the cove strip will sit.

Figure 7 – Spring clamps are used to hold the cove strip and backsplash to the countertop deck during glue-up. The spring clamp should sit easily in the groove routed into the back of the splash during Step 4.

Figure 8 – When routing your cove strip for a corner cove, stopping the bit short of the run allows for where the backsplash will intersect into the corner.

Step 5 – After you have cut the groove, glue the backsplash to the cove piece (see Figure 5).

Step 6 – While the adhesive is drying, wipe away any excess glue. This will mean less

sanding later.

Step 7 – Take the ⅞ rabbit bit and rout a rabbit

on the back of the top to accept the backsplash (see Figure 6).

Step 8 – Glue the cove and backsplash to the

top using spring clamps to secure the top down into the groove (see Figure 7). Remember to wipe away any excess glue while it is drying.

Step 9 – After the glue has dried, sand to the desired finish. I like using a 5-in. random-orbit

sander to smooth out the cove. (Just be careful not to over sand.)

The Process for Cove Corners: In some situations, you may have to make a

cove corner. This may look like a daunting task, but it is easier than you think. Here are the steps:

Step 1 – When routing your cove strip, stop the bit short of the run. This needs to be done

because the backsplash will intersect into the corner (see Figure 8).

Step 2 – Cut a piece of cove to the height

needed, remembering to take into account the

thickness of the cove strip and the depth of the rabbit.

Step 3 – Cut a backup piece to beef up the back of the corner (see Figure 9).

Step 4 – Glue all of the pieces up to the one selected section of cove you are working on

(see Figure 10). Remember to wipe away any

Figure 9 – A backup piece should be cut to beef up the back of the corner. excess glue while it is drying.

Step 5 – Sand out the cove. This is where

much of the work will take place. Some have

found using a dremmel tool or air file helps to

speed up sanding, especially if you’re doing a corner cove.

If you don’t want to tackle the cove corner, you could miter the corner instead.

Using these methods, you should be able to make cove backsplashes relatively easily without a bunch of specialized tools or

equipment. Then all you have to do is explain

Figure 10 – Once all of the pieces are glued up, all that remains is sanding and installation. the value to your customers and you will have a new tool to increase your sales.

About the Author Jon Olson works for DuPont as a key account consultant for Corian and Zodiaq surfaces in New England and has more than 30 years’ involvement in the solid surface industry, with experience in all aspects of fabrication and sales. He is the past recipient of ISFA’s Fabricator of the Year and Innovator Awards and can be reached at jonathan.m.olson@dupont.com.

International Surface Fabricators Association • Vol. 7 / Issue 2 • 13

In the Industry EPA Proposes Expansion of Clean Water Act, NAHB Opposes

HOUZER Hires Ken Hans as COO, Vice President of Sales

The National Association of Homebuilders

HOUZER Inc., a U.S. provider of quality sinks and sink accessories, has hired Ken Hans as chief operating officer and vice president of sales. A 20-plus-year veteran of the kitchen and bath industry, Hans will be responsible for selling to decorative showrooms, spearheading marketing initiatives and supervising product development for the kitchen and bath product manufacturer. Hans has spent much of his career in the kitchen and bath industry, with experience from Toto, Hamat Faucets and Geberit. He holds a bachelor’s degree from William Penn University. In announcing the new team member, Tyler Byun, president of HOUZER, said, “Ken will join me in leading all facets of daily operations. He is well known and respected in our industry and is an asset to our company and customers alike.”

(NAHB) has long requested clarifications

regarding the requirement of federal wetlands permits, but NAHB President Kevin Kelly said the proposed expansion of the Clean Water

Act by the Environmental Protection Agency

(EPA) goes too far. According to a release by

the NAHB, the proposed changes will increase

the cost of new homes without a corresponding

benefit to America’s lakes, rivers and other water bodies. “The EPA was told to make changes to the rule so that everyone understands exactly

when a builder needs a federal wetlands permit

before turning the first shovel of dirt,” said Kelly, who is also a home builder and developer from

Wilmington, Del. “Instead, the EPA has added just about everything into its jurisdiction by expanding the definition of a ‘tributary’ — even ditches

and man made canals, or any other feature that a regulator determines to have a bed, bank

and high-water mark. It’s a waste of taxpayer

resources to treat a rainwater ditch with the same scrutiny as we would the Delaware Bay.”

The NAHB feels expanding federal authority

under the Clean Water Act would greatly increase the number of construction sites required to

obtain appropriate permits, which will also result in the delay or impede construction projects.

The association’s release also puts forth that additional permits will burden the current

exorbitant backlog of permits ranging between 15,000 to 20,000. Enacted in 1987, the Clean

Water Act continues to be a source of confusion for both regulators and those subject to

regulation — and just what land should fall under federal, as opposed to state or local, permitting authority. It was originally designed to provide

federal protection to navigable waters and those used for interstate commerce, but the limits of that protection were never clear.

Staron Solid Surfaces Names New Distributor in Northeast Samsung recently announced the appointment of LEEZA Surfaces as the authorized

distributor of Staron Solid Surfaces in New York and a majority portion of New Jersey.

prompted by growth in the U.S. economy and increased low-cost competition, according to a release by the company. Integra has already invested in vertical market integration, creating its own packaging, mixing and dispensing system in addition to the stone, quartz and solid surface adhesives it offers. This new

LEEZA also distributes Staron throughout

investment includes increased automation that

in Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal, and will

keeping down its labor costs. The new pricing

New Britain, Conn, facility. “We’ve worked

Canada from its distribution centers located

allows the company to remain competitive by

service New York and New Jersey from its

encompasses more than 30 adhesive colors.

closely with LEEZA for more than 10 years

Notice to Non-ISFA Member Subscribers of Countertops & Architectural Surfaces Magazine

now in Canada, and LEEZA has always worked hand in hand with Samsung to

promote Staron across all market segments

ISFA is in the process of updating its

said Dale Mandell, Samsung’s architectural

Architectural Surfaces magazine. So, if you are

director. “We’re proud to have them join

your subscription in the past year, then

look forward to the impact they will have in

list. For a limited time, ISFA is offering free

region.”

residing in North America, but you must fill out

where premium surfaces are the requisite,”

subscriber lists for its Countertops &

product division’s North America sales

not a member of ISFA and have not renewed

us in the Northeastern United States and

you may be removed from the subscription

furthering our mutual business interests in the

subscriptions to qualified industry individuals

Integra Adhesives Increases Manufacturing Capacity, Lowers Prices

the subscription form to make sure you will

agency needs to go back to work on this. We

Integra Adhesives made a major investment

35 of this issue, or online at http://isfanow.

crafted rule, not this hurried, catch-all attempt.

production space and dramatically increasing

qualified for a subscription, you will begin

development process more expensive and time-

allowed the company to lower its fabricator

issues. All ISFA members are automatically

and for the economy.”

in 250ml cartridges. The investment was

need not fill out the form.

“It’s clear to us that this new proposal is not at

all what Congress intended when it told EPA to clarify its jurisdictional reach,” Kelly said. “The

receive the publication in the future.

You can find the subscription form on Page

need to protect the environment with a carefully

in its manufacturing facility, adding 40 percent

org/magazine-subscription. Once you have

Adding this layer of regulation makes the land

its production capacity. The investment has

receiving the quarterly publication within two

consuming. That’s bad news for home buyers

pricing for its most popular colors sold

qualified and added to the subscription list and

14 • Vol. 7 / Issue 2 • International Surface Fabricators Association

GranQuartz Website Now Smartphone Friendly GranQuartz, provider of a variety of equipment for the

fabrication of hard surfaces, has made its website at www. granquartz.com, smartphone friendly. All pages of the site are designed to fit smartphone screens and users can

find and purchase any product in the company’s catalog

at the jobsite or anywhere without having to use an office

computer. Smartphone users may also easily access their

shopping list of frequently ordered items for a quick reorder.

KBIS 2014 Welcomes More Than 31,000 The 2014 Kitchen & Bath Industry Show (KBIS), held in February in Las

Vegas, brought in a total of 31,092 industry professionals, according to

organizers. This represents an increase of almost 145 percent vs. the 2013

show. This was the first year the event was co-located with the International Builder’s Show (IBS) under the umbrella of Design & Construction Week.

KBIS, which is owned by the National Kitchen & Bath Association (NKBA), also attracted 500 exhibitors.

The show has reportedly already booked more exhibit space for KBIS 2015

than was sold in all of 2014. KBIS 2015 will take place January 20-22, 2015, in the Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas, co-locating again under

the banner of Design & Construction Week. To accommodate the increasing demand, another 500,000 sq. ft. of exhibit space has been added for the

2015 event. KBIS will now encompass the North and South Halls at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Additionally, StonExpo will be going on at the

same time (January 20-23) at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas.

MK Diamond Products Offers New Digital Catalog MK Diamond Products’ new eCatalog, available on the company’s website at

MKDiamond.com, features its full line of

products and allows users to interactively

flip through pages like a printed catalog, as well as perform filtered keyword searches.

It can also be easily downloaded to your computer as a PDF

file or emailed or printed. The MKDiamond.com website catalog features

new products for 2014, including the MK-IXL 5-in. Vacuum Shroud for dust control when grinding, the expanded MK-20 Series of concrete saws and new diamond blades.

Scientific Dust Collectors Offers a Free Updated Publication on Dust Collection Scientific Dust Collectors is offering a free second edition publication on dust collection titled A Scientific Review of Dust Collection — Second

Edition. It contains new sections on explosion vents and system design. The publication is a 120-page manual that includes illustrations. It reviews the

history, theory and application of all types of dust collection equipment. The publication focuses on understanding the development and history of dust collection technology, culminating in a detailed discussion on the current state-of-the-art technologies.

International Surface Fabricators Association • Vol. 7 / Issue 2 • 15

ISFA Member since 2002 Circle RS#05 on page 49 or visit www.isfanow.org/info.

The showroom at Wave Surfaces is a far cry from typical displays you might find elsewhere in the industry.

16 • Vol. 7 / Issue 2 • International Surface Fabricators Association

a showroom that doesn’t fall flat Australian fabricator Wave Surfaces showcases real dimension

W

ave Surfaces is a Perth, Australia-based fabrication specialist

with more than 30 years’ experience in manufacturing countertops (or “bench tops” as they are referred to in Australia) for commercial and residential applications.

While the company offers a diverse product range that includes quartz surfacing, granite, marble and porcelain, as Perth’s largest solid surface fabricator, the company’s skill set goes well beyond the typical.

With a penchant for thermoforming solid surface

and projects (see Figure 1). Staron Solid

is not shy in showing off its 3-D capabilities, and

service areas, and have even been cleverly

and the craftsmanship to back it up, the company

Surfaces is used for the countertops, sinks and

that is heavily reflected in its showroom.

incorporated into the cladding, cabinetry and

Making Waves in the Showroom

product and craftsmanship, a number of unique

No one who has had the pleasure of seeing Wave Surfaces showroom will accuse the

company of having just another run-of-the-

mill display area. Visiting the showroom is an

experience in the possible, not the predictable.

Gone are the typical straight lines, flat surfaces and commonplace countertops of the past.

The showroom is a real testament to the

capabilities and vision of the company and the

properties of the acrylic solid surface materials they work with.

Sweeping curves of contrasting dark and light

Staron Solid Surfaces® by Samsung dominate the showroom, helping potential customers to

visualize the possibilities for their own concepts

ceilings. To further accentuate the versatility of

sculptures accentuate just what can be done with the material.

Showrooms of this understated complexity and functionality require a designer with vision and

who is willing to push the known boundaries of product and craftsmanship. To this end Wave Surfaces engaged Peter Carman, principal

designer for award-winning company Dakota Design. Also based in Perth, Dakota Design

has handled complex design projects all over

Australia and the world, with much success and praise. Carman’s talent and expertise certainly showed amply in this project as well.

Carman used the Wave Surfaces logo (which

is reminiscent of the roll of a large wave) as the International Surface Fabricators Association • Vol. 7 / Issue 2 • 17

design concept, and represented it in different aspects of the showroom. Solid surface was

formed into a large-scale company logo, and

recessed lighting was installed directly into the material to create a ceiling feature piece in the center of the showroom (see Figure 2).

Thermoformed Staron flows around the space emphasizing the “wavy” theme. This includes curved countertops continuing seamlessly to cladded cabinets that integrate vertically into

the walls (see Figure 3). To identify the sample

and sink display areas of the showroom, another property of solid surface was made the focal point. The backs of the solid surface sheets

were etched and then backlit so that the words “colour samples” and “integrated sinks” are illuminated (see Figure 4).

Carman also designed beautiful artistic sculptures that were then made by

thermoforming and inlaying two contrasting

colors of solid surface (Staron’s Sanded Onyx and Bright White) to create effective and

interesting “black and white” show pieces (see Figure 5).

Figure 1 – Sweeping curves of thermoformed dark and light contrasting Staron Solid Surfaces make Wave Surfaces showroom unique and help potential customers better imagine the possibilities.

Figure 2 – Wave Surfaces’ logo inspired the design of the showroom, and the company even went so far as to create a 3-D solid surface version of the logo in large scale with recessed lights to create a ceiling feature piece in the center of the showroom.

Every aspect of the showroom features a soft

curve or wave emphasizing the brand and logo of Wave Surfaces. The beautiful design and

skillful fabricating techniques have pushed every boundary of design in this project.

Wave Surfaces exclusively uses Carman for

their entire in-house design consultancy, so that every customer, no matter the project size, can be ensured they are receiving the very best of design advice.

The Company Behind the Showroom Of course, like other fabricators, Wave Surfaces

hasn’t always been the business it has grown to become ...

With more than 30 years’ experience, Larry

“Bertie” Watkins founded the company in a small factory in Bayswater, a northeastern

suburb of Perth. With Perth being the capital of Western Australia (the country’s largest state,

encompassing the western third of the country), the business has experienced steady growth

since its inception. In 2007 the business moved to larger premises in Maddington, about 12

miles from Perth’s Central Business District,

after acquiring a retiring colleague’s company

that had established the original showroom and

shop. In 2009, the company doubled the size of its manufacturing center and in 2011 realized a

refurbished showroom more in line with modern Figure 3 – Thermoformed solid surface in a variety of applications, such as countertops, cabinet and wall cladding, and even the ceilings, flows around the space emphasizing the “wavy” theme.

18 • Vol. 7 / Issue 2 • International Surface Fabricators Association

trends was a necessity, which lead to the current incarnate of the showroom.

Warning!

This may be the last copy of this magazine you receive!

We are in the process of updating the subscriber lists for Countertops & Architectural Surfaces magazine. If you are not a member of ISFA or do not have a paid subscription, and have not renewed your subscription in the past year, you may stop receiving this publication soon.

For a limited time, ISFA is offering FREE subscriptions to qualified industry individuals residing in North America, but you must fill out the subscription form to make sure

you will receive the publication in the future. You can find the subscription form on Page 35 of this issue, or online at http://isfanow.org/magazine-subscription.

All ISFA members are automatically qualified and added to the subscription list and need not fill out the form.

You must act now if

you don’t want your

subscription to end!

Figure 4 – Showing off another ability of solid surface, the backs of the sheets were etched and then backlit so that the words “colour samples” and “integrated sinks” are illuminated.

Wave Surfaces employs approximately 25 full-time craftsmen, as well as seasonal labor as required to service the company’s extensive Australian client base. The company continues to be family-owned and operated by Watkins, who has his roots in cabinetmaking and countertop

Figure 5 – Peter Carman of Dakota Design designed these unique sculptures that were made by thermoforming and inlaying two contrasting colors of solid surface (Staron’s Sanded Onyx and Bright White) to create effective and interesting pieces that showcase the material’s versatility. the company has broadened its product scope

has invested in a state-of-the-art fabrication

over the years and customer requests introduced

a thermoforming oven and vacuum press

over the life of the business. “Changing trends

us to most of the products we use today,” said Watkins. “And once we had developed a solid

reputation for workmanship and service, we were also approached by some of the suppliers to promote their products.”

facility that includes a CNC Router, a V-groover, for shaping solid surface, as well as various

air-powered tools. The company’s stone shop

houses a CNC machine, edge polisher, miter saw and bridge saw, all of which are operated by a central computer.

fabrication.

This has led to the company’s expansion into

On average, Watkins estimates that about 10

Initially, Wave Surfaces generally worked almost

surfacing, as well as different types of natural

the remaining 90 percent is split about evenly

exclusively with Laminex, a solid surface product found mainly in Australia and New Zealand, but

a variety of brands of solid surface and quartz stone. In order to accommodate intricate

fabrication of all of these products, the company

ISFA Member since 1999 Circle RS#07 on page 49 or visit www.isfanow.org/info.

20 • Vol. 7 / Issue 2 • International Surface Fabricators Association

percent of his business is in natural stone, while between solid surface and engineered stone.

Wave Surfaces fabricates and installs in excess of

Figure 6 – Thermoforming is now included in 15 to 20 percent of the solid surface work performed by Wave Surfaces, as is illustrated by private residential installation designed by Richard Cardy.

150 jobs per month with a mixture of residential and commercial applications, with a majority of the daily work being for local builders, cabinet-

makers and shop fitters, and a small percentage of jobs being for private clients.

Thermoforming Takes Center Stage Obviously the thermoforming abilities at Wave

Surfaces are fine-tuned, but what prompted the

company to expand beyond just flat surfaces into these nontraditional forms? The customers.

According to Watkins, he received numerous requests from architects and designers who

were looking for someone who could reliably

produce this kind of work. That prompted him to investigate and then take on 3-D solid surface applications. And after finding success in the

thermoforming arena, the company has steadily

grown that portion of its business (see Figure 6).

capabilities in Western Australia, and it has given us the edge in offering customers something different from the norm.”

This also prompted the company to create such an elaborate showroom that really showcases its talents. “People want to see something different,” said Watkins. “The showroom gives customers the opportunity to use their imagination when choosing colors, styles, applications, etc.”

“Approximately 15 to 20 percent of the acrylic

This flair for the exotic, as well as bringing on an

work,” explained Watkins. “Now we are known

service, has certainly paid off for the company, as

[solid surface] we put out is thermoforming

in-house designer and comprehensive design

for having one of the largest thermoforming

its primary source of business is word-of-mouth

ISFA Member since 2013

referrals. “Wave Surfaces has a long-standing

reputation in the bench top fabrication industry, and we rely mostly on referrals from our happy clients to gain more work,” said Watkins.

When asked what his philosophy for success is,

Watkins offered up the following words of advice

that fabricators everywhere would be wise to take to heart: “Take note of trends and evolve to suit the market, because it is always changing.”

For more information about Wave Surfaces, visit www.wavesurfaces.com.au.

For more information about Dakota Design, visit www.dakotadesign.com.au.

For more information about Staron Solid Surfaces in North America visit www.staron.com.

Circle RS#08 on page 49 or visit www.isfanow.org/info. International Surface Fabricators Association • Vol. 7 / Issue 2 • 21

Give me $200 and I’ll give you $2,000 Affordable Marketing Strategies Redefined

By Aileen Davis

T

here are many differences between stone fabricators in today’s climate. But, there’s one thing that everybody in the industry

is on the same page about: lowering expenses to increase bottom line profits.

This can be a tricky task though. It’s not as simple as cutting everything you spend money on each month. After all, some of those expenses are

Marketing is the distinguishing, unique function of the business.”

No other activity in your business is as profitable as effective marketing, especially as a stone fabricator.

If you can figure out how to generate customers at a reasonable cost, you have it made — if you are thinking straight about marketing.

necessary to run your business from day to day.

Many fabricators view marketing as an expense.

really expenses at all. Marketing often falls into

marketing is a powerful investment that should

But even trickier are those expenses that aren’t

And, for them, it might be. But, if done right,

this category.

be made over and over again as much as you

My goal with this article is to share affordable and

inexpensive marketing strategies with you. But, to achieve that goal, I must teach you how to define

“affordable” and “inexpensive” in marketing terms.

An advertisement that is only $100 could be the most expensive ad you have, while your $5,000

per month campaign might be the most affordable.

Allow me to explain …

Now, admittedly, I’m biased toward marketing.

But, please don’t let that taint the power of what I’m going to share with you in this article. It’s

the reason I fell in love with marketing almost 10

years ago. There’s nothing else that I’ve found in

business that will give you as large of a return on your money as effective marketing.

Business innovator and leader Peter Drucker said it best when he said: “Because the purpose of business is to create a customer, the business enterprise has two — and only two --basic

functions: marketing and innovation. Marketing and innovation produce results; all the rest are costs.

22 • Vol. 7 / Issue 2 • International Surface Fabricators Association

can bear.

If I told you “give me $200 and I’ll give you $2,000

Calculating the Value of a Customer Conventional thinking in the stone industry tells us that homeowners have a lifetime value that is made up of a certain amount of projects, future job requests and referrals.

without fine print or a catch,” how would you

react? Of course, you’d test me out to see if I come through with my end of the deal. Then, if I did, I

assume you’d head to the bank to get as many hundred dollar bills as you could. Right?

What I just described is a very simplified, but

accurate, depiction of exactly what marketing can do for you.

If you’ve heard me speak or read anything I’ve

written before, you’ve likely heard me teach the fundamental marketing metrics of “Cost per

Customer Acquisition” and “Average Lifetime Customer Value.”

Your customers are worth something to you.

Across our customer base in the stone industry, our average customer’s lifetime customer value

is about $2,000. Sure, some are worth more and

some are worth less, but we must deal in averages for this exercise. (See “Calculating the Value of a

Customer” Sidebar.)

I encourage you to figure out what your average

To calculate your average customer value, you must first find out your average revenue per job. To do this, simply take your gross revenue over the last 12 months and divide it by the total number of jobs completed.

lifetime customer value is, print it, frame it and

Next, find out how much a customer referral is worth. For example, if you average one referral for every two homeowners, divide your average revenue per job by two. You can then add this to your average revenue per job you just calculated. You have now determined your average lifetime customer value.

to measure how much you’re paying for a new

hang it in front of you in your office. It’s that important.

After you know you’re average customer value, set up tracking mechanisms in your marketing customer through each marketing channel.

Simply take the investment of the marketing

strategy and divide it by how many customers

it produces. For example, if you pay $1,000 for

an advertisement and it produces 10 customers, your cost per customer is $100. You’ll then have

service, you better let your market know about

Have something good to say.

Say it well.

the metrics needed to establish a return on investment for your marketing programs.

From here, you can now accurately define what is expensive, what is affordable and where

you should allocate your marketing dollars.

Theoretically, if you have enough cash, you

should increase your expenditure in each of

those affordable marketing categories as long as your return stays steady.

Knowing which marketing investments give you the best return is crucial to best managing our marketing budgets. It should never be about how much you spend, but more about how much you get back when you invest.

Lowering Cost Per Customer Acquisition Once you’ve put a more accurate assessment together of what’s expensive and what’s

inexpensive, there are methods you can learn to

Say it often.

it in a clear, concise and engaging way. Here’s a four-step process that should help you do this: Interrupt/Attention – Get the prospect’s attention

you’ll find a ton of brokers. The only downside to

with a bold headline and interesting graphics.

remnant space is that you usually get the poorest

Engage/Interest – After you’ve interrupted them,

date. Both of which are acceptable in our industry

a great job of interrupting you with shocking or

placement and must be flexible on the actual run

you must engage them. Most ad agencies do

in most cases.

bizarre images. But, after you realize you’ve been

Now, let’s talk about the second aspect of

lowering your cost per customer acquisition:

getting more response without spending more.

Believe it or not, you can change the response — either for better or worse — by changing a single word in your ad. We’ve seen response increases

of more than 200 percent by simply changing the headline on an advertisement.

So, what you say is very, very critical to the

response you’ll receive. There are three steps to

tricked, you fall away from the message unless the creator has engaged you by engaging your hot buttons.

Educate/Decide – Now that you have your prospect engaged, you must educate them on why they should choose you over your competitors.

Offer/Action – We almost have them! Now all you need to do is give them a clear call to action that is irresistible.

creating powerful, responsive marketing. They are:

Follow those four steps in all of your marketing

Have something good to say.

and you’ll notice an instant boost in response,

Say it well.

which will lower your cost per customer

Say it often.

acquisition.

do this:

By focusing on those three elements, you

3. Say it often.

Spend less money on the advertisement itself.

Get more results from the existing investment.

marketing. Not only can you improve the quantity

lower your cost per customer acquisition. As you

might suspect, there are only a couple of ways to

can always improve the response from your

of response, but you can improve the quality

The first one is really an issue of negotiating

of responder. For example, you can lower

is something I encourage you to do. Far too

differentiating yourself and selling the overall value

with the advertising sales representative, which

the number of “price shoppers” you get by

many businesses assume that advertising costs

in your ads.

are nonnegotiable. I personally believe that

almost everything can be negotiated. Certain

advertising mediums are easier to negotiate, such as the Yellow Pages, television and radio. Other

mediums, like direct mail, are harder to negotiate because postage is a hard cost that is extremely difficult to negotiate. There are tricks to lower

postage, but that’s a topic for another article. For now, just make sure you’re dealing with a mail house that is reputable and knows their craft.

While lowering your ad spend can work very

well to lower your cost per customer acquisition, I believe the bigger and easier opportunity to

do this is in getting more response from your

efforts. However, I will mention one last industry secret that not many people are aware of. Most

advertising mediums offer a chance to purchase

remnant space for pennies on the dollar. Remnant space is simply space that must be filled that

I’ll now quickly break down each of those three steps.

1. Have something good to say.

increase response, but it rarely takes an ad from failure to winner. The reason you need to say it often is because people have short memories in today’s noisy world, and more importantly, they are searching across multiple mediums to make a decision. By staying in front of them across all mediums with a well-articulated message and something good to say, you’ll win their business.

After reviewing the concepts in this article,

have a good product or service, but you have a

on affordable vs. expensive and that you have

This can be done by creating soft innovations

line. These strategies are all proven in the real

have high perceived value to your customers. An

business!

a good product and service. Ideally, you not only

I hope you have developed a good perspective

BETTER product or service than your competitors.

found some helpful tips to increase your bottom

that don’t cost you a lot of extra money, but that

world; I encourage you to put them to work in your

example of this in our industry is offering a “same day design consultation.” This is something that may or may not work for you logistically, but

hopefully you get the point. It’s something that will mean a lot to many customers, but not really cost you much in terms of hard costs.

2. Say it well.

This is just as powerful as the first. There are many

that specializes in selling this product. Just search

offer a superior product, but simply can’t articulate

the Internet for remnant advertising space and

ad seven times for it to work. Sure, repetition will

Having something good to say is simply having

hasn’t been sold at full price. To purchase

remnant space, you must go through a broker

Don’t let this fool you. You don’t need to run an

good stone businesses out there that do indeed their message properly. If you have a better

About the Author Aileen Davis is the president of Stone Marketing Systems (SMS). SMS is dedicated exclusively to helping stone businesses increase their profits through innovative sales and marketing strategies. To join Davis’ free e-newsletter or schedule a complimentary 30-minute marketing tune-up session, go to www.stonemarketingsystems.com or call (888) 813-9658.

International Surface Fabricators Association • Vol. 7 / Issue 2 • 23

E

?

ENT MIND M P I ED QU yz

Questions you should answer before upgrading your equipment

W

hat do the shows Cool Tools, Orange

County Choppers and Home Improvement all have in common? They display an inherent fascination with, attraction to and affection

for equipment that is common among men.

The gravitational pull toward sophisticated

equipment is common among fabrication shop owners, too.

Unfortunately, this inclination is fueled by an industrywide overemphasis on technology as the be-all, end-all answer to personnel

and production challenges. Add to that the

endless manufacturers and financers offering big promises and small payments and a

BY AARON CROWLEY

This article is more of a checkpoint along a road with many off ramps that may lead to lower profits and higher frustration. If you are currently considering an investment in such machinery, stopping long enough to answer the following questions will serve you well. issues under control before the equipment

arrives will increase the likelihood that you will get maximum benefit from your investment.

fabricator could easily buy equipment that ends

Question #2 – Will your equipment investment

systems while at the same time draining critical

If so, what positions will no longer be necessary

up overwhelming already strained business

decrease your labor cost on your current sales?

cash flow.

once the equipment is installed? It’s easy to pull

This is not an argument against investing in

highly automated and expensive machinery.

Sometimes investment into the equipment side

of a shop can pay off handsomely. This article is

more of a checkpoint along a road with many off

the trigger on a sexy piece of automated metal.

It’s not easy telling a man he no longer has a

job. But what is the point of adding the payment if the labor savings doesn’t cover the new payment and then some?

ramps that may lead to lower profits and higher

Question #3 – Will the equipment increase your

investment in such machinery, stopping long

one because increasing shop output does not

serve you well.

that said equipment will produce also must be

frustration. If you are currently considering an

enough to answer the following questions will Question #1 – Is your business currently

struggling to improve output, manage overtime and increase profits? If so, adding equipment that requires significant training and that may

have a big learning curve will only magnify these

output without increasing labor? This is a tricky occur in a vacuum. The additional counters

sold, measured and installed. Will the displaced labor from the new equipment be capable of

performing all the other necessary tasks or will additional staff (and expense) be required in those departments? Hmmm …

problems. The truth is that tiny little mistakes

Question #3a – What is your break-even point?

or the wrong edge selected from a pull-down

are required to first justify the risk and expense

like missing decimal points, mirrored CAD files menu become gigantic expenses on highly

automated machinery. Working to get these 24 • Vol. 7 / Issue 2 • International Surface Fabricators Association

How many more dollars, jobs or countertops

of acquiring the equipment? More importantly, how many more are required to generate an

actual return on investment … meaning

profits in excess of the cost acquiring the new equipment and taking on the new business.

For the sake of conversation, let’s assume the answer to question #3 is yes; it begs a followup question.

Question #4 – Do you have sufficient sales growth to justify and utilize the proposed

increase in output? If not, what is it going to

cost to acquire that additional business? Are you willing to lower your prices or spend money on advertising and promotions?

Unfortunately, business will not materialize

out of thin air simply because you have the machinery to handle it.

Question #5 – Is your current staff capable of operating the new equipment? This question leads to many more. Is your current staff

interested in learning how to operate the new equipment? How much training is necessary for the successful transition from manual to

automation? Have you asked the opinion of

likely candidates to determine who is and isn’t interested in the position?

Question #6 – Is your current staff over-

qualified to operate the equipment? Meaning:

Are you prepared to pay a $25/hour fabricator to run a machine that only requires a $15/ hour operator? This is a tough one but it

bears consideration. One of the advantages of automated technology is that it lowers the dependence on highly skilled (and

expensive) labor. Combining the two may have advantages, but it is going to cost more and may lower the return on investment.

Question #7 - What is the actual cost of the

equipment? It is easy to calculate the number

We operate on a true reality show everyday where we make decisions that affect our customers, employees and families.

Our mistakes aren’t wiped clean at the end of the episode and bankers have longer memories than the average television viewer.

electrical on top of that, plus the cost to fly, house and feed your employees while they travel to a remote location to learn how to operate it! It could be $30,000 to $50,000 in additional costs before the machine is

even turned on the first time. When tooling,

consumables and breakage during the learning curve are factored in, the break-even and

return on investment will require adjustment yet again.

If we were just arm-chair operators dreaming of additional jobs necessary to cover the cost

about the latest tools on TV, we could buy

setup and training? These typically are not

the ones presented here. But we are not. We

financed or paid for separately. Depending

we make decisions that affect our customers,

is coming from, freight could add $3,000 to

wiped clean at the end of the episode, and

of the payment, but what about the freight,

the cool tools and ignore tough questions like

factored into the sticker price and must be

operate on a true reality show everyday where

on the size of the equipment and where it

employees and families. Our mistakes aren’t

$5,000 to the cost. For setup there is the cost

bankers have longer memories than the

plumbers to attach air and water lines and

But be encouraged! These tough questions are

of paying the movers to unload it, paying

average television viewer.

the questions that define a successful business management and leadership. Figuring out the answers before we make a major purchase can help you keep your business from being cancelled like the latest sitcom. And that is the difference between you and the men who only play tool men on TV!

About the Author Aaron Crowley has worked in the countertop industry for 19 years, the last 15 as owner of Crowley’s Granite Concepts, a seven-time Angie’s List super-service award winner.

He also developed the Fabricators Friend line of stone-shop gear, founded RemnantLocator.com and authored the book Less Chaos, More Cash. He speaks and writes regularly about business management in the countertop industry, and can be reached at aaron@fabricatorsfriend.com.

ISFA Member since 2011 Circle RS#09 on page 49 or visit www.isfanow.org/info.

Circle RS#10 on page 49 or visit www.isfanow.org/info.

International Surface Fabricators Association • Vol. 7 / Issue 2 • 25

Tipping the Scale of the Sale: Five factors that can make or break your sales process

By Kirk Heiner

I

f you stack each side of a scale with 50

coins and simply add one coin to the right side, the scale leans to the right. Correct?

So it is in sales. If you can add weight to

They simply talk and hope it all goes in their favor.

Two Paths

the customer’s perception of you and your

If you’re responsible for making sales for your

than that of your competition, you win

ways to tip the scale of the sale toward you.

offering, so you are a slightly better choice the sale.

Your aim is to create value in the mind of the

buyer so that it tips the scale toward you. You can tip the scale by many different factors. It

may be trust, perceived higher value, likability, on-time delivery or any number of things. One tipping point is all it takes.

company, you need to constantly look for

There are really only two main paths you can

go down in which to do this: One is price; the other is greater perceived value.

It is important to understand that only one

company can win by going down the path of

low price. Walmart is a perfect example of this.

So if that’s you and you’re the Walmart of the

Your job as a salesperson or sales manager

industry, then great. But, if you are any other

sales conversation, every time. It’s all about

decide who you are. Are you the low-priced

get at these two key selling skills, the higher

The Better Path

is to tip the scales toward you in every

company, price is a losing path. You must

communication and influence. The better you

player or are you the better option?

your sales will be. So how do you do that?

Smart sales people often look at the

sales process as scales in the mind of the customers. The customers are making

judgments as to who to go with, and when

the evidence is weighed, they give a verdict.

Whoever wins gets all the marbles. The loser

Greater perceived value comes in many forms: higher quality products, better

craftsmanship, superior on-time performance, more trustworthy — just to name a few. Each of these perceived values requires building blocks to support your claims.

gets nothing. You always want to place

Whatever value you choose to create in

choose you.

demonstrable proof, not subjective speech.

upon the scale reasons why they should In sales, you are always making a case for

you, your company and your offering as to why potential customers should choose

you over the other guys. I’m surprised how

seldom people in our industry make it clear

to prospects why they are the better choice.

26 • Vol. 7 / Issue 2 • International Surface Fabricators Association

the customer’s mind must be supported by

Everyone knows you're going to speak well of your company. You need proof, and lots of it.

You need to show them in undeniable ways that what you say is fact, not opinion.

So which factors will tip the scales? There are several physical, emotional and what I call

“invisible” factors that are effective. There are five that tip the scales in your sales: attitude, belief, communication, being demonstrable and experience.

Attitude Your attitude and the attitude of others in

your company have a dramatic effect upon sales. Attitudes are infectious, whether

positive or negative. Here are just a few of the

attitudes that can affect your sale: confidence, arrogance, friendliness, professionalism, optimism, hopefulness and helpfulness.

We could come up with dozens if not hundreds of different attitudes that will play a role in the sales process. Sales are the lifeblood of your

company and attitude is vital to healthy sales.

Emulating positive attitudes should be central

to your sales efforts. However, attitude alone is not enough.

Belief I’ve watched belief build companies and

crush it in sales. I’ve also watched when

even the best salespeople have lost faith in

what they’re selling and their sales volumes plummet.

Smart sales managers and leaders pay

attention to the belief level of their sales

staff. You can see it in their stride and in their countenance. You hold the power to be able to encourage or discourage. The operative

word here is courage. You can’t build a great company without it. But with it you can build an empire.

Salespeople need belief — belief in their

company, their products and themselves. If

any of these three are missing, it’s costing you financially. Fix it fast! Belief has a direct cause and effect result on sales. It can dictate how

In sales, your communication is bigger than you think. Don’t leave it to chance. The better you and your staff communicate, the higher your sales volume will be. It’s as simple as that.

much comes into your bank. Invest in keeping belief high. It not only makes dollars, but it also makes sense.

I’ve been studying communication for the past

Something Good – Start with having

all of us vastly overrate our communication

perceived value and why should it matter?

Communication

five years and here’s my conclusion. Basically

Communication is the single most important

skills. Every single one of us can improve. Yes,

key in making sales. And it goes further than you might think. Everything communicates.

Think about the fact that people are constantly taking in millions of bits of information

every second subconsciously as they shop.

They pick up on things they see, attitudes, perceptions and feelings.

Communication actually starts from their

first discovery of your company. It may start at your website, an ad or maybe at a home

show. It goes right on through to every sales

conversation, phone call and email to the final finish of the project.

In sales, your communication is bigger than you think. Don’t leave it to chance. The

better you and your staff communicate,

the higher your sales volume will be. It’s as simple as that.

So here’s the rub. Most of us are mediocre at

communication. Some are good. Very few are great. So let me ask you, if communication affects your income, why don’t we work at becoming better communicators?

it does take effort. It will take a little time and might actually cost some money. But if you

improve your communication, you will see it pay off big when it comes to your sales numbers.

If you are in charge of sales for your company,

something good to say. What is your greater One of my favorite quotes is, “A wise man speaks because he has something to say.

A fool, because he has to say something.”

Don’t just speak.

Have something good to say.

STOP and write down on your calendar

Saying it well – Craft your words like a skilled

communication skills of every person in your

canvas, paint! Before meeting with clients,

when you will create your plan to improve the

painter. Don’t just splatter the paint on the

company that interacts with the customer.

spend the time to create compelling content.

This is one of the best investments you will ever make. Good communication creates

the right emotions. It compels and creates

Come up with things to say that matter

and make sense. Then plan how you will say it well.

clarity. It can create a buying preference. It

Say it often – As the age-old saying goes,

perceived value. Smart sales communication

but it’s not addition; it’s multiplication. It’s

of the customer, not the company. It speaks

that make money. It’s the quality of your

speaker. Great communication is part art, part

conversations.

can focus a prospective client on your greater

sales is a numbers game. That may be true,

speaks to the issues, concerns and needs

not the volume of so-so sales conversations

of benefits to the listener, not to the goals of

communication times the quantity of

science and part math.

The more you improve your sales

Good communication is as simple as this:

communication the higher your sales grow.

saying it often.

try to see how much of what’s being said

Have something good to say, saying it well and

Next time you listen to a sales conversation,

ISFA Member since 2014

Circle RS#11 on page 49 or visit www.isfanow.org/info.

International Surface Fabricators Association • Vol. 7 / Issue 2 • 27

really matters to the customer and how many statements ring their bell.

Remember, people buy based on emotions.

That’s why the best communication uses

visual and emotional word pictures. We think

in pictures, not words. When we speak in ways

Only about 1 percent of companies will actually invest the time and effort to create a better customer experience. Companies like Starbucks and Disney win because they provide the best experience in their coffee shops and theme parks.

that convey, compel and communicate well, people listen.

So here’s the order. Determine first what

Being Demonstrable

matters most to clients. Then create

If you can’t prove it, it’s not real. Customers

question the things we say and the claims we make. They expect that salespeople will say

their company is the best. That’s why you must support your claims with proof. It can be as

simple as a physical display, a good seam, a

photo book of past jobs or the testimonials of happy clients. All of these are proof that give credibility to your claims.

The stronger the demonstration of proof, the greater the influence on the potential buyer.

As you create demonstrable proof of higher

value, remember that it must be on things that

demonstrable proofs that seal it as fact in the prospect’s mind. Set up places you take them to demonstrate your value. They can be physical or virtual.

experience that causes them to go out and tell the world about you.

Is your showroom pretty much the same as all of your competition? If so, the customer won’t see a greater value. They’ll see sameness, not

Experience

difference. And they are looking for differences.

We’re living in the “experience economy.”

Don’t be a “me too” company at the moment

Today, making a big purchase must go beyond the everyday and become a real experience for the customer. Customer experience matters more now than at any time in history. It is where you can create value, endear a client and pull away from the competition.

matter to the buyer. Even if it’s a new concept,

The best place to create an experience is in the

an issue about which they say, “So what?” or

of your allies, you need to create experience

you just made them aware of. It cannot be on

showroom. Whether it’s your showroom or that

“Doesn’t everyone do that?”

for the customer. Showrooms are the single

Circle RS#12 on page 49 or visit www.isfanow.org/info.

28 • Vol. 7 / Issue 2 • International Surface Fabricators Association

most powerful tool you have to create an

of truth, where buyers decide. How do you help the customer to see and select the right product? How do you display? Is it like everyone else in the industry, using chips and chunks? Do you help them visualize? It’s their greatest challenge.

The showroom is by far the easiest place to differentiate your company because, quite frankly, when it comes to our industry most people look the same. Create an experience

that customers want to talk about. Make it

Give them an experience so powerful that they

their selections.

it. Word-of-mouth is and always has been the

memorable. Make it easy for them to make Try to see through the lens of the customer.

What do customers think when shopping for your products? What frustrates them? Solve

can’t help but go out and tell everyone about single most powerful form of advertising. It

creates referrals. Did you know a referral has a 90 percent chance of closing the sale?

these issues and you will win customers.

Creating experience isn’t free. Few things that

departure from the herd. Want to stand out?

in time, effort and dollars. It means focusing

Creating wow experiences is the point of

Create raving fans? Create great customer experience.

Only about 1 percent of companies will

create significant change are. It will cost you

on the people who actually write you checks.

It shouldn’t be a foreign concept, but it probably is.

The truth is, it’s an investment — just like the

like Starbucks and Disney win because they

tools are used by your customers. Before

provide the best experience in their coffee

shops and theme parks. Join the 1 percent. If you blaze a trail down this path of customer experience, it’s like the early explorers who

through risk and determination found riches in the new world.

Think differently. Think about customer

experience from the client’s viewpoint. What

would you like to see? Experience? Discover?

Why not give them a great experience?

to be about faster, cheaper, better. It’s going to be about providing a greater customer experience.

Bill Clinton won the presidential election with the slogan, “It’s the economy, stupid.”

Whether you liked him or not, he trounced his competitor because he knew what mattered most to the people who voted. Sales is an election held every day, and customers vote with their wallet. It is about the customer. And their buying experience will be the leading

actually invest the time and effort to create a better customer experience. Companies

pull ahead of the competition. It’s not going

tools you use to do your work. However, these plowing more dollars into your shop, make sure you are getting the most out of your

customer interactions by investing in helping your customer in their greatest challenges:

visualization and selection. Help them to find

that “Eureka!” moment, where they found the right countertop and can give a sigh of relief and relax because their job is done.

Experience is the future of our industry. It is

where good companies will become great and

factor of making millionaires in our industry.

Why not become one of them?

About the Author Kirk Heiner is an author, speaker and sales trainer with more than 25 years in sales. He has conducted sales and training seminars for numerous companies including Lowe’s, DuPont, the NKBA, KBIS, Stock Building Supply, the SBA and more. He can be contacted at kirk@ kandbexpress.com.

ISFA Member since 2005 Circle RS#13 on page 49 or visit www.isfanow.org/info.

International Surface Fabricators Association • Vol. 7 / Issue 2 • 29

OR THE FABRICATOR • FOR THE FABRICATOR • FOR THE FABRICATOR • FOR THE ABRICATOR • FOR THE FABRICATOR • FOR THE FABRICATOR • FOR THE FABRICATOR FOR THE FABRICATOR • FOR THE FABRICATOR • FOR THE FABRICATOR • FOR THE ABRICATOR • FOR THE FABRICATOR • FOR THE FABRICATOR • FOR THE FABRICATOR FOR THE FABRICATOR • FOR THE FABRICATOR • FOR THE FABRICATOR • FOR THE ABRICATOR • FOR THE FABRICATOR • FOR THE FABRICATOR • FOR THE FABRICATOR

Fabricator Profile:

Lincoln Laminating

By Russ Lee and Kevin Cole

O

riginally founded in 1962 by Ron Biloff as a cabinet and

The company also expanded its product offerings.

For instance, when the Wiecherts took over, the

business was focused almost exclusively on the fabrication of solid surface, and only templating

laminate countertop fabrication shop,

and installing granite and quartz surfacing, but

come a long way since. In 1970, the company

including solid surface, quartz, granite and

fabricators in the country, and although the name

The Company Today

portion of the business and began specializing in

“Today, we offer a wide variety of products and

Lincoln Laminating Inc., in Lincoln, Neb., has

now they fabricate any number of materials,

became one of the first certified DuPont Corian

recycled glass products.

stuck, in the mid-90s Biloff sold the laminate solid surface countertops.

In 2002, Bob and Alice Wiechert purchased Lincoln Laminating and worked to grow

the business. Today the company employs 25 people and works in a variety of market

segments, such as the commercial arena, which accounts for more than half of its business, as

well as home centers, kitchen and bath dealers,

retail sales, interior designers and home builders.

30 • Vol. 7 / Issue 2 • International Surface Fabricators Association

brands, and really enjoy experimenting with new ways to use solid surface,” said Adam

Lincoln Laminating was one of the first certified DuPont Corian fabricators and as such has done many nontraditional projects from solid surface, such as this bathroom which uses solid surface not only on the vanity, but also has cabinets and flooring made from solid surface.

definition laminate, cultured marble hybrid. The

backsplash product has been an easy sell for us

and really adds value for the customer. It is a nice piece of additional revenue for us that requires very little labor.”

Albee, operations manager. “As the popularity of

To accommodate the stone and quartz side

competitive, we saw the need to lower our cost

second facility in Omaha, Neb., about 45 minutes

and granite ourselves in 2010. Most recently we

facility houses their stone fabrication outfit. In

offering called Tyvarian by Aztec Industries that

offering, this move also increased its footprint

quartz grew and the local market became more

of the business, Lincoln Laminating opened a

of goods and so we started fabricating quartz

away from their solid surface shop. This new

have added a new engineered product to our

addition to increasing the company’s product

I can best describe as a solid surface, high-

and the business now covers five states.

OR THE FABRICATOR • FOR THE FABRICATOR • FOR THE FABRICATOR • FOR THE ABRICATOR • FOR THE FABRICATOR • FOR THE FABRICATOR • FOR THE FABRICATOR FOR THE FABRICATOR • FOR THE FABRICATOR • FOR THE FABRICATOR • FOR THE ABRICATOR • FOR THE FABRICATOR • FOR THE FABRICATOR • FOR THE FABRICATOR FOR THE FABRICATOR • FOR THE FABRICATOR • FOR THE FABRICATOR • FOR THE ABRICATOR • FOR THE FABRICATOR • FOR THE FABRICATOR • FOR THE FABRICATOR “In 2013, on average, we went through about 26

slabs of granite and quartz and 80 sheets of solid surface per month,” said Albee. “Solid surface sales accounted for 71 percent of our total business in 2013.”

The company also strives to take advantage of modern technology, and utilizes a panel saw, CNC router, v-groover, shaper, bridge saw,

thermoforming ovens, a CNC stone fabrication

machine, a digital templating system, an in-line polisher, overhead cranes, dust collection

equipment and numerous other modern pieces of equipment.

“We recognized that the logistical side of the

business in the office could be more efficient as well,” said Bob Wiechert. “By investing in

project management software from Sage and

Zoom Integrated Products, we have been able

to do more with less, and keep better control of expenses as sales vary from month to month.”

With the growth of popularity of quartz surfacing, in 2010 Lincoln Laminating opened a stone shop at a second location and brought its hard surface fabrication in-house. This Caesarstone ‘Apple Martini’ colored island with the full drop-down on the side illustrates the interesting applications the company has been involved with since.

The Company We Keep Even the best equipment and utilizing top-notch software can only take you so far in an adverse

economy. “We were able to make it through the great recession thanks to our mix of revenue sources,” explained Albee. “We had some

commercial contracts in place, but like most

fabricators, we had to rein in expenses and find ways to do more with less.”

One cut that Albee later found to be a mistake was membership in ISFA. “We were a charter

member of ISFA and left a few years ago,” he

said. “The decision was largely my own. We were cutting costs and at the time I didn’t feel like we were getting good value for the expense. Over the next couple of years, though, I learned a

valuable lesson: The ability to connect with other

This backlit Corian vanity with the super shallow sink basin is another example of the unique work that Lincoln Laminating tackles.

same challenges is priceless.”

than cover the cost of membership.”

When Albee reached out to the industry, he

It’s this type of interaction that helped Lincoln

at all of the valuable information people were

continuous improvement, with the objective

business,” he explained. “I started interacting

course, perfection is always a moving target,

making the changes, there wasn’t necessarily a

goldmine of business knowledge within the ISFA

elusive of goals.

their part and, for the most part, it happened in

fabricators who share your passion and face the

be working until 8 o’clock at night to get stuff

done that had to go out the next day. All of that has since gone away. Everything has calmed

found others were reaching back. “I was amazed

Laminating hold on to its philosophy of

willing to share that I could put to use in our

being less chaos and more profitability. Of

What was the game changer for Albee? “Before

with ISFA members again and realized there is a

but Albee feels like he is closing in on that most

plan for each day, we just relied on people doing

community, and we renewed our membership.

As with all things, you get out what you put

Managing Production Capacity

in. In hindsight, the value was always there;

“It used to be our fabricators would come in

conversation, with one ISFA member, and more

today?’,” Albee recalled. “Some days they would

I just wasn’t tapping into it. I can have one

the morning and ask, ‘What is the emergency

down and people are happy.”

a somewhat timely manner,” he said. “We went from that to a more planned approach where

everyone has a to-do list at the beginning of the day that tells them what they need to do and how long we budgeted for them to do that.”

International Surface Fabricators Association • Vol. 7 / Issue 2 • 31

Preview of Coming Attractions Coming soon to your neighborhood‌ Isfa is currently engaged in the development of a program to revolutionize our Total Fabrication Training!

A team of experienced educators is creating a new program that will result in a group of ISFA-approved trainers that will be able to provide fabrication training on a regional or local basis.

With course modules developed by the ISFA team, we will be able to offer customized training at your shop.

To participate in the development of this program or for questions about this program please contact: Chuck Sawyer, Executive Director, cksawyer@isfanow.org.

INTERN ATION AL SURFACE FABRIC AT ORS ASSOCIATION

Circle RS#06 on page 49 or visit www.isfanow.org/info.

OR THE FABRICATOR • FOR THE FABRICATOR • FOR THE FABRICATOR • FOR THE ABRICATOR • FOR THE FABRICATOR • FOR THE FABRICATOR • FOR THE FABRICATOR FOR THE FABRICATOR • FOR THE FABRICATOR • FOR THE FABRICATOR • FOR THE ABRICATOR • FOR THE FABRICATOR • FOR THE FABRICATOR • FOR THE FABRICATOR FOR THE FABRICATOR • FOR THE FABRICATOR • FOR THE FABRICATOR • FOR THE ABRICATOR • FOR THE FABRICATOR • FOR THE FABRICATOR • FOR THE FABRICATOR

Another example of the nontraditional designs the company handles can be seen in this project it completed in the breakroom of the TD Ameritrade headquarters.

A Daily Plan That’s not to say that somebody has to write out a to-do list every day for each employee in the company, but it’s not that far from the actuality. “We spent a lot of time gathering data on different job attributes — edges, backsplash, sink cutouts, different colors,” he

said. “We did time studies, shared information with other companies and figured out the

calculations we could use. The end result is now we can predict very accurately before we do anything on a job how long it takes

for each step of the production process. We

schedule that out, which allows us to plan our production capacity far in advance.”

ISFA Member since 2013 Circle RS#14 on page 49 or visit www.isfanow.org/info.

International Surface Fabricators Association • Vol. 7 / Issue 2 • 33

OR THE FABRICATOR • FOR THE FABRICATOR • FOR THE FABRICATOR • FOR THE ABRICATOR • FOR THE FABRICATOR • FOR THE FABRICATOR • FOR THE FABRICATOR FOR THE FABRICATOR • FOR THE FABRICATOR • FOR THE FABRICATOR • FOR THE ABRICATOR • FOR THE FABRICATOR • FOR THE FABRICATOR • FOR THE FABRICATOR FOR THE FABRICATOR • FOR THE FABRICATOR • FOR THE FABRICATOR • FOR THE ABRICATOR • FOR THE FABRICATOR • FOR THE FABRICATOR • FOR THE FABRICATOR Customized Scheduling

In the end, Albee said the best words of advice he can offer is to “Never stop learning and

Instead of working on a flat 10-day turnaround,

surround yourself with successful people. Make

for example, Lincoln Laminating now bases

time to step away from your business and reflect

production and installation schedules on a well-

on what you’re doing and how you’re doing it.

defined set of metrics. “We found that as your

It can be hard to focus on improvements when

business fluctuates — sometimes you need more

you’re dealing with day-to-day challenges.”

employees, sometimes fewer — you can see it

This is a path that has served the company well

coming. And, depending on the type of job it is,

for 52 years, and will no doubt continue to do so.

whether it is stone or solid surface, or whether it is commercial or residential, we have templates

Lincoln Laminating operates on the philosophy that “there's always room for improvement.”

This is not only applied to the company's processes, but also shows in the way it takes advantage of modern technologies, such as this natural gas powered installation vehicle.

For more information on Lincoln Laminating, visit

their processes and set them up in the computer.

You could see they were thinking, ‘How can this

shop went much more quickly. “In the beginning I

us to do something?’ It really only took about a

would be getting a new schedule every day,” he

Then I started hearing from them how nice it was

Russ Lee is president of sitesNsolutions.com, an online marketing company geared specifically to the countertop industry. sitesNsolutions.com specializes in fabricator websites and optimization, industry specific blog content and inbound marketing content generation.

set up. You click a button and it generates your to-do list. You make the calculations from your

historical data on how long each step is going to take, and away you go.”

Albee said it took about a year to go through all Conversely, getting buy-in from the guys in the

guy in the office know how long it is going to take

explained the process to them and told them they

month of working the system to see the results.

recalled. “They all looked at me like I was crazy.

because all of the chaos was gone.”

www.lincolnlaminating.com or contact Operations Manager Adam Albee at adam@lincolnlaminating. com or by phone at (402) 434-6009.

About the Authors

Editor Kevin Cole can be reached at Kevin@isfanow.org.

ISFA Member since 2013

ISFA Member since 1998 Circle RS#15 on page 49 or visit www.isfanow.org/info.

34 • Vol. 7 / Issue 2 • International Surface Fabricators Association

Circle RS#16 on page 49 or visit www.isfanow.org/info.

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About Your Business What type of material(s) do you work with? q Solid Surface

q Stone/Granite

q Concrete

q Recycled

q Quartz/E-Stone

q Laminate

q Tile

q Wood

q Other (please specify): ________________________________________________________

Subscribe at http://isfanow.org/magazine/ or fax this form back to ISFA at (412) 487-3269 or by mail: 2400 Wildwood Dr. Gibsonia, PA 15044 International Surface Fabricators Association • Vol. 7 / Issue 2 • 35

Here.Now.News.

ISFA Mourns the Loss of an Industry Friend and Supporter in Mike Nolan

Upcoming ISFA Training & Events

For more information or to sign up to attend any of these events, call (877) 464-7732 or email gatherings@isfanow.org.

Knowledge is Power 2014 May 14 – 15 Pittsburgh

Mike Nolan, ISFA Education Director and former

board member, passed away on April 2, 2014, at

Total Fabricator Training – Solid Surface

the age of 68, after a short battle with cancer.

Mike was born in Painesville, Ohio, on Nov.

8, 1945, and was a U. S. Army veteran of the

Vietnam War. In 1975 he founded Wood Concepts Custom Cabinets in Albuquerque, N.M., where he was first introduced to solid surface in the

early ’80s. This material would soon become a

passion that lasted him the rest of his life. In 1984 he closed Wooden Concepts and went to work

for Avonite as fabrication manager, where he was

able to put his degree in Industrial Arts Education to good use as a trainer. In 1990 Nolan left

Avonite and started Windbound Company, also in Albuquerque. Then in 2005 he moved the entire operation to Morganton, N.C.

Mike was elected to the ISFA Board of Directors in 2006 and served two terms, stepping down

from the board in 2012. During his time on the board, he also helped to revamp ISFA’s Total

Fabrication Training program for solid surface

and served as the program’s trainer. After leaving the board, Mike was made ISFA’s director

of education and ran the Total Fabrication

couldn’t help but love. He always had a smile, a kind word and a helping hand to share.

dedicated to family and friends and to his

father, brother, uncle, son, son-in-law were some

Total Fabricator Training – Solid Surface

profession with a passion few know. Husband,

of his favorite titles, but the one that fit him most was teacher. He could talk to anyone with ease and enjoyed sharing an educational moment.”

The ISFA staff, board of directors and members wish to share their sincerest gratitude to Mike

for all he has done for the association and the industry, and offer our heartfelt condolences

Also being held June 24-26, July 14-17 and Sept. 15-18

36 • Vol. 7 / Issue 2 • International Surface Fabricators Association

July 14 – 17 Sparrow Bush, N.Y.

Countertops Symposium (at IWF)

exceptional person,” said ISFA President Dave

ISFA Annual Member Meeting (at IWF)

is a true loss by the industry of a friend and an Paxton. “Mike was a kind, giving and talented

man who will be missed by all those whose lives he touched.”

The American Cancer Society

ISFA Solid Surface Total Fabricator Training Class Returns in May

ISFA Total Fabricator Training – Solid Surface

Aug. 19 Atlanta

as a person who would happily share freely of his Mike was one of those people whom you just

June 24 – 26, 2014 Manheim, Pa.

to Mike’s family. He will truly be missed. “This

Memorial contributions in Mike’s name may be

time, effort and knowledge with all who asked.

Total Fabricator Training – Stone/Quartz Hosted by Alpha Tools June 23 – 25, 2014 Las Vegas

As was mentioned in his obituary, “Mike was

Training program up until his passing. He will be

remembered by all who knew him in the industry

May 19 – 22 Sparrow Bush, N.Y.

Aug. 21 Atlanta

ISFA Total Fabricator Training – Solid Surface

made to:

Sept. 15 – 18 Sparrow Bush, N.Y.

4-A Oak Branch Dr.

ISFA Total Fabricator Training – Stone/Quartz

Greensboro, NC 27407

Hosted by Alpha Tools Oct. 6 – 8 Las Vegas

The Level I Solid Surface Total Fabrication Training class is back in June, and will be held in Sparrow Bush, N.Y., May 19 to 22.

• Safety

• Bowl Mounting

• Product Knowledge

• Basic Repairs

The course teaches students the necessary information and processes for solid surface fabrication and installation, safety and shop throughput. The training utilizes both class discussion and actual hands-on fabrication.

The course covers the following areas:

• Productivity Concepts

• Basic Inlays

• Templating

• Finishing

• Seaming

• Installation

• Cutouts For more information or to register for this training class, contact paula@isfanow.org or call (412) 487-3207.

Countertop Programming for IWF Revealed

The partnership between ISFA and the International Woodworking Fair (IWF) established to increase the focus on the countertop industry for the 2014 IWF show continues to gain momentum as the programming for the show develops. The show is August 20 to 23 in Atlanta, with several full-day symposiums on August 19, the day prior to the opening of the show floor.

This year a “Countertop Pavilion” will be featured on the exhibit hall floor, in which numerous companies serving the countertop industry are brought together. In addition, four full sessions have been added to the show’s educational offerings just for those in the countertop industry. Plus, the full day Countertop Symposium will once again be held the day prior to the exhibit hall opening, and ISFA will have its Annual Member Meeting at the show!

Countertop Symposium

On Tuesday, August 19, ISFA is once again putting on a full day symposium in conjunction with the show. The seminar, “New Directions in Decorative Surfacing Business,” is designed to provide a wealth of information to both established countertop fabricators and those exploring their options in the countertop industry. Industry experts will share information and insights to help you learn about the products and business of the decorative surfacing industry. Topics will include:

For 13 years he worked for Transolid and has created numerous original sink and shower pan designs for various projects and companies.

Through his work, he has developed a particular expertise in Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) applications and universal design.

n A product review of decorative surfacing, including a CEU presentation on the basics of solid surfacing

Class Description: The maze of regulations and applications of design principles associated with the Americans With Disabilities Act can be daunting. This seminar reviews aspects of ADA as it applies to countertops, work tops, vanities and showers. The class reviews the ADA requirements and discusses critical elements needed to comply with federal regulations.

n Highlights of the latest new products (Cupron, Dekton, etc.) with CEU presentations by EOS and Cosentino

3:00 – 4:30 p.m. More Materials, More Markets, More Money: Profiting from Diversification of Your Countertop Shop

n How digital technology is changing the industry n ISFA surfacing industry forecast & business prospects n Q & A opportunities with a distinguished panel of industry experts Presenters include owners of successful surfacing companies and others who are well versed in the technology, techniques and business requirements of countertop operations.

Those wishing to attend can sign up at www.iwfatlanta.com.

Educational Offerings

For the first time in the history of IWF, a countertops educational track will be part of the normal show sessions. And, two of the four educational offerings will be continuing education units (CEUs) that meet AIA requirements.

Wednesday, August 20

1:00 – 2:30 p.m. ADA for the Decorative Surfaces Industry (with AIA CEU credit) Presenter: Jeffrey Smith, Gemstone Presenter Bio: Jeffrey Smith has been distributing, fabricating or managing some aspect of solid surface products for more than 17 years.

Presenter: Dave Paxton, Paxton Countertops and Showers, Inc. Presenter Bio: Dave Paxton is president of Paxton Countertops & Showers, a family-owned business that started with plastic laminates but has now incorporated solid surfacing, natural stone and quartz. Knowledgeable on the topics of family dynamics and business diversification, he is also the current ISFA president.

ISFA Continuing Education Program.

Class Description: This product review of solid

surface provides a basic overview of the material for those wanting to develop a familiarity.

3:00 – 4:30 p.m. Applying the Principles of Lean Manufacturing to the Fabrication Shop

Presenter: Jason Nottestad, VT Industries Presenter Bio: Jason is the Eastern regional

sales manager for VT Industries. He is an expert in the practical applications of lean manufacturing, especially for small businesses. He has been a contributor to a variety of industry trade publications and was recently a presenter at the ISFA Million Dollar Mentor Program.

Class Description: The real-time applications of the principles of lean manufacturing can

be a challenge to the management of a small manufacturing business. This class will present a summary of the history of lean manufacturing concepts and a review of the elements that can be effectively applied to the fabrication shop environment.

ISFA Annual Member Meeting

Class Description: This class will be a conversation about diversifying your business direct from a second-generation business owner.

Content will include how to analyze potential new opportunities and dealing with the challenges of diversification.

The ISFA Annual Member Meeting will be held at

Thursday, August 21

interact with your industry peers. ISFA members

1:00 – 2:30 p.m. Solid Surface Basics (with AIA CEU credit) Presenter: Dixie Plywood Presenter Bio: Dixie Plywood & Lumber Company is a preferred wholesale distributor of plywood, lumber, building materials and specialty products to dealers, craftsmen and architects/designers. It is a sponsor of the

IWF on August 21. All current ISFA members are invited to attend. This is a great opportunity to meet the ISFA board and staff, and get to know them better. It is also an opportunity to voice your opinions and be heard, as well as network and are some of the best and brightest stars in the industry, and personal interaction with your contemporaries is essential to getting the most out of your ISFA membership. There is no cost to attend and we are hoping for a great turnout this year. Come and get involved!

For more information contact the ISFA office at (412) 487-3207.

International Surface Fabricators Association • Vol. 7 / Issue 2 • 37

ISFANews ISFA Gathering at ILSD in Michigan Presented Opportunity to Learn

ISFA Continuing Education Program Progresses

In February, International Logistics & Stone

The ISFA Continuing Education Program, in which ISFA members that have signed up can present AIA-accredited CEU presentations developed by ISFA and ISFA members, continues to progress.

We now have four courses approved with several more currently under development.

The current training programs are in full swing with A.S.S.T and Dixie Plywood leading the pack in the number of presentations they have given. The program is sponsored by ISfA members Aetna Plywood, Cosentino, Diresco, Dixie Plywood, Neolith, and Meganite.

Distribution (ILSD) hosted an ISFA Grass Roots networking event in New Boston, Mich., that was well attended by fabricators, designers and suppliers alike. The event included a tour of ILSD’s new facility and plenty of opportunity to network and share ideas. During the event, a CEU presentation by Cosentino covering its new Dekton ultra-compact sintered surfacing product was presented, as well as a CEU presentation on quartz surfacing. Lunch, door prizes and drinks were all provided, as well as opportunities to check out the latest products from a number of industry vendors.

Robin Morris of Impressive Marble and Granite won the grand prize of a $200 gift certificate from Best Buy, but more importantly a good time with a lot of chances to learn something new was had by all.

More than 65 industry personnel were in attendance, not counting the ISFA and ILSD staff and vendors. In addition to ISFA and ILSD, the event was sponsored by Artisan Sinks GlueBoss, GMR, GranQuartz, Integra Adhesives, Kohler, Laser Products and Moraware. Additionally both the National Kitchen and Bath Association (NKBA) and the Marble Institute of America (MIA) were in attendance.

For more information contact Executive Director Chuck Sawyer at cksawyer@isfanow.org or by phone at (412) 487-3207.

ISFA Quartz/Granite Fabrication Class Returns to Vegas in June The Level I Granite/Quartz Total Fabrication Training class is back on the road in June and will be held at the Alpha Professional Tools training center in Las Vegas. The classes represent an opportunity for fabricators to send new employees to be trained or to pick up an entirely new skill set for their businesses.

The class is scheduled for June 23 – 25.

Teaching the three-day class is Fred Hueston, well-known stone industry educator. A nationally recognized consultant, he has trained thousands of stone craftsmen on fabrication, installation, inspections and restoration of stone and quartz surfacing products.

The course takes students through the essentials of stone fabrication and installation, material handling, safety and shop throughput. The training offers knowledge through theory and hands-on fabrication. Elements of the course include: Safety – A review of basic shop safety procedures, material safety data sheets including dust and fume issues, safe material handling, training shop safety rules, setting up a shop safety program and suggestions for reducing shop insurance costs.

38 • Vol. 7 / Issue 2 • International Surface Fabricators Association

Product knowledge – An overview of the properties, features and benefits of natural stone and quartz surfacing materials.

Productivity concepts – An introduction to direct, indirect and noncontributing labor concepts and the thought processes for getting the most out of what you have.

Templating – A discussion and demonstration of hard and digital templating. The students will template the project top for production.

Seaming – A dialog covering material layout for yield, color matching, tricks of the trade, adhesives and adhesive delivery systems, preparing the material for seaming and clamping methods.

Cutouts – A look at sink cutouts, faucet cutouts and cooktop cutouts. The class will also discuss rodding and the importance of proper support.

Students will perform a sink cutout as well as a cooktop cutout in the kitchen project.

Bowl mounting processes – An overview on attaching an undermount bowl to the countertop, including faucet layout and hole coring.

Basic repairs – A review of basic techniques for

chip and scratch repair, including face polishing to match the existing finish.

Finishing – A discussion of the proper techniques for producing a professional finish. Polishing techniques covering diamond polishing pads, backing pads, variable-speed grinders and polishing the exposed edge for an undermount sink will be discussed and practiced. The discussion will also cover application environments, cleaner application, enhancers, sealers, waxes and caulking.

Installation – A look at installation as a part of total fabrication. The class will review tools and materials, loading sequence, customer relations, field seams, caulking, finishing, care and maintenance, warranty information and consumer completion. The students will install the project countertops on the mock‐up cabinets.

Support systems – A presentation that will focus on various methods and materials to provide for support for countertops including overhang applications.

For more information or to register for this training class, fill out and submit the form on Page 39, contact paula@isfanow.org or call (412) 487-3207.

Training Information For the New Jersey classes, a room block as been arranged at the Holiday Inn Express, 303 Union Avenue, Haskell, NJ 07420, (973) 839-4405. The daily rate is $91 +tax and includes breakfast. You need to state that you are a guest of Alpha Tools to receive the discounted rate. The best airport to use is Newark (EWR). We will provide class materials and lunch for the class days; you are responsible for any other travel costs.

For the Las Vegas classes, please call Paula at the ISFA headquarters for detailed hotel information (412) 487-3207. We will provide class materials and lunch for the class days; you are responsible for any other travel costs.

International Surface Fabricators Association • Vol. 7 / Issue 2 • 39

ISFANews ISFA Board of Directors Dave Paxton President Paxton Countertops and Showers PO Box 174 Grand Ledge, MI 48837 Phone: (517) 719-0146 paxtoncountertops@yahoo.com Mike Langenderfer Immediate Past President The Countertop Shop 10406 Geiser Rd. Holland, OH 43528 Phone: (419) 868-9101 mike@countertopshop.net www.countertopshop.net Mell Hill Vice President Oldcastle Surfaces 1400 Marietta St. Atlanta, GA 30318 Phone: (404) 355-3108 Mell.Hill@oldcastle.com www.oldcastlesurfaces.com Adam Albee Secretary Lincoln Laminating 5010 Rentworth Dr. Lincoln, NE 68516 Phone: (402) 434-6009 adam@lincolnlaminating.com www.lincolnlaminating.com

ISFA Contacts

Erica Hussey Treasurer JCW Countertops 3 Aberjona Dr. Woburn, MA 01801 Phone: (781) 935-1907 ericamaria@jcwcountertops.com www.jcwcountertops.com

Ryan Miller Director VT Stone Surfaces 1000 Industrial Park Holstein, IA 51025 Phone: (712) 368-4381, ext. 236 RMiller@vtindustries.com www.vtstonesurfaces.com

Mike Woods Director Creative Countertop Solutions 919 4th Ave. S. Nashville, TN 37210 Phone: (615) 915-0718 mike@tnccs.com www.creativecountersolutions.com

John Hansen Associate Member Representative Kohler 3721 Armstrong Dr., Ste. 2B Bloomington, IL 61704 Phone: (920) 207-7701 John.Hansen@Kohler.com www.kohler.com

Kate Dillenburg Director Bisley Fabrication 700 Industrial St. Gresham, WI 54128 Phone (715) 787-4410 kbisley@bisfab.com www.bisfab.com

Jeff Smith Associate Member Representative Gemstone 435 Harrison St. Elkhart, IN 46516 Phone: (574) 294-8899 jsmith@gemstoness.com www.gemstoness.com

Grass Roots

Gatherings I S FA G rass R oots Gath e r i n g Coming this summer to Precision Countertops in Oregon Coming this fall to Park Industries

Executive Director Chuck Sawyer (724) 612-9768 cksawyer@isfanow.org Communications Director Kevin Cole Magazine/Website Publisher & Editor (815) 721-1507 kevin@isfanow.org Account Representative Paul Wisnefski (262) 498-4184 wisnefski@sbc global.net Administrative Assistant & Registrar Paula Goncz (877) 464-7732 paula@isfanow.org Project Manager Keith Haight (484) 354-5909 keith@isfanow.org

Get Involved!

We need your help to make these events the best that they can be. For more information or to help organize an event in your area, please contact ISFA at gatherings@isfanow.org.

If you are an associate member interested in sponsoring or displaying at a regional event, please contact ISFA at support@isfanow.org.

Watch for more information soon!

Circle RS#17 on page 49 or visit www.isfanow.org/info.

40 • Vol. 7 / Issue 2 • International Surface Fabricators Association

Main Office 2400 Wildwood Rd. Gibsonia, PA 15044 Direct: (412) 487-3207 • Fax: (412) 487-3269 www.isfanow.org

Fabricator Directory Companies in blue are Certified Professionals alabama

Surface One

2421 Hwy. 11 Pelham, AL 35124 205-621-1125 www.surface1.com

Alaska

Alaskan Counter Fitters 607 Old Steese Hwy. Ste. B PMB 354 Fairbanks, AK 99701 907-455-0247

Bicknell Inc.

PO Box 33517 Juneau, AK 99801 907-789-5727 www.bicknellinc.com

Cook Inlet Housing Authority

3510 Spenard Rd. Anchorage, AK 99503 907-793-3047 www.cookinlethousing.org

G2 Construction

PO Box 10690 Fairbanks, AK 99710 907-458-1087 www.g2const.com

Mountain Tops LTD

6605 Arctic Spur Rd. Anchorage, AK 99518 907-272-8107 www.mountaintops.net

North Coast Countertops 7720 Hacienda Dr. Anchorage, AK 99507 907-727-6419

Panco Inc.

PO Box 210 Talkeetna, AK 99676 907-733-6600

Duracite

2100 Huntington Dr. Fairfield, CA 94533 707-402-1600 www.duracite.com

Finishing Touch Millwork 1280 Activity Dr., Ste. D Vista, CA 92081 858-382-9143 www.ftmillwork.com

Fischer Tile & Marble 1800 23rd St. Sacramento, CA 95816 916-452-1426 www.fischertile.com

Integra Cabinets & Millwork 249 W. Baywood #B Orange, CA 92865 714-283-2890 www.integracmw.com

Marble Expressions

1573 Seminole St. San Marcos, CA 92708 760-471-8737 www.marbleexpressions.com

Mio Metals

400 Western Ave. Petaluma, CA 94952 888-530-7630 www.miometals.com

Southwest Carpenters Training Fund 533 S. Fremont Ave. #401 Los Angeles, CA 90071 213-739-9343

The Countertop Factory

12349 Telegraph Rd. Santa Fe Springs, CA 90670 562-944-2450 www.thecountertopfactory.net

Arizona

Visalia Ceramic Tile

Specializing In Solid Surface 1440 Corona Fort Mojave, AZ 86426 928-788-1000

Colorado

Kitchen Bath & Beyond

California

Block Tops Inc.

1560 Harris Ct. Anaheim, CA 92806 714-978-5080 www.blocktops.com

Design Fabrication Inc.

100 Bosstick Blvd.

San Marco, CA 92069 760-727-1800 www.designfabrication.com

917 N. American St. Visalia, CA 93291559-651-2925

AAFES Ft. Carson FMO 1510 Chiles Ave. Ft. Carson, CO 719-291-9206

Arlun Inc.

6250 Corporate Dr. Colorado Springs, CO 80919 719-599-4175

DMS

1620 Paonia St. Colorado Springs, CO 80915 719-574-1250 www.dmscustom.com

Connecticut

Oldcastle Surfaces Inc.

65 Cogwheel Lane Seymour, CT 06401 203-888-6191 www.portadoor.com

Top South

1400 W. Marietta St. Atlanta, GA 30318 404-355-3108 www.oldcastlesurfaces.com

Porta Door Co. Inc.

830 Pickens Industrial Dr. Marietta, GA 30062 770-422-4009 www.topsouth.com

DELAWARE Keith Haight

Wilmington, DE 19803 484-354-5909

Hawaii

Honolulu Tile & Marble Inc.

Troy Granite Inc.

711 Interchange Blvd.

Newark, DE 19711 302-292-1750 www.troygranite.com

1602-B Auiki St. Honolulu, HI 96819 808-845-3775

Solid Surface Technologies

Florida

Beverin Solid Surface 1108 Palmetto Ave. Lehigh Acres, FL 33972 239-368-9444 www.beverin.com

360 Mokauea St. Honolulu, HI 96819 808-845-8677 www.ssthawaii.com

Superior Solid Surface

Natural Stone Motif Inc.

870 Sunshine Ln. Altamonte Springs, FL 32714 407-774-0676 www.naturalstonemotif.com

Surface Crafters

711 Commercial Dr. Holly Hill, FL 32117 386-253-0826 www.surface-crafters.com

Sterling Mfg.

1620 Hau St. Honolulu, HI 96817 808-842-5556

Idaho

Ketchum Kustom Woodworks

114 Lewis St. #3 & #4 Ketchum, ID 83340 208-726-1905 www.ketchumkustom woodworks.com

Illinois

8293 Consumer Circle Sarasota, FL 34240 941-955-8787 www.sterlingmfg.com

Custom Marble Inc.

PO Box 306 Millstadt, IL 62260 618-476-1345 www.custommarble.net

Georgia

Atlanta Kitchen Inc.

196 Rio Circle Decatur, GA 30030 404-378-3220 www.atlanta-kitchen.com

Counterfitters LLC

1026 Lynes Ave. Savannah, GA 31415 912-231-0103 www.counterfittersav.com

Countersync

Dirk Foster

802 S. 26th St. Mt. Vernon, IL 62864 206-898-8163

F-W-S Solid Surface Specialist Inc. 610 N. Illinois Ave. Carbondale, IL 62901 618-457-2326 www.f-w-s.net

2014 Westside Ct. Augusta, GA 30907 706-828-7544 www.countersync.net

Maxwell Counters, Inc.

Lovell Construction, Inc.

New Age Surfaces

21880 Bradbury Rd. Grantville, GA 30220 770-253-0383

PO Box 234 Farmer City, IL 61842 309-928-2848 1237 Naperville Dr. Romeoville, IL 60446 630-226-0011

International Surface Fabricators Association • Vol. 7 / Issue 2 • 41

Fabricator Directory Companies in blue are Certified Professionals Pierce Laminated Products Inc.

2430 N. Court St. Rockford, IL 61103 815-968-9651 www.piercelaminated.com

Solid Surface Creations Inc.

403 S. Sycamore Villa Grove, IL 61956 217-832-8207 www.ssctops.com

Sprovieri’s Custom Cabinets 55 Laura Dr. Addison, IL 60101 630-917-4690 www.sprovieris.com

Stalwart Systems

7797 N. Caldwell Ave. Niles, IL 60714 847-972-1193 www.stalwartsystemsusa.com

Michiana Laminated Products Inc.

7130 N. 050 E. Howe, IN 46746 260-562-2871 www.michianalaminated.com

Iowa

Custom Countertops & More 1801 E. Oak St. Algona, IA 50511 515-295-4835

Granite Custom Design

2369 Heinz Rd. Unit #J Iowa City, IA 52240 888-452-0714 www.granitecustomdesign.com

Solid Fabrications Inc.

Stevens Industries Inc.

2515 Murray St. Sioux City, IA 51111 712-255-5319 www.solidfab.com

Ultimate Stone Inc.

323 La Porte Rd. Waterloo, IA 50702 319-287-5056 www.surfacesolutionsia.com

704 W. Main St. Teutopolis, IL 62427 217-540-3100 www.stevensinc.com

1445 Tonne Rd. Elk Grove Village, IL 60007 847-437-8662 www.ultimatestone.net

Indiana

A. I. A. Countertops LLC 501 W. Railroad Ave. Syracuse, IN 46567 574-457-2018 www.aiacountertops.com

Bollock Industries Inc.

900 Farabee Ct. Lafayette, IN 47905 765-448-6000 www.bollockstoptops.com

Countertop Pros

5901 S. Range Rd. North Judson, IN 46366 574-896-6013

Surface Solutions Inc.

VT Industries

1000 Industrial Park Holstein, IA 51025 712-368-4381 www.vtindustries.com

Kansas

Countertop Shoppe

5855 S.W. 21st St. Topeka, KS 66604 785-271-8675 www.mycountertopshoppe.com

Fisher Lumber Co., Inc. PO Box 355 Garden Plain, KS 67050 316-531-2295

Mid-America Kitchens & Baths

Kentucky

Surfaces Unlimited Inc.

7343 Buell Rd. Vassar, MI 48768 989-871-5000 www.blasiusinc.com

Louisiana

Marbelite Corp.

2020 Dallas Dr. Baton Rouge, LA 70806 225-216-3900 www.dansolidsurface.com

Paxton Countertops

Dan Solid Surfaces

Top Distributors LLC 412 Post Oak Rd. Sulphur, LA 70663 337-625-5751

Maine

Shad’s Custom Countertops Inc.

11 Collins Pond Rd. Windham, ME 04062 207-893-3445 www.getshad.com

Maryland

SolidTops LLC

505 South St. Easton, MD 21601 410-819-0770 www.solidtops.com

Massachusetts Jack’s Custom Woodworking/ JCW Countertop

3 Aberjona Dr. Woburn, MA 01801 781-935-1907 www.jcwcountertops.com

PADCO Countertop Co.

5 Springdale Ave. Canton, MA 02021 781-828-1177 www.padcocountertop.com

Sterling Surfaces

Laminated Tops of Central Indiana Inc.

Parman Brothers LTD

Sterling-Miller Designs Inc.

Top Master Inc.

TWD Surfaces

711 E. Dillman Rd. Bloomington, IN 47401 812-824-6299 www.rakesolutions.com

M & W Countertops Inc. 11934 Witmer Rd. Grabill, IN 46741 260-627-3636 www.mwcountertops.com

620-382-3390 www.midamericamarble products.com PO Box 7 Johnson, KS 67855 620-492-6882 www.parmanbrothersltd.com 2844 Roe Ln. Kansas City, KS 66103 913-492-3030 www.top-master.com

42 • Vol. 7 / Issue 2 • International Surface Fabricators Association

Blasius Inc.

1272 Hwy. 490 East Bernstadt, KY 40729 606-843-6891 www.surfaces-unlimited.com

Hard Surface Fabrications, Inc./ 1105 N. Industrial Kormax Marion, KS 66861 810 S. Beiger St. Mishawaka, IN 46544 574-259-4843

Michigan

76 Leominster Rd. Sterling, MA 01564 978-422-3321 www.sterlingsurfaces.com

1079 N. Montello St. Brockton, MA 02301 508-894-6999 www.sterlingmillerdesigns.com 75 Hale St. Bridgewater, MA 02324 508-279-2650 www.twdsurfaces.com

22500 Heslip Dr. Novi, MI 48375 248-348-1900 www.marbelitecorp.com PO Box 174 Grand Ledge, MI 48837 517-719-0146

Solid Surfaces Unlimited Inc.

6689 Sterling Dr. S. Sterling Heights, MI 48312 586-274-9668

Minnesota

Innovative Surfaces Inc. 515 Spiral Blvd.

Hastings, MN 55033 651-437-1004

The Pinske Edge

119 Main St. Plato, MN 55370 320-238-2196 www.pinske-edge.com

MissISSIPPI

Alexander Counterwrights

903 Ingalls Ave. Pascagoula, MS 39567 228-938-6484 www.alexandercounterwrights.com

Montana BMC

3200 Hwy. 12 E. PO Box 5780 Helena, MT 59404 www.buildwithbmc.com

Jim Shreve

PO Box 721 Florence, MT 59833 406-880-3566

Pyramid Cabinet Shop

1201 Fourth Ave. N. Billings, MT 59101 406-671-8329 www.pyramid-cabinet.com

Solid Surface Designs 233 Lambeth Rd. Billings, MT 417-258-2787 www.ssdionline.com

VanSetten Walker Construction Co.

Spaulding Fabricators Inc.

Unico Special Products Inc.

Kitchens by Rutenschroer

821 1st Ave. N.W. Great Falls, MT 59404 406-570-5283

1136 Industrial Pkwy.

Brick, NJ 08724 732-840-4433 www.spauldingfabricators.com

WoodCo LLC

New Mexico

Wilbedone Inc.

Korkan Granite

PO Box 30254 Billings, MT 59107 406-259-5177 www.woodcollc.com

Nebraska

Best Quality Countertops 4340 S. 90th St. Omaha, NE 68127 402-670-6338

Builders Warehouse 4600 N. Second Ave. Kearney, NE 68845 308-627-6702

Lincoln Laminating Inc.

5010 Rentworth Dr. Lincoln, NE 68516 402-434-6009

Nevada

B & C Cabinets & Millwork Inc.

5241 Metric Way Carson City, NV 89706 775-322-6000

Carpenters Int’l.

Training Fund

American Countertops 8013 Edith N.E. Albuquerque, NM 87113 505-897-3141

Jaynes Structures

2906 Broadway N.E. Albuquerque, NM 87107 505-344-8589 www.jaynescorp.com

OGB Architectural Millwork

3711 Paseo del Norte Albuquerque, NM 87113 505-998-0000 www.ogb-am.com

Pieper Construction

2420 N. White Sands Blvd.

Alamogordo, NM 88310 575-437-2262 www.pieperconstruction.com

Rojo Enterprises LLC PO Box 429 Roswell, NM 88202 505-626-3553

New York

Busch Products Inc.

6801 Placid St. Las Vegas, NV 89119 702-938-1111

110 Baker St. Syracuse, NY 13206 315-474-8422 www.buschproducts.com

The Countertop Shop, LLC

Dimensional Stone and Tile Designs

301B Sunpac Ct. Henderson, NV 702-839-2224 www.thecountertopshopllc.biz

New Jersey

J. Dougherty & Son/ JDS Supply 337 N. Main St. Glassboro, NJ 08028 856-881-5444 www.JDSsupply.com

Marvic Corp.

2450 Lorio St. Union, NJ 07083 908-686-4340 www.countertopsofnj.com

Solid Surface Designs Inc.

1651 Sherman Ave. Pennsauken, NJ 08110 856-910-7720 www.ssdtops.com

25 Renwick St. Newburgh, NY 12550 845-562-9255 www.unicospecialproducts.com

4561 Crystal Pkwy.

Kent, OH 44240 330-677-1883 www.korkangranite.com

1133 NYS Rte. 222 Cortland, NY 13045 800-734-8813 www.wilbedone.com

North Carolina Johnson Granite Inc. PO Box 511 589 Hiatt Rd. Mount Airy, NC 27030 336-719-2729

Meld USA Inc.

3001-103 Spring Forest Rd. Raleigh, NC 27616 919-790-1749 www.meldusa.com

PO Box 395 Nunda, NY 14517 585-468-2523

Penn Fabricators Inc. 100 Bellport Ave. Yaphank, NY 11980 631-205-0282 www.penn4corian.com

Solid Surfaces Plus

Windbound Co.

10406 Geiser Rd. Holland, OH 43528 419-868-9101 www.countertopshop.net

165 Wildwood Ave. Hamlet, NC 28345 910-995-5615 www.premierplusinc.net

The Countertop Shop LTD

PO Box 817 Glen Alpine, NC 28628 828-438-0892 www.windboundsurfaces.com

Ohio

Top Shelf Laminated Products 400 Dietz Rd. Warren, OH 44483 330-393-1289

Tower Industries

9355 Amsterdam Rd. Anna, OH 45302 937-538-7024

PO Box 647 Massillon, OH 44648 330-837-2216 www.towersurfaces.com

Cabinets 2 Countertops

Oklahoma

Bertke Countertops

Cutting Edge Countertops Inc.

Modern Home Distributing

PO Box 1218 Marietta, OH 45750 740-749-3536

Premier Plus Inc.

Evans & Paul LLC

940 River Rd. North Tonawanda, NY 14120 716-695-1102

1030 E. Wilson St. Bryan, OH 43506 888-537-6484 www.lesmith.com

4640 Manufacturing Rd. Cleveland, OH 44135 216-267-7040 www.solidsurfacesplus.com

146 E. 3rd St. Mt. Vernon, NY 10550 914-664-1200

Marker Systems Inc.

L. E. Smith Co.

Laminate Shop, Inc.

7142 Frank Ave. N.W. N. Canton, OH 44720 330-244-0221 www.cabinets2countertops.com

140 DuPont St. Plainview, NY 11803 516-576-0800 www.evansandpaul.com

950 Laidlaw Ave. Cincinnati, OH 45237 513-251-8333 www.kbrmfg.com

1300 Flagship Dr. Perrysburg, OH 43551 419-873-9500 www.cectops.com

4092 Greenwich Rd. Norton, OH 44203 740-244-5316 www.earthanatomy.com

7086 Huntley Rd. Columbus, OH 43229 614-436-7465

Oregon

PO Box 258 Glide, OR 97443 541-496-0313 www.grifform.com

Precision Countertops Inc.

32400 Aurora Rd. Salon, OH 44139 440-248-4915 www.granexindustries.com

Heritage Marble Inc.

6031 S. 129th St. Ste. B Tulsa, OK 74134 918-252-0451 www.hfccountertops.com

Grifform Innovations Inc.

Earth Anatomy Fabrication

Granex Industries

Hoffman Fixtures Co.

P.O. Box 387 Wilsonville, OR 97070 503-692-6660 www.precisioncountertops.com

Pennsylvania A.S.S.T.

805 W. Elm Ave. Hanover, PA 17331 717-630-1251 www.asst.com International Surface Fabricators Association • Vol. 7 / Issue 2 • 43

Fabricator Directory Companies in blue are Certified ISFA Professionals Advanced Surfaces Inc.

Tennessee

Mt. Rainer Marble LLC

Blume’s Solid Surface Products

1446 S. Cooper St. Ste. 101 Memphis, TN 38114 901-278-9626 www.alexandermarbleandgranite.com

RD Wing

130 Plastics Rd. Corry, PA 16407 814-663-0369

904 Freeport Rd. Freeport, PA 16229 724-294-3190 www.blumes.net

Chuck Sawyer

4802 Au Sable Dr. Gibsonia, PA 15044 412-213-0370

John Kramer’s Fabrications Inc.

PO Box 41 Bernville, PA 19506 610-488-6213 www.kramershowerbases.com

McGrory Inc.

576 Rosedale Rd. Kennett Square, PA 19349 610-444-1512 www.mcgroryinc.com

Pence Countertops Inc.

124 Ellis Woods Rd. Pottstown, PA 19465 610-326-6609 www.pencecountertops.com

Rhode Island New England Counter Top

PO Box F Pawtucket, RI 02861 508-761-7588

South Carolina Solid Products

109 Lazenby Dr. Ft. Mill, SC 29715 704-236-9796 www.solidproducts.biz

South Dakota

Dakotaland Woodwork & Cabinets LLC 41181 179th St. Raymond, SD 57258 605-532-4150

DFC-Dakota Fixture & Cabinet Co. 45753 237th St. Madison, SD 57042 605-256-3707 www.soliddfc.com

Formatop Co.

101 S. Franklin Sioux Falls, SD 57103 605-332-3151 www.formatopcompany.com

Alexander Brothers Tile & Marble Inc.

Creative Countertop Solutions Inc.

300 Peabody St. Nashville, TN 37210 615-915-0718 www.creativecountersolutions.com

Texas

Classic Counter Tops

2325 Executive Dr. Garland, TX 75041 972-840-1234 www.classiccountertopsinc.com

Counterscapes, Inc. 2228 Deerbrook Dr. Tyler, TX 75703 903-581-5676

Southwestern Counter Tops & Millwork 4100 Frankfort Ave. El Paso, TX 79903 915-562-1116 www.swcelpaso@elp.rr.co

Utah

Alternative Surface 250 E. 400 S. Vernal, UT 84078 801-414-3512

Quality Craft Wood Works HC 60 Box 703 Rocky Ridge, UT 84645 435-623-1707

Utah Kitchen and Bath

2098 E. 2250 N. Layton, UT 84040 801-814-8847 www.utahkitchenandbath.com

Virginia

Metro Stone Works LLC 9115 Digital Dr. Unit 12 Manassas Park, VA 20111 703-396-866 www.metrostoneworks.com

Surface Link Corp.

4200 Lafayette Center Dr. Ste. A Chantilly, VA 20151 301-482-1717 www.surfacelinkcorp.com

TRINDCO

1004 Obici Industrial Blvd.

Suffolk, VA 23434 757-539-0262 www.trindco.com

Washington

FloForm Countertops 22445 76th Ave. S. Kent, WA 98032 253-639-4567 www.floform.com

44 • Vol. 7 / Issue 2 • International Surface Fabricators Association

2606 Jackson Hwy. Chehalisi, WA 98523 360-520-1844 www.mtrainiermarble.com 11809 N.E. 116th St. Kirkland, WA 98034 425-821-7222 www.blimages.com

Sheridan Woodworking LLC

2175 Frog Hollow Rd. Walla Walla, WA 99362 509-540-7799

Synsor Corp.

1920 Merrill Creek Pkwy.

Everett, WA 98203 425-322-9604

Wisconsin

Bisley Fabrication Inc. 700 Industrial St. Gresham, WI 54128 715-787-4410 www.bisfab.com

McDermott Top Shop LLC

200 A Main St. Sullivan, WI 53178 262-593-2456

Spectrum Surfaces Inc. 812 Marquis Way Green Bay, WI 54304 920-337-6575

Wyoming

Wyoming Building Supply Inc.

2104 Fairgrounds Rd. Casper, WY 82604 307-265-7935 www.wyomingbuildingsupply.com

Canada

Colonial Countertops Ltd. 609 Alpha St. Victoria, BC V8Z 1B2 Canada 250-383-1926 http://colonialcountertops.com

Coni-Marble Mfg. Inc.

PO Box 40 99 Harrison St. Thorndale, ON N0M 2P0 Canada 519-461-0100

FloForm Countertops 125 Hamelin St. Winnipeg, MB R3T 3Z1 Canada 204-474-2334 www.floform.com

FloForm Countertops 10-710 Cynthia St. Saskatoon, SK S7l 6A2 Canada 306-665-7733 www.floform.com

FloForm Countertops 7630 Yellowhead Trail Edmonton, AB T5B 1G3 Canada 780-474-7999 www.floform.com

Granit Design

77 Industrielle Stanstead, QC J0B 3E0 Canada 819-564-7111 www.granitdesign.com

France

CREA Diffusion

ZA Le Cheval Blanc Solgne F-57420 France 38-764-6923 www.crea-diffusion.com

Germany

Rosskopf & Partner AG Bahnhofstrasse 16 D 09573 Augustusburg — Hennersdorf Germany www.rosskopf-partner.com 493-729-12524

Lebanon

Respond S.A.L.

1st Floor Missirian Bldg.

Beirut, Lebanon 90076 961-150-1414

Mexico

Victor Coronado Services

Boulevard Hacienda Galindo 116 Villas del meson Juriquilla, 76230 Mexico 52-4422342743

RUSSIA

ARTCOR

60th km. Ring Road Ste. 4A Moscow Russia +7-485-657-8578 www.artcor.ru

United Kiingdom Interfab LTD

Unit 9 Willersey Business Park Willersey, Nr. Broadway Worcestershire WR12 7RR United Kingdom 441-386-858100 www.interfab.co.uk

Specialty Surfaces Fabricators, Manufacturers and Experts

Membership Application Main: (412) 487-3207 • Fax: (412) 487-3269 • www.ISFANow.org

Renewal Instructions: To renew your membership with ISFA, simply fill out the Personal Information section, and Payment Method and that’s it! Fax it back to (412) 487-3269 and we’ll do the rest. Please allow 2-4 weeks for your membership renewal packet to be delivered.

New Member Instructions: For Surfacing Experts wanting to become a new member, please fill out the entire form. Membership in ISFA is the industry endorsement of high quality.

This endorsement cannot be purchased for the price of membership, but must be established by the company and upheld by each member of the organization.

Fax this form back to (412) 487-3269 and we’ll do the rest.Your new membership packet will be in the mail shortly. Please allow 2-4 weeks for delivery.

Personal Information Name: Title: Company: Address: City: State/Province: Zip/Postal Code: Country: Phone: Fax: By providing your fax number, you are giving ISFA permission to send you information via fax. q Check here if you do not wish to receive education event information via fax.

Email: q Check here if you do not wish to receive Product and Service information from ISFA and our industry partners via email.

I Am: q Renewing My ISFA Membership

q Applying to Become a New Member

Method of Payment q I am faxing a copy of the check along with this form. (required if paying by check) Card Type:

q Visa

q Mastercard

q American Express

q Discover

Card Number: Print Name on Card: Expiration Date: Official Signature:

If paying by check, fax copy along with this order form. You can also mail this form to: ISFA, 2400 Wildwood Road, Gibsonia, PA 15044.

New Member Information Type of Membership: (please select one) q ISFA Membership: $400 — Any Specialty Surfaces

company that has been in business at least two years and carries appropriate liability insurance.

q Subscriber Membership: $400 — Applicant companies which meet all other qualifications, but have been in business for less than two years shall be eligible for Subscriber Membership in the Association.

q Branch Membership: $200 — Branch Membership is

available to companies having more than one location.

Each location must fill out seperate membership applications. Branch Membership annual dues are one-half that of the headquarters location. Each location wlll be treated as a separate member in all respects, except only headquarter locations may vote in general elections.

Code of Ethics

Sponsorship Information: In order to become a member of ISFA, you need to provide information regarding an ISFA member or company willing to sponsor you. If you do not know what to put in this section, just leave it blank. We will help you with this.

Sponsor Company: Contact Person: Telephone: Trade Reference: (Please provide a trade reference, generally your distributor of solid surface.)

Trade Reference: Contact Person: Telephone: Proof of Insurance: A copy of your certificate of liability insurance must be attached to or faxed with this form to process this application.

(please sign below)

Each member of the International Surface Fabricators Association agrees to observe high standards of honesty, integrity and responsibility in the conduct of their business.

By adhering strictly to the highest quality standards of fabrication, manufacturing and installation. By promoting only those products and services that are proven quality and value. By writing contracts and warranties that are clear, honest and fair to all parties involved. By honoring all contractual obligations in a reasonably prompt manner. By quickly acting on and attempting to resolve all customer complaints, and in situations where complaints appear unreasonable and persistent, by encouraging the customer to initiate and approach third-party dispute settlement mechanisms. By being fiscally responsible and honoring all legitimate financial obligations, By maintaining all required licenses and insurances.

I,_______________________________, do hereby certify that the foregoing is true and correct to the best of my knowledge, and do agree to abide by the Code of Ethics of the International Surface Fabricators Association for as long as I hold an active membership therein.

International Surface Fabricators Association • Vol. 7 / Issue 2 • 45

Product News Samsung Launches New Radianz Quartz Surfacing Colors

center that countertop companies can quickly

Samsung Surfaces

same installation team that brings the countertop

Radianz quartz

Circle RS#25 on page 49 or visit www.isfanow.org/info.

two new colors are

includes three types of polish, was developed as a cost-effective way to help save thousands over replacement. The three-step process was designed to blend the “snake skin” appearance of the surface and remove residual hazing after having successfully removed damage with diamond polishing. It can also be used

Mystic Platinum, which contains

warm grays and smaller lighter and darker

particulates, and Adirondack Birch, a white color with multisized light and translucent

particulates. As with all Radianz colors, the two new offerings are heat-, scratch- and stain-

resistant and are nonporous, offering hygienic

properties suitable for any indoor setting. They also come with a 15-year warranty for

residential applications and a 10-year warranty for commercial applications.

Circle RS#24 on page 49 or visit www.isfanow.org/info.

Kit includes one 8-oz. bottle of Snake Sink Revealer, one 8-oz. bottle of Resin Polish and one 8-oz. bottle of Final Polish. The larger Quartz Renew Extra Kit includes the three bottles of polish in the standard kit as well as a 6.5-in.

Grey Prewashed Velcro 0.75-in. Knitted Lambswool Pad; a 6.5- by 1.25-in. Green Light Cut Dual Action Foam Pad (6-in. Velcro); a 6.5- by 1.25-in.White Ultrafine Polishing Prepolymer Dual Action Pad; three 4-in. Pulsar Wet Polishing Pads (400, 800 and 1,500 grit); two 4-in. Soma I-Dia Dry Polishing Pads (800 and 1,500 grit); a 5-in. Regent Rigid Backer Pad (oversized backer pad for better results); and a 7-in. Gripper Pad (for lambswool and foam pads).

Circle RS#23 on page 49 or visit www.isfanow.org/info.

46 • Vol. 7 / Issue 2 • International Surface Fabricators Association

sink support system. These

strong sink clips are undermount sink mounting brackets designed to secure undermount sinks

without worry of the sinks falling down. They are easily installed without drilling holes into the

stone or using special glues or epoxies, and do

not require reaching up to the stone to screw in anchors. While they are made to last a lifetime, they can be removed for sink replacement or

countertop. They are also insect- and moisture-

quartz. Final Polish can be used for overall

marble products. The standard Liquid Polishing

the new Cinclips undermount

cabinet, and the brace supports the sink and the

removing sealers that have been applied to

and hazing on softer marbles and engineered

GranQuartz has introduced

time. They are easily mounted to the inside of the

burning, removing hard water spotting or even

polishes also work for removing light staining

GranQuartz Has New Sink Support System

minutes and hooked up immediately, with no wait

Polish for removing light hazing from chemical

and other more minor surface blemishes. The

immediately after the counters are in.”

service if ever needed. Sinks can be mounted in

individually for specific repairs, like using Resin

surface cleaning, removing greasy fingerprints

countertop companies to increase profits. The

can install these simple to use pre-made panels

surfacing line. The

Regent’s Quartz Renew polishing system, which

backsplash decision faster while allowing

has released two new colors of its

Regent Stone Offers Quartz Renew Polishing System

implement. It helps customers make their

resistant. Each pack comes with four standard-

KB Express Introduces Splash in a Flash Tile Backsplash System Splash in a Flash from KB Express is a new

sized braces and one short brace for the front

and hardware. They simply screw into the cabinet and wedge up under the sink. They are also suitable for remounts and repairs.

Circle RS#26 on page 49 or visit www.isfanow.org/info.

pre-made tile panel system for backsplashes.

The pre-designed panels use real tiles and are grouted with an antimicrobial grout. The

backsplashes can be completed in just two to

three hours instead of days. The finished result is indistinguishable from custom tiling. These

professional grade tile panels help fabricators to create a new profit center without a big learning curve. The panels install just like a lightweight slab. They are available in 20 colors to

complement any countertop, and five design styles that customers prefer. They also have

matching designer stove features and edge trim to complete the project. “Having been in

fabrication for 14 years we saw a need for fabrication companies to be able to offer

backsplash in a simple, sellable format,” said Kirk Heiner, chief marketing officer for KB

Express. “Pre-done panels add a simple profit

Cosentino Introduces Ocean Series of Silestone Quartz Surfacing The new Silestone Ocean Series is the most

exotic Silestone color series available, according to the company. The collection features six

colors with bold patterns and a wide range of

movement, offering a natural aesthetic similar to that of exotic granite. The series showcases

unique veining, adding a distinctive look to any kitchen or bathroom, and includes the colors

Arctic, Pacific (pictured here), Mediterranean,

Bering, Hudson and Atlantis, all available in the polished finish. As with all Silestone quartz

products, the Ocean Series is nonporous and

never needs to be sealed. It is easy to clean and has high scratch, stain and heat resistance.

Circle RS#27 on page 49 or visit www.isfanow.org/info.

Karran Launches Quartz Sink for Seamless Integration into Laminate, Solid Surface Karran introduced the new Q-350 sink in its Quartz Series that is

designed for seamless

integration not only into solid surface, but also laminate, which is the first time this has been

offered with a quartz sink. The undermount sink

is made of high-grade quartz crystals and acrylic

12 mm (½ in.) and in two different formats which

can be easily cut to measure, giving

professionals more control over their design and limitless application possibilities. It is 100

KLINGSPOR Increases Abrasive Disc Grit Range

silica and natural mineral oxides, and is

KLINGSPOR has expanded its grit range from

percent natural, composed of clays, feldspar, recyclable. Neolith has near-zero porosity,

making the product hygienic, stain-resistant,

easy to clean and impervious to chemicals. The product is also wear-, scratch- and heatresistant, and is not affected by UV rays.

Circle RS#29 on page 49 or visit www.isfanow.org/info.

QuartzSource Provides Quartz Surfacing Direct from Factory to Fabricators A new company, QuartzSource,

established by

marble-like quartz colors and is operating on a

not fade, will not support bacteria growth, have

to private label the quartz as their own brand.

to more than 530 F.

which fabricators spend so much time and effort

developed innovative

Black. They are scratch- and chip-resistant, will

unique business model encouraging fabricators

uniform color throughout and are heat-resistant

This system was developed to avoid situations in

Circle RS#28 on page 49 or visit www.isfanow.org/info.

building other manufacturers’ brand names only to have that business be scooped up by the manufacturer or a different manufacturer-

preferred competitor in the area. By developing a system that eliminates the need for warehousing

flooring, wall cladding and facades. The Fusion

“extra-lube” aluminum oxide stearate. The film backing is designed with edge wear and tear

prevention properties. In addition, because the film is such a smooth substrate, the abrasive grains stand more “upright” and stay sharp

longer, offering solid leveling properties. This new backing is combined with long-lasting

aluminum oxide grains and a double coating of stearate for increased durability.

Móz Designs Introduces New Engravings Collection of Aluminum Panels

White, Bisque, Grey, Concrete, Brown and

exterior applications, such as countertops,

backed product coated with the company’s

of Solid Tops in

Evan Kruger, owner

by 8-½ in. The sinks are available in six colors:

sintered compact surface suitable for interior or

manufacturing industries. FP73W is a film-

Circle RS#31 on page 49 or visit www.isfanow.org/info.

Easton, Md., has

TheSize offers the Fusion line of Neolith, a

in the solid surface, wood and furniture

veteran fabricator

resins, and has dimensions of 32-⅜ in. by 19 in.

TheSize Offers Neolith Fusion Compact Surface Product Line

80 to 1,500 on its newest disc material for use

the materials in the United States, Kruger said

the pricing of the product is highly competitive

with national brands. Tested for quality, the slabs come in jumbo sizes that are a minimum of 126

in. by 63 in., meaning projects may require fewer seams or even fewer slabs, further lowering

costs. The minimum order is a container load

(with 56 slabs of 3cm or 84 slabs of 2cm), but

line has the appearance of natural stones,

containers may be divided into up to four

imprinted designs. The colors are: Arena

or offer all of the colors; fabricators can choose

Black, Basalt Grey, Belgian Blue, Cement, Lava,

only carry those. Custom colors are available as

Neolith’s Digital Design (NDD) decoration

development, quality control, shipping and

features, it comes in a variety of thicknesses,

samples to any fabricator making an order.

minerals and industrial materials and features 10

different colors. There is no requirement to stock

(pictured here), Barro, Basalt Beige, Basalt

which ones they believe will sell in their area and

Phedra and the newest addition, Beton. Using

well. QuartzSource not only facilitates the color

injection technology to imprint the rock-like

customs, but also provides hundreds of free

including 3mm (⅛ in.), 5 mm (3/16 in.) and

Circle RS#30 on page 49 or visit www.isfanow.org/info.

Móz Designs has introduced the

multidimensional

Engravings Collection

of solid core aluminum panels. The series

features eight organic

patterns engraved into the surface with

timeless themes: Circuit, Crossroads, Cubes,

Current, Dash, Mason, Matrix and Strings. The patterns are engraved over a choice of Móz grains, which provide a subtle background

texture and are offered in 4-ft. by 8-ft. or 4-ft. by 10-ft. aluminum sheets or column covers,

with material thicknesses from 0.090 to 0.125

in. Suitable for interior or exterior applications,

the panels can be applied as walls, door skins,

bar dies, reception centers, column covers and on other decorative surfaces. The products are designed for installation in hospitality venues, healthcare facilities, commercial centers and

retail operations. Color tones for the materials include Antique Gold and Bronze, along with

International Surface Fabricators Association • Vol. 7 / Issue 2 • 47

Product News TylerCo Offers SLABlite LED Panels

fresh new colors, such as Jade, Sea Salt and

Wintermint. Finishes are available in polycoat gloss and polycoat matte. Powder-coated

finishes also make the material suitable for

exterior applications and high traffic areas like

elevators and corridors. All Móz metal products

TylerCo Inc. offers

are designed, sourced and manufactured in

SLABlite LED

Northern California, and are fabricated from

Panels for

recycled aluminum, contributing to LEED 2.0

backlighting

MR Credit 4 – Recycled Content.

translucent

Circle RS#32 on page 49 or visit www.isfanow.org/info.

New Ravenna Mosaics Offers New Houndstooth Collection New Ravenna Mosaics introduced the

Houndstooth Collection designed by founder

and creative director, Sara Baldwin. Handmade

surfacing materials.

Suitable for backlighting onyx, translucent solid

Collection is a continuation of Baldwin’s explorations in designing mosaics inspired by textiles. It is available in jewel glass or natural stone. In glass, it is suitable for vertical interior installations. In stone, the mosaics can be

in Virginia, the Houndstooth Collection consists

installed indoors or out on both floors and walls.

white, a luxurious gold and red, an iridescent

showrooms throughout the United States,

aquamarine and white. The Houndstooth

Circle RS#33 on page 49 or visit www.isfanow.org/info.

of four colorways, including a classic black and

New Ravenna Mosaics tile is available in

purple and pink, and a pastel combination of

Canada, Europe, Dubai and Russia.

Circle RS#18 on page 49 or visit www.isfanow.org/info.

48 • Vol. 7 / Issue 2 • International Surface Fabricators Association

surface, translucent engineered stone and other translucent materials, the panels produce

consistent edge-to-edge lighting across the

whole surface without hot spots. They are 12 by

12 in. and ⅜ in. thick and run on a 12-volt system that requires 2 watts of power per square foot.

These panels generate little heat, are waterproof,

last up to 20 years and can be custom cut on the jobsite to almost any shape.

Circle RS#34 on page 49 or visit www.isfanow.org/info.

Circle RS#19 on page 49 or visit www.isfanow.org/info.

Free Product Information Form Or visit www.ISFANow.org/info to fill out our online form

Main: (877) 464-7732 • Fax: (412) 487-3269 • www.ISFANow.org • 2400 Wildwood Road, Gibsonia, PA 15044

Volume 7 / Issue 2 Get Your Free Product Information Today: For more facts on products and services, please fill out all the information below and circle the product referral numbers that are found in the magazine. Product referral numbers can be found below each advertisement. Your request will be immediately forwarded to the proper manufacturer. You can submit this form via mail, fax, email (editor@isfanow.org) or visit us online at www.ISFAnow.org/info.

Personal Information Name: Title: Company: Address: City: State/Province: Zip/Postal Code: Country: Phone: Fax: By providing your fax number, you are giving ISFA permission to send you information via fax. q Check here if you do not wish to receive education event information via fax.

Email: q Check here if you do not wish to receive Product and Service information from ISFA and our industry partners via email.

About Your Business What category best describes your business classification? q Fabricator

q Manufacturer

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Which one category best describes your job title/function? q Owner/Partner/Corporate Management and Related Personnel q Production/Plant Management and Related Personnel q Design (includes staff designer/architect and related personnel) q Purchasing/Specifier and Related Personnel q Marketing & Sales Management and Related Personnel q Other (please specify)

Information By Category If you want more information from several advertisers in a category, circle the category number that matches up with the category below.

C01 Abrasives

C12 Sealers/Polishes

C02 Adhesives

C13 Seaming Equipment

C03 Air Quality Equipment

C14 Sinks

C04 CNC Machinery C05 Concrete Materials & Supplies C06 Hand/Power Tools C07 Laminate C08 Material Handling Equipment C09 Prefabricated Accessories C10 Quartz Surfacing C11 Saws

What surfacing materials do you work with?

____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ Free Product Information Please circle below all of the referral numbers found in the magazine, or the category numbers found on this page that you would like more information on. Your request will be immediately forwarded to the proper manufacturer.

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C15 Software

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C17 Stone

57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64

C19 Tooling

65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72

C21 Waterjet Equipment

73

C16 Solid Surface

C18 Templating Equipment C20 Training

C22 Other Materials

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International Surface Fabricators Association • Vol. 7 / Issue 2 • 49

Classifieds

Join the team at Integra Adhesives, the leading manufacturer of innovative adhesives products for quartz surfaces, natural stone and solid surface. With a network of customers in Canada and United States (distributors and direct accounts), we are a leader in our field and are experiencing growth worldwide. To manage our North American sales team, we are recruiting for a new position of North American Sales Manager, based at our head office.

CANDIDATE REQUIREMENTS:

THE POSITION

• Computer literate with experience with all common computer applications such as MS Office.

This is a Sales Management role with responsibility for mentoring outside sales reps and internal staff and managing large house accounts, providing leadership towards the achievement of maximum profitability and growth. This position reports to the General Manager and it requires a significant amount of travel.

RESPONSIBILITIES INCLUDE: • Providing direction, goal setting, motivation and leadership to internal staff and outside reps

ISFA Member since 1997 Circle RS#20 on page 49 or visit www.isfanow.org/info.

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50 • Vol. 7 / Issue 2 • International Surface Fabricators Association

• Traveling to territories in which Sales Representatives cover for mentoring.

• Developing a business plan and sales strategy for the North American market that ensures attainment of company sales targets and profitability.

• Preparing action plans by individuals as well as by team for sales growth • Assists Sales Representatives in preparation of proposals and presentations.

• Conducts one-on-one semi-annual reviews with all Sales Representatives to build more effective communications, to understand training and development needs, and to provide insight for the improvement of Sales Representative's sales and activity performance.

The ideal candidate will have 10+ years in a Business to Business environment in a Sales capacity. We are looking for someone who can lead, mentor, train, and build a collaborative sales culture within their team. Other desirable attributes include: • 5-7 years of experience in sales management, with experience in trade distribution channels.

• Highest level of integrity and commitment • Ability to develop, motivate and lead a diverse team of individuals • CRM experience • Strong understanding of customer and market dynamics and requirements in a B to B environment • Willingness to travel throughout North America as required.

• A drive to succeed and exceptional organization skills.

• Strong work ethic with a commitment to quality.

• A desire to be remunerated on achieving defined individual and corporate goals This position offers a competitive and comprehensive compensation and benefits package including bonus potential.

You must be able to provide current and valid references. Applicants must also be willing to relocate.

Please submit your resume and cover letter to Jean Poisson, General Manager, at jean@ integra-adhesives.com

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Circle RS#21 on page 49 or visit www.isfanow.org/info.

ISFA Member since 2003

Circle RS#22 on page 49 or visit www.isfanow.org/info.