September 2020 Volume 26.9

The Beacon of the Stone Industry www.slipperyrockgazette.net

recalled Chris, “and pretty much Perpetual Excellence at the by high school age I was consid- ering some kind of career as an Chris Miller Studio artist. I just wasn’t sure of what medium. Then, at about age sev- you’ve ever explored Peter J. Marcucci enteen, I started woodcarving. IF the beauty and charm Photos by Paul Rogers and “Pretty early in my career, I that’s found in small-town Chris Miller Studio opened my first studio at age Vermont, chances are you've eighteen in southern Vermont ex- visited Vermont's State Capitol, clusively doing wood . Montpelier. Located just a stone's Chris Miller is a seasoned vet- However, I had always wanted throw from Montpelier is the eran with and , and to try stone, and a few years after town of Calais, the home of the has been creating art since child- opening the studio I went to visit Kent Museum and the Robinson hood, and sculpture since 1976. the Vermont . What’s the Saw Mill. It’s also the home of Mostly self-taught, Chris was old saying: ‘When in Rome, do the renowned Chris Miller Studio. influenced by many local artists, as the Romans’? So, after many including the late Billy Brauer years of doing exclusively wood, of Warren, Vermont, and the it was nice to try a different ma- late Lothar Werslin of Sandgate, terial and the techniques used to Vermont. It’s noteworthy to men- carve it, and it was a great mid-ca- tion that Chris’ studio is conve- reer challenge to add stone to the niently close to the of Ages mix. There’s also a lot more work in Barre, Vermont, an area in the stone-sculpture world than known as the “ Capitol of in the wood-sculpture world.” the World” for well over a cen- tury. Chris loves the granite from Chris has a very extensive wood this area. Ask him about Barre working and carving room in his granite and he’ll readily tell you barn, as well as an area for stone, Above and right: Paradox, installed in Galveston, Texas. why he loves it. but is only set up to work on proj- “As far as thinking about the form and how I want to ects up to about one ton. When go about getting it, I start with a scale model, and by Lessons Learned, doing larger scale work, he uses the time I get to working the stone, that’s already been worked out.” Experience Earned two different studios in Barre that “For as far back as I can remem- Below: Heritage, Vermont Granite Museum he rents, he explained. ber, I had always been working in the direction of being an artist,” Please turn to page 2

Creating Synchronicity with EasedEdge

taying on the forefront of cut- to the next level. An added bonus: ting-edge products these days it’s actually fun to use. Sain’t easy. From quarry to countertop, when it comes to tools, From Concept to Installation machines, and supplies, our industry EasedEdge was developed by is very diverse. In recent years, this software engineer Ben Strong, in diversity includes software. Recently, conjunction with Sarto Countertop the Slippery Rock Gazette had the owners Guiseppi Vanderputten (Sep) opportunity to review the new soft- and Robert Wiemann. Ben is a long- ware offering from EasedEdge. time software developer on many levels, while Sep Vanderputten and Without going into too many details, Robert Wiemann are longtime fab- let’s just say that the demo was very rication experts. All three men are informative. The app interface is col- co-owners of EasedEdge, and be- orful, well thought out, intuitive, easy tween them concluded that there to understand and learn, and fun in an must be a better way to keep a fabri- all-inclusive and organized package cation shop organized, recalled Ben. that’s appropriate for any fabrication shop looking to take their performance Please turn to page 4 | 2 September 2020 Slippery Rock Gazette Chris Miller Miller has 3 commissioned Studio granite sited around Barre: Tug of War, a gargoyle bike rack, Unzip- Continued from page 1 ping the Earth in a pocket park, and Heritage, the entry “For the big projects, there are sculpture at the Vermont forklifts, bridge cranes, saws, Granite Museum. sandblasting and all the great stuff needed. I tend to work big when I can, and having these tools is doing a public piece, to a collec- pretty wonderful. Because of my tor, to a private commission, to a back, I try not to work on anything commercial job. Over the last six small anymore, because if it’s a years, my work has been divided hundred pounds or less, I tend to between museums, commercial pick it up and move it! When I’m Right and Below: work, the Vermont State House, working in Barre, if it’s six, ten or Unzipping the Earth. small public sculptures, commis- twenty tons, I just wave the crane Miller calls this inter- sions for private collections and guy over and it gets moved. active sculpture “the private sculpture parks. It runs the “I like both hard and soft stones. world’s largest granite whole spectrum. It’s important to I do much, much more granite zipper .” The challenge: know who you are dealing with. than just because granite how to decorate a very The client can be an individual is much more durable, and there long, narrow pocket commissioning the sculpture for are more applications. If it’s an in- park with native gran- themselves, or for a gift, or for a door figurative thing, marble is re- ite? The Miller solution: commercial project or for an insti- ally good for that, but if it’s going with something that's tution, where you are dealing with to be outdoors for years and years, long and narrow – and a committee. You have to know you’re going to want it to be gran- totally unexpected. your audience, and you have to ite. Both soft and hard stones know the cost and know if they have their qualities just like soft can afford it. So I listen intently, and hard wood. With hard wood find out what the budget is, what you can do finer details better, and their needs are, what’s important, with soft wood you can move a lot and what the sculpture needs to faster. It’s the same with stone. do. All these things matter. Some people will suggest the idea Please turn to page 3 for a sculpture, and I’ll know im- mediately if it should be in granite Below: Fawn, and Collie Bench, or marble, because each material two granite therapy-animal also lends itself better to different sculptures also serve as resting subject matter. It’s also nice to go spaces, from a series of seven from granite to marble to wood sculptures created for the Ver- and back again, just for a feeling mont Psychiatric Care Hospital, of variety. a project sponsored by the Ver- mont Arts Council. “That said, I use different stones Miller was team leader for different projects, but I’m a Barre Gray is plain compared Vermont Arts Council. Each year with four artists who big fan of Barre Gray granite, es- to colorful , but it is by they grant several commissions provided interactive pecially the dark gray. The grain far my favorite stone to carve. for any number of buildings that sculptures placed is tight, it’s predictable, and it If you’ve got a lot of detail and the state is constructing. Six years throughout the care carves really well. Some of the a lot of movement in your form, ago, Chris was a team leader for facility. Collie Bench by softer granites are more difficult what you’re looking at is all the one of these commissions, and Ryan Mays. Fawn, by to carve, whereas some dark gran- features that you’ve put into it, put together a group of four sculp- Miller, from a model by ites have larger grain and bigger and not looking at the pattern of tors for a project in the Vermont Gampo Wickenheiser. pieces of or feldspar. They the stone. Moreover, the beauty Psychiatric Care Hospital, he ex- are beautiful to look at when they of working with Barre Gray is plained. “We wanted to design are polished, and when used in that you don’t need to look for something that would interact carvings that have a broader form, fissures and cracks, because there with a very vulnerable psychiatric these colors can work out very aren’t any. Once you get a block, population in the hospital, so we well. But when you’re carving it’s solid, it’s dependable, and you designed all these therapy animal something with a lot of detail, the don’t have to think about flaws in sculptures, and put them through- colors and patterns can compete the stone.” out the hospital. We did seven, with the design, unlike the Barre and from what I heard later on Gray that has an extremely uni- Know Your Client’s Needs, from the staff there, the patients form grain. So, if you’re carving Understand Your Market had formed relationships with the a face or something with fine de- Like many New England states, animals, and it had a really big tail, you don’t want the stone to Vermont is very supportive of impact on them. compete with the design you are art and their local artists, and “As for my market, I really working on. has a program called Art in State don’t know if I have any specific “Some people may think that Buildings that’s promoted by the bread and butter. I’ll go from | Slippery Rock Gazette September 2020 3 Chris Miller Studio

Completed in 2018 for the Continued from page 2 Vermont State House Capital dome, Agriculture aka Ceres, Goddess of Agriculture is a 14- “After this initial process, I’ll have a 1/2 foot mahogany basic concept, and I’ll then work with based on the model Agriculture sketches and go back and forth with created by Jerry Williams of renditions. When approved, I then Barre Sculpture Studio. Wood make a small sketch in clay (a little was specified because of weight mockette), and when that’s approved, I and structural concerns. make a scale model. Once they approve Below: At work on the statue. that, I make a mold cast in , so I Photos (3) by Paul Rogers have a hard model to work from. Then, finally, when I’m ready to start carving, crafted well at the same time. I do a fair it’s a matter of measuring and enlarging amount of serious sculpture, too, but from the model. So as far as imagining I do a lot more whimsical things, like what the form is going to look like in the world’s largest granite zipper that’s the stone, all that work was done during displayed in Barre. I also love to do fig- the preliminary modeling.” urative work, and I’ve done six larger “Being a sculptor is physically dif- than life hands. For some reason I like ficult, and why I enjoy my trade, says using hands as a subject, because they the guy with three back surgeries,” can express quite a bit. You can express continued Chris. “Right now I’ve just strength, gentleness and emotion with completed a project in Georgia. It’s a a hand, just as any kind of figurative truck made out of , and there work. I just really like hands.” was a lot of lifting and hammering, but these trucks are a lot of fun to make The Challenge of (see page 9). I get really solid reactions Working in Stone when people see them. It’s funny, I can “I’ve come to realize over the years, do a beautiful statue, and people are re- that when doing this kind of work you ally in awe, but I do a stone truck, and it have to do a lot of designing and plan- really draws attention. So I tend to like ning. Fortunately, this fits really well that whimsical stuff. It goes over really into my personality, because I enjoy well with a wide audience, and there’s problem solving.” no reason that it can’t be whimsical and Please turn to page 25 | 4 September 2020 Slippery Rock Gazette EasedEdge Software

Continued from page 1 Powerful reporting capability allows you to identify “Sep and Robert reached out opportunities so you can make informed decisions. to me, saying that they wanted "When you launch the app, the first thing that comes on screen is something to get all of their peo- the dashboard – a snapshot of where all the jobs are. At a glance, all shops, one time or another, for Service is the Other Key to ple communicating better. They you can see how many jobs are on leads, how many are getting old, one reason or another, have a job Maximizing Profits bought Sarto Countertops six and you also can see how many jobs have alerts or holdups.” that stalls. EasedEdge tracks these “We didn’t want to say to our years ago, and had been grow- making changes and updates. For example: a sales associate stalls, and prompts the users for customers, ‘Here’s your software ing quickly, almost 100 percent Then, about a year ago, we called might receive a prompt saying, how long and for what reason(s) – good luck!’ ” explained Ben. every year. Both Sep and Robert it tested and market-ready, and “Send an estimate,” or a shop and keeps these jobs moving. “When they have a question, are very technical minded, and started offering it to fabricators. manager might receive a prompt “So at the fundamental level, we encourage them to call us or had been jumping into a lot of We currently have 23 companies saying, “Template Completed”. EasedEdge is software that au- shoot us an email. Demos, setup, automation. However, they were using it.” You can also create an infinite tomates day-to-day tasks to keep updates, consultations as well as frustrated with the software that number of calendars for templat- jobs moving until they are fin- unlimited users are all part of our was available to the stone indus- A Synchronized Work Flow ing, fabrication and installations, ished. If a job does stay in a sta- simple buying package, and we try. They found it non-intuitive is Key to Maximizing Profits all fully customizable to meet any tus too long, such a fabrication, service EasedEdge forever, pe- for the people in the shop and on The main strength of the shop’s needs. As you can imag- a notification is sent out, so you riod! The benefit of cloud-based the road. It was also based on per- EasedEdge software is its ability ine, the list goes on all the way to can check and see what the heck software is that it eliminates the user-cost, and they wanted their to communicate and add absolute “Installation Completed” and be- is going on. Nothing falls through need to update it on the software process more efficient by letting clarity from the point of sale to yond, said Ben. the cracks, because there aren’t side, so you’re constantly being everyone in the company com- final installation. After loading “EasedEdge is also a pricing tool any cracks. EasedEdge will even served the latest version. municate on the same platform. EasedEdge, the first thing that for a walk-in customer, as well as compile problems, giving the user Please turn to page 5 It needed to be affordable, easy comes up is a screen called the a final pricing tool that includes the ability to see shortcomings in to use, smart phone-friendly, to “Dashboard,” where you’ll find discounts (when applicable) for a the production system. Activity feed for an ac- allow everyone to use it on a day- what’s called Job Statuses. confirmed customer. It compiles “One other great benefit is the tive job being installed. to-day basis.” “Jobs are sorted by status, to all the components needed for auto email feature that can keep One of the benefits of After about a year and a half give a clear picture of where your estimating, with multiple pric- the customer informed as their job EasedEdge is ease of in- of development and testing, jobs are in your process, and to ing options for different types goes from status to status, such as teraction and the higher EasedEdge’s debut began in a alert you of any holdups or issues. of customers, such as retail or from fabrication to installation.” customer service it allows rigorous, real world environment, As jobs are moved from status wholesale, that can be applied to you to develop with your continued Ben. “It worked really, to status, tasks can be automati- invoicing. All info such as mate- customers. really well. As they used it, they cally assigned to anyone in the rial, square footage, edge type and said it would be nice if it did this, company, to keep things moving lineal feet, cutouts, and sink are and nice if it did that, so we began smoothly. all easily entered. Additionally,

Synchronized work flow: Sarto has about 60 employees. If a customer calls or emails wanting to know when their kitchen is going to be installed, the person scheduling does not have to walk out to the shop to find out what stage a job is at. That information is just a mouse click away. EasedEdge offers abso- lute clarity as far as what days and times are open in coming weeks for that installation, no matter how many install teams a company has. It will then email the customer for confirmation, and then notifies the person scheduling so he or she can place the installation, big or small, with the correct installation team. | Slippery Rock Gazette September 2020 5 EasedEdge Software

#GETTHESEAL Tested. Verifi ed. Accredited. “Online resource sharing and file storage means important data is easily available to all The Natural Stone Institute Accreditation Program reinforces a level of team members, whether they are in the shop, the office, or on the jobsite. Everyone is professionalism in the industry and provides designers and consumers on the same page with Job plans, from initial layout and materials to installation. These with an easy to fi nd collection of qualifi ed stone professionals. files can also be easily shared with customers as well,” said Strong. Differentiate yourself from the competition by demonstrating solid business practices that improve the success of your projects, Continued from page 4 increase safety and operations, and strengthen client relationships. www.naturalstoneinstitute.org/accreditation “There are no updates, no migrations and no servicing outdated versions. So from the software point of view, naturalstoneinstitute.org #usenaturalstone we are always maintaining the same version, even if a customer signed up for it 10 years ago, and if someone Kitchen & Bath Industry Show calls in with a question, we (KBIS) Moves Forward for Feb. 2021 are answering questions that are all relevant to the soft- Heightened Health and Safety Measures in Place Along ware that everyone is using, with New Virtual Programming and that’s very helpful. In the Pipeline between employees or cus- he NKBA an- attend KBIS in person. The The Learning Curve According to Ben, every- tomers. There’s a lot of in- Tnounced plans virtual component will be “Most people find one always wants additional formation involved in doing for the Kitchen & used to amplify educational EasedEdge very easy to features, so EasedEdge is business, and mistakes cause Bath Industry Show content, exhibitor product move into. Everything is rolling out a feature for doc- a lot of frustration when (KBIS) in February are launches, as well as a va- just a mouse click or two ument signing, he explained. you’re not informed about moving forward to in- riety of networking oppor- away. We give the new user “It’s the ability to send out what’s going on, even when clude a new omni-expe- tunities. Show details are an hour demo and several a contract that a customer it’s something small like get- rience format. in the final planning stages demo videos that explain can sign online, and you get ting the address wrong. Using “These are extraordinary with the new programming little features one at a time. automatically notified. It’s EasedEdge makes commu- KBIS, which is the times. KBIS 2021 is going scheduled to be announced In the beginning, most peo- just one more back and forth nication and processes more largest North American to have a unique look and shortly. ple just say, ‘Yeah, I get it! I that’s eliminated with the efficient, and eliminates the trade show dedicated feel,” says Suzie Williford, “The Emerald and NKBA don’t have any questions!’, customer. This feature was problems that lose money. to the kitchen and bath executive vice president, teams are talking with our and then a week or two after requested by one customer, Your people will always know market, is scheduled for industry relations and chief exhibitors and attendees using it, they do have some but we don’t release a new what to do, and not have to February 9-11, 2021, strategy officer, NKBA. every day and I can con- questions. But no matter feature to just one customer. track down information. We at the Orange County “We are fully intending to fidently say, our industry how long, be it a year, two We release it to everybody. didn’t want the shop to have Convention Center in host an in-person event. As is ready to rebound,” says years or forever, we will “We are also working on to conform to the software. Orlando, FL. In addition long as we are able to safely Amy Hornby, KBIS show support our customer’s QuickBooks integrations, With EasedEdge, the software to the onsite experience bring our industry together director. “Many of our leg- needs at no extra charge, and discussing an inventory conforms to the shop.” in Orlando, KBIS 2021 for this extraordinary event, acy brands including Miele ever, even if it’s a business feature, as well.” is expanding its pres- we will. For those who are and Cosentino, as well as question unrelated to the “In closing, EasedEdge So if unlimited users, un- ence through the inte- unable to be there in person, newer exhibitors like nobi- software. Our plan is to be eliminates costly mistakes limited file storage, unlimited gration of a new live we will bring KBIS to you.” lia are confirmed to exhibit the kind of software com- from your processes,” con- updates, and unlimited con- virtual program over the These virtual experiences and are looking forward pany where there’s always tinued Ben. “Mistakes are sultations sound good to you, three-day event to pro- are available to all show at- to connecting with their an ongoing conversation expensive, and most times visit www.EasedEdge.com to vide attendees access to tendees and exhibitors and clients.” with our users.” they happen because of schedule a demo or to talk to a exclusive show content are designed to help bridge a lack of communication representative. all-year long. the gap with those unable to Please turn to page 7 | 6 September 2020 Slippery Rock Gazette ® Majestic Kitchen & Bath SLIPPERY ROCK GAZETTE Names Jeff Robertson II The Beacon of the Stone Industry VP of Manufacturing In This Issue… ajestic Kitchen & DEPARTMENTS: Industry Spotlight and Features Bath Creations Inc. Perpetual Excellence at the Chris Miller Studio, by Peter Marcucci ...... Begins on 1 M today announced that Jeff Robertson II, a native of Creating Synchronicity with EasedEdge ...... Begins on 1 Greenwood, South Carolina, Hot Sauce for Some Lucky Dogs, by Ken Scott ...... 14 has joined the company as Vice President of Manufacturing for safety. Rocky Mountain : An Iconic Stone from the American West, by Karin Kirk ...... Begins on 22 its Youngsville, North Carolina Earlier in his career, Robertson facility. He joins Majestic from served on active duty in several Training, Health and Education Sponsored by BBI Academy GE Aviation. In this new role, distinguished leadership positions The Hawthorne Effect, by Ed Hill ...... Begins on 8 Robertson will lead Majestic’s as a member of the initiatives to optimize precision, Army Special Forces Regiment Stone Forensics Extends Tuition Reduction on Training Programs ...... Begins on 9 production, and first-time right and is currently serving in the Marble Moisture Discoloration: Don’t Blame the Stone! by Pavlo Starykov ...... Begins on 10 performance standards. He will North Carolina Army National report to Frank Muraca, the com- Guard at the rank of Major. He Industry Topics, Tips and Regulars pany’s chief operating officer. received an MBA from Liberty What Now? Sharon Koehler ...... Begins on 12 University, a BS in Industrial “Jeff brings an impressive Engineering from Clemson The Stone Detective, by Frederick M. Hueston ...... Begins on 18 breadth of manufacturing exper- University, and is currently pursu- Oooh, the Excruciating Pain! by Sam Venable ...... 18 tise to Majestic that is rooted in ing a Ph.D. in Leadership Studies GE’s highly respected standards at NC A&T State University. Stone Restoration and Maintenance Corner, by Bob Murrell ...... Begins on 20 for quality and innovation, pre- Since 2017, Majestic has real- cision, and customer relationship ized year-over-year, double-digit Stone and Tile Industry News excellence,” said Scott Byers, organic growth. It continues to Kitchen & Bath Industry Show Moves Forward for Feb. 2021 ...... Begins on 5 president & chief executive of- invest in people, training, tech- Majestic Kitchen & Bath Names Jeff Robertson II Vice President of Manufacturing...... 6 ficer, Majestic Kitchen & Bath nology, equipment, and processes Creations Inc. “His combined pri- under its guiding vision to be the BB Industries Opens West Coast Distribution Center...... 11 vate sector and military leadership most professional trade partner in Nancy Busch Named Executive Director of ISFA ...... 12 experience will undoubtedly drive the Carolinas. positive outcomes for our employ- Through seven facilities across ITR Industry Trends Report: Single-Unit Housing Starts ...... 16 ees, our company, and our clients the Carolinas, Majestic’s show- Natural Stone Institute Completes 29th Home with Gary Sinise Foundation ...... 21 and advance our operating princi- rooms, production and distribution ples of Extreme Ownership.” operations, and service centers Marketplace and Classifieds ...... 26, 27 As a business leader, Robertson serve the metropolitan North brings expertise in operations, Carolina regions of the Triangle, strategic planning, financial and Charlotte, Triad, Wilmington area, Contributors & Staff budget management, procure- and Myrtle Beach, Charleston, Rick Stimac Publisher ment, program planning, staff and Greenville, South Carolina. management, risk analysis, and Its 25+ years of experience is Larry M. Hood Editor and Design Director contingency planning. As an engi- backed by an MIA accreditation G. William Brown Graphic Designer neer, he brings expertise in prod- and Artisan Group membership. Gina Covell Advertising Sales and Social Media Maven uct quality improvement, process For more information, visit improvement, leading production www.gomajestic.com. Mark Anderson Department of Humor teams, and developing a culture of Ed Hill Synchronous Solutions © MARK ANDERSON. www.andertoons.com Frederick M. Hueston Stone Forensics Investigations Karin Kirk Geologist Sharon Koehler Artistic Stone Design Rufus B. Leakin Guru of Urban Folklore Peter J. Marcucci Special Contributor Bob Murrell Restoration Consultant Ken Scott Special Contributor Pavlo (Pasha) Starykov Star Tile & Stone Consultants Sam Venable Department of Irony

Read our online edition at www.slipperyrockgazette.net . Use the Classifieds / department tabs to place a classified ad, and the article links to view the current issue. Send advertising inquiries to [email protected], and comments c/o [email protected] . Subscription requests, a classified ad submission form, current and archived back issues “I’m just sayin’ a little conflict resolution trainin’ and articles are available online at www.slipperyrockgazette.net . might not be unwarranted.” | Slippery Rock Gazette September 2020 7 Running for Office? Wisconsin woman took a EXCLUSIVE OFFER! Abreak from her 100-mile ultra-marathon run at mile 35 to LE14-11 125 The LE14-11 125 is designed for the professional’s be sworn in as a justice of the needs. Its safety features include a soft start system, 12 A 5” Variable Speed reload protection and restart protection. In addition, Use Code Wisconsin State Supreme Court. its tool free adjustable guard makes it easy to adapt for whatever the job requires. 6FOR5 when placing your order Jill Karofsky was joined for Item # 8822 about five miles of her run by SPECIFICATIONS LE14-11 125 Supreme Court Justice Rebecca Power output 12 A Dallet, and the pair paused on No load speed 2800-11500 rpm the lawn of Dot’s Tavern in Max. disc size 5” Basco to hold a swearing-in cer- • Microprocessor control with soft start, Weight 5.1 lbs restart protection after power failure, emony for Karofsky’s 10-year Variable temperature monitoring, CDC- term on the court. Speed Dial electronic feedback control Karofsky continued her run following the ceremony and BUY 5 • Highly efficient and completed the 100-mile ultra- resilient motor for more marathon Sunday with a final 99 GET 1 FREE power output time of about 34 hours. $ Each The justice had been regis- 129 tered for an officially sanctioned The FLEX CS-40 wet tile saw is made for use in the stone, tile and glass industries. The powerful 12 A 100-mile run to take place this motor makes it possible for the saw to cut through Use Code summer, and she decided to run any tough material. The wet tile cutter is also the route anyway when the event ANGLE equipped with a high quality water-feed system that FSAW36 will eliminate the harmful dust particles which are when placing your order was canceled due to the corona- GRINDERS common in dry cutting applications. Item # 50030 virus pandemic. 6 ONLY “I think you learn a lot about $ SPECIFICATIONS CS 40 WET yourself when you put your- 649 Motor 12 A self in situations that are chal- Max. disc diameter 5” Lightweight, lenging and difficult and you CS-40 WET Bevel cut 0-45 Ultra-Powerful, have to solve problems under and Built to Last! circumstances that are hard,” 5” Wet Saw Weight 9 lbs Karofsky told the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. “Being a good lawyer, running BUY 5 • 120 Volt ultra-marathons, being in a cam- • 12 Amp paign– all of those come down • 12,000 RPM to how you solve problems. GET 1 FREE And if a problem comes up you can either freak out or you can say, ‘OK, I’ve got a blister; I’ve 00 BB Industries is now the got to handle it.’ So I think there $ Each are a lot of lessons to learn,” she 159 Preferred National said. Flex Distributor MASONRY To the Stone Industry WET SAWS “We all live in the same 6 ONLY house, we all must be $ part of the effort to hold 795 down our little house. When you see some- www.BBIndustriesLLC.com thing that is not right, 800-575-4401 not fair, not just... do something about it. Say show producer, Emerald, are experience possible. KBIS Announces Show Update working diligently with conven- “At this time, all attendees, ex- something. Have the Continued from page 5 full complement of educational tion center executives, vendors hibitors, speakers, sponsors and courage. Have the back- “We have also signed several offerings including the NKBA and state and local authorities to partners are required to wear bone. Get in the way. new partners which we are ex- Voices from the Industry series. design the in-person experience. face masks inside the Convention cited to share with you in a few A corporate wide preparedness Center and maintain appropriate Walk with the wind. It's weeks.” Health & Safety plan with comprehensive health social distance,” says Hornby. all going to work out.” KBIS 2021 features hundreds Health and safety are a criti- and safety guidelines and pro- “Masks will be available at regis- — John Lewis of returning and new exhibitors cal component for KBIS 2021. tocols have been established to tration, upon request.” across two halls, along with a Leaders from the NKBA and provide attendees with the safest Please turn to page 12 | 8 September 2020 Slippery Rock Gazette

Training & Education machine, assisting in the load- ing onto the beds and offloading The Hawthorne Effect finished pieces for the next op- eration. The role of these assist he Hawthorne Effect Ed Hill operators is to make sure that the explains the condition constraint process never waits for Synchronous Solutions T in which people modify work or is required to perform any their behavior in response weakest will not strengthen the anywhere else will not create more duties except the basic running of to their awareness of being chain. productivity for the system. the machine. observed. Give people some of So, to improve your system, you must first know where your How to Accomplish Engaging in a set-up reduc- The Hawthorne Effect is your attention and constraint is. A simple way to do the Change? tion project. This project, called named after a series of engi- this is to map the system on a wall It is not always necessary to add SMED (single minute exchange neering experiments that took their productivity chart, including the demonstrated people or overtime hours to in- of dies) is a standard Lean activ- place at the Western Electric capacity at each workstation, crease productivity. Usually there ity. Our experience is that diligent factory in Hawthorne, a suburb will improve. That’s so that the data is clearly visible are better options (and much less effort on a SMED project can cut of Chicago in the 1920’s For for all your operations leaders. expensive) that we call exploiting the current changeover times in almost a century, this has be- the Hawthorne It is important to post the actual the constraint. Those activities half. come known as one of the most Effect. demonstrated capacity, not what would include: important and revealing psy- you want it to be or what the Assuring that the daily sched- chological/engineering studies equipment vendor says it should Giving the constraint function ule supports the productivity of ever done in a workplace. At orders, direction, coaching, even be. Every company is unique, and priority for maintenance. In other the constraint process as much that time, the Western Electric “reading the riot act.” Those ef- you need to know the reality of words, if the constraint machine is as possible. Company was the sole sup- forts do pay off with greater pro- your performance. Post the facts down, it takes priority over every- plier of telephone equipment to ductivity. But the problem is that of your demonstrated capacity at thing else. The reasoning is that it Only after all the above has been AT&T. The Hawthorne plant unless systemic changes are made each process step. determines the capacity of the en- implemented should the company was a state-of-the art facility that in the method and procedures of As shown in Diagram 1, Route tire system. When it is down for increase the run hours of the con- employed about 35,000 people. the work, the improvements will is clearly the constraint of the maintenance, the system capacity straint resource. If/when more The engineering experiments not last. system. It is the weakest link in essentially goes to zero once the hours or workers are assigned, were intended to study the ef- The fact is, to make enduring the chain. Increasing the capacity WIP is depleted. Conversely, when it is possible that the constraint fects that workplace changes had improvements in performance, at any other location will not in- a non-constraint machine is down could move to another function in on output. The hypothesis was crease the capacity of the system. by definition it has the protective the plant. While the constraint can that certain workplace changes This is the one place the company capacity needed to replenish the move, there will always be one. If would improve productivity. Lasting should focus on to increase over- WIP serving the constraint. it does move, then the steps above Groups of workers were studied all system capacity. should be applied to the new to see if different lighting levels, performance Install is labeled the Control Assuring that the best and most location. improvements in cleanliness or Point because this is where “the reliable workers are assigned to The goal of a company is to different placement of worksta- improvements cash register rings.” This should the constraint. People with good “make more money now and in tions affected output. require systemic be the point of daily system sched- work habits, excellent attendance, the future.” (from The Goal by Dr. Initially, lighting levels were uling (using Throughput Dollars high quality practices, and adher- Eliyahu Goldratt). That means that increased in a work area and change. $T rather than square feet) and all ence to the workplace safety stan- the system should be designed to productivity improved. Later, functions should strive to produce dards should be assigned there. be as productive as possible in the lighting levels in the same area there must me changes in the way to the dally schedule. The amount current market conditions and to were decreased and productiv- the system works. Demanding, of that schedule is limited by the Working the constraint resource be set with continuous improve- ity improved again. At another preaching, threatening, and even constraint of the system (Route, in through breaks and lunch. If it is ment practices to assure that it can time, light fixtures were altered firing to make a point, will not this example). your system’s constraint, it should adapt to the inevitable growth in by technicians, but the light- alone assure permanent improve- never stop during the workday. market demand. ing levels were not changed. ment in performance. Change to What? Rotate other people to the con- Productivity improved yet again. Insanity is described as expect- So, if the market demand is straint so that it never stops. This is The Hawthorne Effect is a re- At one point, workers were told ing improvement while continu- strong enough that an increase also a benefit in training for backup ality. But, if you rely on it to in- that “better bulbs” were being ing to use the same old approach. in capacity is needed, there is workers at this critical process. crease the capacity, productivity, installed. Actually, the origi- So, if you conclude that changing only one place in this example to and profitability of your company, nal bulbs were reinstalled. The the system is required, the ques- start… routing. Every ounce of Offloading any unrequired ac- you will be disappointed that the workers reported that the new tions become: increased capacity there will in- tivities from the assigned con- results will not be lasting. bulbs were much better. crease the capacity and productiv- straint operators. For example, The conclusion of all this was • What to change? ity of the entire system. Working staging new cut pieces to the Please turn to page 9 that the workers were respond- • Change to what? ing not so much to the changes • How to accomplish the in their workplace, but to the change? attention that management was Process Flow with Demonstrated Capacity per Hour giving them. The company also What to Change? Route Polish Install $$$ realized that when all this atten- Every system, without excep- Template Program Cut tion was ended, productivity lev- tion, has a constraint. Like a Market els returned to the state prior to chain, a business system is only RM 122 111 131 103 128 128 Demand the experiments. as strong as its weakest link. Control Constraint The Hawthorne Effect is a Moreover, improving the perfor- Point reality. People will respond to mance of a of a link that is not the | Slippery Rock Gazette September 2020 9 Training & Education Customized

best people, schedule it to oper- and Detailed Lasting ate all day even through breaks hris Miller was in and lunch. Offload functions C Atlanta, Georgia re- improvements that can be done by someone cently creating one of his else who should have available specialty sculptures: a 1940s only occur with capacity at a non-constraint model Ford pickup truck systemic change. function. Plan a set-up reduction built by hand with dry stack project and make sure the sched- fieldstone and granite. ule supports productivity at the Continued from page 8 constraint resource. He explained, “It’s a stone The only way to create im- The Hawthorne Effect will get truck made out of dry stacked provement that lasts is to change you some temporary and fleet- fieldstone with granite bum- the fundamentals of the system it- ing productivity improvements. pers, windows and rails. It’s an self. Consider three questions for But it is a mirage. Making the oddity, and as it’s constructed you and your staff: right systemic changes to your at an automobile sales center What to change? Identify your processes will bring you lasting and car wash, it’s also pretty system’s constraint and focus performance improvements. appropriate. The idea is that it will attract attention and there first. bring in more foot traffic and Change to what? Consider For more information on The business. As far as the design, the things you can do to assist Hawthorne Effect and how to it’s made to be readable at a the constraint operation without make lasting productivity im- glance. You have people driv- investing in more equipment or provements so that you are pre- ing by here at 40 miles per staffing. pared for the coming resurgence hour, and you have only three How to accomplish the of the economy, contact Ed Hill or four seconds to tell these change? Having clearly identi- at Synchronous Solutions www. people what they need to know, like, ‘Look at that old Miller hauled the Barre granite pieces to the site in a trailer. An aquatic specialist fied the constraint, exploit it. Give SynchronousSolutions.com or has made a water feature that pours into the back window, then into the bed, it maintenance priority, assign the call 704-560-1536. truck. Hey, it’s an old truck then cascades in a series of waterfalls, to eventually spill into a pond. made of stone!’ ” Stone Forensics Extends Tuition Reduction on Training Programs

you know how to tell In an announcement in July, DO if tile or stone has been Hueston extended half-price set with the spot method without seminar fees covering some a destructive test? How to use of the most popular courses. UV dye to find leaks in a shower “Until the coronavirus crisis has Chris used local fieldstone pan? How to tell when a crack passed, many stone and tile spe- for the truck body, and to in stone occurred? How to use a cialists will be unable to work. save time and onsite fabrica- tion, made all the bumpers, protimeter? How to determine if Now is a good time to get that windows and rails at his Barre, a vapor barrier has been punc- education you have been put- Vermont studio out of Wood- tured, non-destructively? How ting off,” Hueston said. bury granite sourced from to use a nitrate test to determine Stone Forensics has several the nearby Swenson Granite the origin of efflorescence? And self-guided voiced-over power Company. Chris put the fin- would you like to learn how you point presentations that you can ished pieces and his tools in can earn up to $300 per hour con- view and listen to. his trailer, and towed them He continued, “The field- ducting stone and tile inspections? Hueston will also be hosting down to Georgia. He then had stone truck I built years ago some round table discussions to twelve pallets of local flag- (in Vermont) has gone crazy These are only a small sam- discuss various subjects in the stone and fieldstone delivered on the internet. Hundreds of and got to work. ple of what you will learn in the stone and tile business. If you thousands of people have seen “I’m at workday 13 now, and it, and I get really solid reac- Stone & Tile Inspection course. have an idea, please contact I have the rest of the week to tions. It’s funny, you can do a A Live Class is now scheduled him and let me know what you finish. It’ll be about 20 days beautiful, expressive statue, for January 25-28, 2021 in Las would like to learn. work, altogether. Things are and people are really in awe, Vegas. You can register to attend Some of his new and regular going well, and I’m at the but you do a stone truck the live seminar or take the corre- training topics include: point of setting the windows, that’s just a humorous stack of spondence course, now being of- and then working my way to rocks, and it really draws at- fered at half-off the regular price. Stone and Tile Inspection the top. It’s a lot of fun, and tention. So I tend to like that Fred Hueston of Stone Forensics and Troubleshooting – regu- I’m working completely sol- whimsical stuff, and it goes will issue an update in the fall, larly $1500, now only $750.00 itary (and outdoors due to hot! Today it’s in the high 80’s, over really well. There’s no if conditions warrant. If the live COVID-19), and not interact- the first day it hasn’t been in reason that a sculpture can’t ing with people. It’s nice, and class is canceled due a second Stone Restoration 101 the high 90’s. Being from the be whimsical and well-crafted one of the reasons I took the North, for me this is oppres- at the same time. It’s very fun, wave of the pandemic, it will be $499.00, now only $250.00 commission, but working in sively hot, but it has been a real and it’s a blast to make.” conducted live via Zoom. Please turn to page 11 Georgia in July is ridiculously joy to work on this project. ” | 10 September 2020 Slippery Rock Gazette Training & Education Ten Carrara marble shower floor Marble Moisture Discoloration: modules were tested to deter- mine cause – and prevention – of Don’t Blame the Stone! moisture discoloration. Below: Trapped moisture under the translucent glass tile in- hat causes light-color mar- Pavlo Starykov stalled over a bonded membrane ble tile discoloration in W pan. showers? Star Tile and Stone

Is it normal when white mar- that often result from the insuffi- ble tiles turn permanently grey in ciency of the technical informa- showers? tion on this subject. The research has helped to de- Is marble suitable for wet areas? termine two main methods that, if properly followed, will provide What are the best methods to great results for white marble at install marble on a shower floor? shower floors.

Carrara marble moisture dis- Method #1: traditional dry coloration on shower floors is a pack bed shower pan Only the modules installed with the “epoxy” method returned common problem that has been Before the surge of the dis- to the original light color after only two to three hours. experienced by many profes- cussed problem in late 2000s, sional tile and stone installers in marble was mostly installed in the United States. Cases when shower floors with a traditional Method #2: bonded waterproof that the reduced porosity of mod- white or light-colored stone gets water-in water-out system. A dry- membrane shower pan with ified mortars and many modern random, blotchy-looking dark packed mortar bed, consisting of epoxy adhesive and “stain-resistant” – as well spots are often posted and dis- one part Portland cement to four According to our reasonable as the design of integrated bond- with full mortar coverage and cussed at social media groups and to five parts sand, not compacted testing, the bonded waterproof ing flange drains (that creates a 2% slope to drain and only one online forums. The lack of techni- too tightly and not finished too membrane method also provides little dam around the drain open- – installed with the “epoxy” cal information on cause and pre- smoothly, provides a subsurface great predictable results with ing) within a bonded waterproof method – has shown incredibly vention of the above-mentioned of connected and very high po- translucent stone like marble membrane system – not to men- quick drying time (from two to problem seems to result in a rap- rosity allowing water to quickly when it is properly installed with tion the application of penetrat- three hours to return to the orig- idly-growing rejection of white be “taken away” from the under- a suitable epoxy adhesive, epoxy ing/impregnating sealers – do inal light color). Other modules, marble as a finish suitable for wet side of marble . If stone grout, and very permeable (breath- not contribute to proper internal whether sealed or unsealed, have areas. Stone is often blamed for is bonded to substrate with a able) impregnating sealer. While water evacuation and evapora- all shown some sort of moisture its “poor quality,” “inappropriate basic thin-set mortar (prefera- the “dry pack” system enables tion. Water still penetrates the discoloration that would not fully mineral composition” and, thus, bly unmodified due to its higher great drainage and internal water stone , whether sealed or go away for days. its inability to provide predict- porosity), grouted with a simple evacuation, the second method unsealed, either as liquid or gas/ Again, the reason for such able results when it is installed on grout, has no adhered fiberglass provides marble with a highly vapor and moisture gets trapped discoloration is the inability shower floors. mesh reinforcement (an impervi- hydrophobic/water-repellent sub- below and/or inside stone. of a bonded membrane system Such opinion is often based on ous coating on the back of stone surface, almost waterproof grout Saturation of the anchoring to “hide” moisture entrapment the fact that light-colored mar- also known as “resin backing”) joints, and a reduced-to-minimum fleece in the top layer of a water- under translucent stone when it is ble is subject to moisture discol- and is not treated with an im- presence of moisture inside its proof sheet membrane or damp- installed with materials that still oration not only in cases when a pregnating/penetrating sealer, the pores, which enables relatively ening of the cementitious coating absorb moisture and are not as tile and stone mechanic does ob- water absorption, migration and quick topical water evacuation, of a foam pan only reinforces the highly water-repellent as epoxy. vious installation mistakes such evaporation should not face extra evaporation of moisture, and dry- moisture discoloration. The close as failure to provide proper pre- complications. The above-men- ing of the stone. distance from the waterproof This conclusion is indirectly slope and/or final slope to drain, tioned shower system will provide The problem with bonded mem- membrane to the stone on shower supported by the following re- clogged weep holes, or not fully exactly what it was designed for brane pan systems installed with floor with a thin layer of mortar – markably interesting statements collapsed mortar ridges, but also – a proper water evacuation, both modified mortar and grout. that is much less porous than dry found in the TCNA Handbook in in situations when the installer topically and internally. It is important to understand pack sand – does not allow water regards to translucent glass tile strictly follows the above-men- to be “taken away” from the un- installation: tioned requirements. derside of stone. If the shower is “Bonding translucent glass This provides a controversy used somewhat moderately, mar- tiles directly to membranes or in the light of the fact that white ble and its subsurface do not get other impervious surfaces is not have been successfully really saturated and can dry rel- recommended because any mois- used for wet room applications atively quickly. However, if the ture trapped between the tile and – for example in Europe – for a shower is used “heavily” (for ex- membrane would be visible. long time. ample, by a few people in a row), Membranes should be placed the chances of stone/mortar/mem- behind or below the tile setting Ten Carrara shower modules brane saturation are much higher, substrate where translucent glass were tested, with help and sup- causing a gradual moisture en- tile will be installed”(TCNA port from many industry profes- trapment within the shower floor Handbook for Ceramic, Glass, sionals. Results showed that most assembly installed with the topi- and Stone Tile Installation 2019 of the problems with light-colored This 20-year-old marble shower had no water discoloration cal waterproofing method. Edition, page 7). marble arise due to inappropriate problems due to the dry-pack mortar bed and traditional All the bonded membrane installation methods/techniques water-in/water-out installation system. Carrara modules were constructed Please turn to page 11 | Slippery Rock Gazette September 2020 11 Training & Education BB Industries Opens West Coast Logistics Center Marble Moisture Discoloration Stone Forensics Training Seminars

Industries has increased BBits national presence by adding a Southern California lo- gistics center for expediting ship- emphasis on the West. The addi- ping to 11 western states. tional sales resources, combined with enhanced logistics capabil- Continued from page 9 “This additional center will en- ities, strengthens the company’s Historic Stone Restoration hance our ability to service cus- partnerships and local reach. Integrated bonding flange drains create a little dam $599.00, now only $300.00 tomers in the western states even around the drain opening; not what you want in your quicker,” said Jeff Dykstra, Vice Since its beginning in 1994, marble tile shower installation. Engineered Stone Repair President of Sales & Marketing. BBI’s philosophy has been to and Restoration $299.00, now “This additional support will aid offer the best customer service Continued from page 10 Pavlo (a.k.a. Pasha) Starykov is available for only $150.00. our growing sales team and tool and the best value for the money. The research on the subject owner of Star Tile & Stone LLC, vans to make the West Coast This is accomplished by deliv- continues. Next step will be a certified stone and certified For more information, more efficient for BB Industries ering exceptional products and testing eight new Carrara mar- tile installer, and NTCA Region go to www.stoneforensics. customers.” first-class service to our partners ble modules installed with dif- 9 State Ambassador. Contact the com and click on the train- BB Industries has recently made in the stone, tile, and ferent products within the two author at [email protected] with ing tab or call Dr. Fred at big strides to heavily expand its industries. For more info, visit above-mentioned methods (“dry questions about existing, or past 321-514-6845. outside sales force, gaining mar- BBIndustriesLLC.com and face pack” and “epoxy”). light-colored projects. ket share and increasing local book.com/BBIndustriesLLC.USA . presence across the U.S., with an YOUR SAFETY IS WHAT MATTERS

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800.991.2120 www.Groves.com | 12 September 2020 Slippery Rock Gazette Sharon Koehler it never hurts to give kudos in front What Now? Artistic Stone Design of others. It’s a good ego boost for Nancy Busch Named the recipients and shows your team ou did it! You worked that you do appreciate good work. Executive Director of ISFA hard. You were a team As a leader you need On the flip side, if two people do Y player. You had great something you don’t approve of, ancy Busch was recently ideas and insights. You got pro- to set the example again, you can’t let it matter that hired to serve as the moted! Congratulations. You you like or value one more than the NExecutive Director of earned it. You go home, cele- you want everyone other. You need to be consistent in International Surface Fabricators brate and go to bed thinking all is what you say and do. Association (ISFA). She offi- right with the world. You’re even else to follow. cially began her role on August smiling a bit in your sleep. Set the example you want ev- 3, 2020. eryone else to follow. If you take Then you wake up in the morn- you think you know a better way or extended lunch breaks, spend too Previously, Busch was a Sales ing, put your feet on the floor and have a better idea, there’s no need much time on personal calls, miss Manager for Willis Supply, realize the situation you are really to be all gung-ho and shove a bunch a lot of time or constantly come in a North American distribu- in. These people you are getting of changes down people’s throats. late, others will think it's OK for tor of world-class building ready to “manage” have up until Humans by nature are resistant to them to do likewise. You can’t materials including Corian® now been your peers and equals. change, even if it’s for the better. very well have an issue with some- Solid Surface, Corian® Quartz, They have always been on the same Watch for a bit and decide which one always being late if you are al- Arpa High Pressure Laminate, rung of the ladder as you were. changes need to be made first, and ways late. Lead by example. FENIX NTM®, FENIX NTA® Well, not anymore. You have why. People are more accepting if Realize that other people have and Artisan sinks. She man- Nancy Busch, stepped up a rung or two. You re- they understand why you are doing ideas and opinions, and encourage aged a sales team that covered ISFA Executive Director alize that you have to get them to what you are doing, so be prepared your team to speak up. The idea the Pacific Northwest, Alaska accept you as leader, not just peer. to speak and say why you are mak- someone throws out may be great and Hawaii, earning several University after earning an But how? You aren’t just buddy, ing whatever change it is. “Because and your team may benefit from awards during her tenure. She Associates of Arts & Science de- pal, chum or crony any more. You I said so!” is NOT a good manage- it (of course, that also makes you has also been involved with the gree at Pierce College. are a leader but you are a leader rial tactic. look good). However, if someone Architectural Woodworking Busch accepted the position who needs to get them to follow You should always be consistent throws out a bad idea, be careful Institute’s Washington Chapter, that was recently vacated by Amy your lead and respect your deci- in your praise and your disapproval. how you react. If you berate them was a past Co-Chair of Programs Miller who served in the role sions and knowledge. It may be a If two people do good work and or ridicule them (especially in front for the Puget Sound Chapter of since 2017 and left to become bit tricky, but certainly there are you aren’t too fond of one of them, of others), it can derail the whole the NKBA. CEO of a charitable organization some tricks. you can’t let that matter. You need “give me your ideas” thing you’ve “Nancy has real-world experi- in her home town in Ohio. “Amy Before you make any changes, to give both an equal amount of got going on, and sometimes a bad ence with the products and pro- did an amazing job during her sit back and watch a bit. Even if praise and/or bonus. If it’s praise, idea breeds a good idea. Take all cesses used by our members,” time as ISFA Director,” added ideas in stride and thank everyone. said ISFA President Augie Chavez. “We wish her the best You need to be clear with every- Chavez. “She is a real champion and she has gracefully agreed to one about what you want and ex- for the industry, is enthusiastic help Nancy transition into the KBIS Announces Show Update pect. There is nothing worse than and has expressed great interest Executive Director position.” employee or a team of employees in serving our membership fur- “I’m excited to begin my work Continued from page 7 working towards a goal only to find ther advancing the goals of the with ISFA and carry on the ad- Additional KBIS safety mea- out in the end that it wasn’t what association. The ISFA Board of vancements it has made over the sures include: you wanted at all. You may think Directors is confident that she past several years,” said Busch. “I you have been clear, but different will perform well in the role.” believe my background in distri- • Increased hand sanitizer people interpret things in different Having worked 14 years at bution will allow me to roll up my stations positioned ways. Willis Supply, with increasingly sleeves and quickly get involved throughout the convention Since I have been working from larger and more diverse responsi- in serving the organization and its center These plans may adapt and home, I can’t tell you how many bilities, Busch has proven herself members.” change in order to effectively times I have read an email and as a go-getter with a well-estab- • Daily, heightened cleaning limit potential spread. then had to call the sender to ask a lished knowledge base. Prior to For more information, contact of all public spaces, exhibit question because they knew what her work with Willis, she was Director of Communications halls, meeting rooms and “We know it is crucial that they meant, but I didn’t. “Did you an independent kitchen & bath Kevin Cole at [email protected] registration areas we provide regular updates mean our employee Bobby will be designer, earning an NKBA or (815) 721-1507. about KBIS 2021 to help all on the job or their employee Bobby Associate Kitchen and Bath For general membership infor- • Contactless registration of our attendees make plans. will be on the job?” “Did you mean Designer (AKBD) certifica- mation, contact the organization process with remote badge As we’ve seen over the last six Silver Pearl Polished or Silver tion. She also studied at (888) 599-ISFA or info@isfa printing months, situations can change Pearl Leather” (in this case, all and design at Pacific Lutheran now.org. overnight,” says Williford. “As they wrote was “Silver Pearl”). Did • All show floor aisles will be show organizers, we are work- you mean Trail Ride St, Ct, Lane single directional to help ing to apply what we learn in or Circle? If you want someone to manage traffic flow and this new environment to pro- come in early one day don’t say “Everything is changing encourage social distancing duce a safe and successful ex- come in early. Be specific about in America. People are perience for everyone.” the time you want. You can read • Exhibitors are encouraged your own mind, others cannot. Be taking the comedians to design open booths to Additional information re- clear about what you want. It will allow for open entry and exit garding the show, as well as save a lot of time and issues in the seriously and the politi- points travel and accommodations is long run. cians as a joke.” available on KBIS.com in the COVID-19 Resource Center. Please turn to page 17 — Will Rogers | Slippery Rock Gazette September 2020 13

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A custom dog bowl Midwest. TCF employs or private showroom. All Hot Sauce for Some Lucky Dogs can complement a customer’s upgrade. more than 150 staff and pro- are designed to comply eoffrey Gran wants Ken Scott duces more than 650,000 with safety standards while to sell you some hot square feet of countertops allowing the customer to Gsauce to go with Photos Courtesy TCF each year. choose the consultation those countertops. Gran, The TCF client base in- method they are most com- owner of The Countertop Software. cludes the Chicago-land fortable with. After all, as Factory Midwest, has come TCF has a wide array of metro area and surrounding the TCF website says, “the up with some inventive hot sauce items made from suburbs, as well as southern Customer is boss.” uses for his factory’s rem- partial slabs, ranging from Wisconsin and northwest nants or, as he prefers to the very small (coasters) Indiana. In addition, fin- About Hot Sauce™ call them, partial slabs. One to larger items, like coffee ished products are shipped The Hot Sauce Selling of the most intriguing of his table toppers. Their first all over the country and Software was developed “hot sauce” items are dog idea was a lazy Susan, made even internationally. by the Ignite Consulting bowls. from a sink cut-out. They Although TCF sales are Group (ICG), a com- also have cheese boards and not back up to pre COVID- pany founded by fabri- Gran, whose background trivets made from smaller 19 levels, Gran is “cau- cator owners to provide is in sales and marketing, is pieces, as well as larger par- tiously optimistic” about software selling solutions all about the customer and tials suitable for fireplace their future. to the countertop industry. what the customer wants hearths or stepping stones. “A lot of our business is ICG is owned by Geoffrey and needs. He freely admits The ability to match or with home-builders and Gran and Bill Heuer, who that sometimes the customer complement a customer’s commercial contractors,” are also co-owners of doesn’t always know that, upgrade with these items said Gran. “Those have The Countertop Factory so TCF is ready with ideas. have made them very pop- never really stopped, at Midwest, located in the As everyone in the busi- ular with TCF’s client base. bowl, consider this: Gran “The consumer buying least not here in the Chicago Chicago suburb of Addison, ness knows, this is an in- The prices of the dog says that research has wheel has three ‘quality’ area.” Illinois and Fifth Gear dustry that generates more bowls range from $65 to shown that people spend spokes. These are quality of The pandemic has Technologies (SPEEDlabel, than its fair share of scrap, $150, depending on size. much of their discretionary service, of product and of changed some things, of SPEEDcad, SPEEDdraw). much of which is simply They currently have four income on two things – their price. We are simply seek- course. The TCF website To learn more, go to www. thrown away. After all, different sizes to choose children and their pets. And ing to recreate the ease of has visualizer tools, which HotSauceYourTops.com . granite, quartz and other from. And before you get it must be working, because the Amazon experience.” allow customers to “see” surfaces don’t come in the idea that no one would Gran says they average TCF celebrated their what they can accomplish Visit The Countertop ready-to-fit sizes. Once the spend that much for a dog selling about two a day. 15th anniversary this year in their kitchen or bath- Factory Midwest website for cutting starts, there will be That’s a lot of dog bowls! on July 1. Since opening room. When they are ready more examples of their cre- leftovers. So, borrowing on Research has shown Of course, the bowls don’t in 2005, they have grown to move forward, TCF ative repurposing of rem- lean construction principles, that people spend much have to be just for those to become one of the larg- offers three consultation nants, tcfmidwest.com . of their discretionary Gran developed the Hot income on their child- lucky dogs – cats and other est fabrication shops in the methods – in-home, virtual Sauce™ Upgrades Selling ren and their pets. pets can eat and drink out of them as well. Installers keep a few of the dog bowls with them on their trucks, making it easy to offer to their customers. Seeing is believing, after all. “Other employees also have a chance to sell our up- grades by using a tablet and our Hot Sauce software app, including our field measur- ers,” said Gran. “We know that the Customer’s wal- let opens and closes many times during the countertop shopping process, so we like to get all of our cus- tomer-facing employees involved in the selling pro- cess. Our Hot Sauce app ac- complishes that goal.” TCF specializes in offer- ing a complete turn-key ser- vice to their customers. In addition to their installers, they employ plumbers, tile setters and carpenters. “The Amazon experience tells us that customers want things easy,” said Gran. | Slippery Rock Gazette September 2020 15 | 16 September 2020 Slippery Rock Gazette

If you can use this US Single-Unit Housing Starts forecast for your business planning, perhaps you will also find our Trends Report™ subscription useful. It includes articles just like this for construction markets including:

• US Private Multi-Tenant Retail Construction • US Public Water and Sewer Facilities • US Multi-Unit Housing Starts • US Private Warehouse Construction Construction • US Total Hospital Construction • US Total Education Construction • US Private Office Construction • US Private Manufacturing Construction

You will also find three-year forecasts for the various markets within other major sectors of the US economy, such as the manufacturing and financial sectors.

Visit our site at www.itreconomics.com/slippery-rock | Slippery Rock Gazette September 2020 17 What Now? Continued from page 12 Don’t forget to have some fun along the way, and make sure others do, too. There is nothing wrong with a bit of is Your Preferred tom-foolery every once in a while – as long as you can do it in a socially dis- National Supplier tant kind of way, or within the CDC or for Diamut CNC Tooling your state guidelines. A game of horse- shoes or cornhole won’t hurt anyone. If the problem is that your team isn’t quite gelling, try a team building exercise like Office Trivia or Truth/Lie. There are so many more team-building activities online. We have all heard that expres- sion “All work and no play, etc., etc”. Having some fun every once in a while actually stress and increases productivity. Most of all: be confident in your abil- ity to do the job. You got promoted for a reason. Go out there and be the leader you were promoted to be, and the leader they need. You got this. Renowned for its speed Please send your thoughts on this and shop efficiency, article to Sharon Koehler at Sharon@ asdrva.rocks. Diamut has been able to hit a speed of 500 in/min. • Extreme feed-rates The Sawzall Solution Reduce run cycle by 30-45% We have the LARGEST • Long-life tooling abriel and Tracy Brawn moved inventory and are fully Reaching over 30,000 linear ft. Ginto Gabriel’s childhood home in Dover-Foxcroft, Maine, in 2012 stocked with a complete • Full service and enjoyed a warm relationship selection to choose from on Redressing & manufacturing in USA with next-door neighbor Steve our user-friendly website. • Extreme edge quality Ritter, whose garage had been par- Finish 100% at the CNC tially built on the Brawns’ property decades ago. We also provide full service But after Ritter passed away in support with trained 2016, his wife and grown children technicians who can do took over the property, sometimes on-site setup and training. renting it out, and “this place turned to craziness and chaos,” Tracy Brawn told the Bangor Daily News, Use the Hercules CNC leading finally to Gabriel Brawn Profile Tooling Dressing grabbing his Sawzall one spring morning and cutting the Ritters’ ga- Machine to easily extend rage in half, right down the property the life of your CNC Prolife line. “We’re putting up a fence,” tools and help them Tracy Brawn said. “Fences make run longer during the good neighbors.” fabrication process. Dover-Foxcroft police Chief Ryan Item# 2333 Reardon commented, “We were aware of the situation and believe The importance of the Dressing Machine in it’s been resolved at this point.” order to maximize your CNC efficiency: •Dressing tooling while the CNC is operating •To run CNC tooling at Hyper Speeds, it is “Don’t let schooling extremely important to dress your CNC tooling interfere with your education.” — Mark Twain www.BBIndustriesLLC.com 800-575-4401 | 18 September 2020 Slippery Rock Gazette Frederick M. Oooh, the Excruciating Pain! The Stone Detective Hueston, PhD Save the Marble – Save the Marriage long with a bunch of Sam Venable other writers at our news- Department of Irony was sitting at my favorite on to describe in detail how A paper, I recently got my greasy spoon shootin’ poor his aim is. I’ll spare annual flu shot. We lined up in a Ithe breeze with Flo my readers the details, meeting room on the first floor of “Mannix,” a private-eye televi- when my phone rang. “Stone but I’m sure you can the building, rolled up our sleeves, sion show from the 1960s. Detective here,” I said, as I imagine what I’m talking got zapped, and had the obligatory In nearly every episode, the almost spilled coffee on my about. Bandage of Honor pasted onto our bad guys would beat poor ol’ Joe trench coat. I excused myself She asked how to get shoulders. Mannix into a lifeless pulp, shoot and started to head outside rid of the odor and the him full of holes, and shove him to take the call. As I stood stains resulting from her Oooh, the pain! Oooh, the mis- off a cliff inside his car—which up, the admiral, one of the husband’s inaccuracy. ery! Oooh, the suffering! would invariably explode at the regulars, started one of his Well, this was one of Not from the inoculation itself, bottom. But by the next scene, Joe war stories – loudly – as if those cases where I you understand. Maybe they make would have fully recovered, with he didn’t know I was on the wouldn’t need to sharper and thinner needles than only a junior-sized bandage over phone. I just ignored him and inspect the problem, I remember from my youth. Or one eye. Ten seconds later, even walked out the door. nor did I want to. I started to tell maybe shot-giving techniques are the bandage would be gone. her, and she continued on about much improved. Or, more likely, They don’t make good guys, or The caller was really upset, how much of a slob he was and childhood fears caused the pain to bandage strips, like that anymore. crying and mumbling something something about the mess in the ratchet far higher than it actually Ah, but medical treatments cer- about her husband’s unaccept- garage. I just let her get it out of was. Whatever the case, getting tainly have improved—even if “Take new nails, put them in a able bathroom habits, she just her system for about five minutes. the shot was a piece of cake. you’re unlucky enough to meet bucket, and pour water over them. couldn’t take it anymore. She .When she finally calmed down, I But that itty-bitty bandage they up with the flu bug or some other When the water is rusty, take it for went on and on about how sloppy told her the following: slap on your arm afterward? noxious cootie. blood medicine.” he was, leaving his bath towel “Urine is a unique substance. It Holy $#@! I swear six layers of I keep at my desk a book on the floor, as well as his dirty comes out of the body as an acid, skin, not to mention half an acre called East Tennessee Lore of “A pan of water placed under clothes – which the tossed on the and when it starts to dry it be- of arm hair, came off with it the Yesteryear. It’s a long-out-of- the bed will prevent night sweats.” floor, next to the hamper, rather comes an alkaline crystal. It starts next day. What do they use for print tome by Emma Deane Smith than inside it. at a pH of 5 to 6, and converts to adhesive in those things—Gorilla Trent and is full of odd proce- “For sore throat, cut slices of As she went on cataloging his a pH of 10 to 12. These alkaline Glue? dures once used around here to salt pork or fat bacon, simmer a shortcomings, I began to won- crystals are hydrophilic, which (OK, so maybe I exaggerated. It cure the sick. The fact that many few minutes in hot vinegar, and der if she had called the wrong simply means they absorb mois- was more like four layers of skin of these remedies include direc- apply to the throat as hot as pos- number – like maybe she thought ture. As these crystals absorb and a bushel of hair.) tions to “continue until the patient sible. When this is taken off, wrap she’d called her therapist. After surrounding moisture the stain Nonetheless, this is a minuscule improves or dies” should tell you with a bandage of soft flannel.” all, this seemed like a job for a can grow in size. If the stone is price to pay for gargantuan pro- something about their basis in Strange, for sure. Ineffective, marriage counselor, not a stone a polished marble or it tection. A flu shot’s the cheapest scientific fact and effectiveness. perhaps. But at least I bet that and tile guy. can become dull due to the initial medical insurance policy money Here are a few gems: bandage peeled off easier than the So, I interrupted her rant and acid reaction, but can also dull can buy. If you’ve ever come “To cure a fever blister, kiss a flu-shot ones they use today. asked her how I could help. I from the strong alkali. If this is down with influenza—the hon- dog.” thought she was going to ask me the case, the stone may need to be est-to-gosh, equatorial-fever, Sam Venable is an author, co- for a consult, but she said she had repolished.” arctic-chill, ache-till-you-moan, “For frozen feet, apply roast medic entertainer, and humor an issue with the marble floor in I went on to tell her that remov- sick-for-two-weeks, please-Lord- beefsteak.” columnist for the Knoxville (TN) her master bath. I had no idea ing urine stains can be tricky, and let-me-die variety—you know News Sentinel. His latest book is what her rant about her husband timing is everything. The quicker what I mean. “To cure chicken pox, go to the “The Joke’s on YOU! (All I Did had to do with it, until she told me you can get to the stain, the easier Anytime I hear someone shrug, chicken house after the sun goes Was Clean Out My Files).” He she had this awful smell and stain it will be to remove. “I had the flu yesterday, but down and let a black hen fly over may be reached at sam.venable@ on her marble floor, and that her I’m fine now,” I’m reminded of you.” outlook.com. husband has poor aim. She went Please turn to page 26

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For more info, visit www.rockheadsusa.com or call/text Jon Kaplan 216-310-1569 | 20 September 2020 Slippery Rock Gazette Company Building was built will, must be filled with Stone Restoration and in 1923. The building was color matched adhesive, designed by Charles Barber ground flat, honed, and Maintenance Corner in the Beaux Arts style. The finally polished to match Historic Candoro Marble Company stonework was by Alberto the surrounding pieces, as Office Building Restoration Milani of Carrara, Italy. The closely as possible. ironwork was by Samuel Needless to say, vertical I am writing this Bob Murrell Yellin of Philadelphia. work is somewhat labor AS month’s column, it The Candoro Marble intensive and will defi- is the first week of August. M3 Technologies Company was founded in nitely help get you those Novel Coronavirus cases Photos by Bob Murrell 1878 and was once the na- “Popeye” arms you’ve been are rising, especially here tion’s largest producer of wanting. Try holding a in the South. Some schools The Aslan Foundation, a Tennessee pink marble. Makita or Flex tool on the are already open, at least philanthropic organization, Pink Tennessee marble vertical while you do heavy here in Tennessee. Mask acquired the old historic was used in the Museum grinding for a while, and use has been mandated (un- Candoro Marble Company of Natural History and you’ll know what I mean. less specific health reasons showroom and office build- Technology, the National You can devise a counter- prohibit the use) for in- ing in 2014. Starting this Gallery of Art, and many balance system to help, but door public buildings and/ year, they have scheduled other renowned buildings this is cumbersome to say or where social distancing work to completely restore across the country. The the least. cannot be adhered to. It will the building and make it an Candoro Marble Company Knowing what I do about be interesting, to say the available space for local art- Building was added to fabrication shops and the least, to see how this will all ists to practice their craft. the National Register of tools they use, my thinking play out after the November Of course, all of this will Historic Places in 1996. was that if they could use a election. be done within histori- There were many issues smaller and lighter air tool, cal restoration guidelines. that needed attention on this The marble framework and trim in this corner is that it would definitely ease I have discussed some of Hickory Construction is the project. All of the floors cracked from upheaval and foundation settling. the burden for the techni- the history of the Candoro General Contractor while needed a light honing of cian on the vertical grind- Marble Company in pre- Knoxville Marble Polish 220 grit and 400 grit and would require some heavy pieces, they may not match ing. Also, the broken frame vious articles. Now, I’ve will be doing all of the mar- then polishing. There was restoration. That is what perfectly due to differences pieces were only 4 inches have had the opportunity ble restoration, with the also a room with this article will relate. in the material from newer wide, so a 3 inch diamond to witness some actual res- exception of a few replace- walls and decorative pieces At some point years ago, areas of the quarry. So the pad would be sufficient. toration of the incredible ment pieces. that needed cleaning. the front right corner of the only pieces that are being For comparison, a Makita marble on the property. The Candoro Marble The worst issue, though, office building collapsed replaced are the two win- 9237 polisher weighs about due to a foundation issue, dow headers. All other af- 7 pounds, while an Alpha probably caused by water. fected frame pieces will be Air-300 Mini weighs 1.6 This resulted in some major repaired and restored. pounds. Which one would settling of the front room, All of the broken frame you want to use to grind, which in turn, caused some pieces are on vertical sur- hone, and polish vertical Maximum Protection of the marble pieces to faces, of course. These surfaces? crack and upheave. We’re cracks, or crevices if you Please turn to page 28 for You and Your Surfaces not talking about 12 x 12 inch 1cm tiles, either. These Applying color-matched K-Bond polyester pieces of marble are all 1- adhesive to cracks prior to polishing and blending. ¼ inches thick. The floors, walls, and window frames are all cut from these thick slabs. Several different types of the Tennessee marble are present, with beautiful patterns and even bookmatching. So many of the frame pieces cracked and sepa- rated. The gaps and lippage (height or level difference) on each side of the crack was fairly significant. I saw differences of up to 1/8- inch or more. With a his- torical restoration project, the fewer pieces that are replaced, the better. So in other words, if you can re- Protect you, your customer and your porous surfaces with pair the broken piece, that is WATER BASED STONETECH® BulletProof® Sealer – the water-based, what must happen. maximum stain protecting sealer that’s safe and effective.* Even though The Tennessee Marble Company www.laticrete.com | 1.800.243.4788 A-8995-0720 ©2020 LATICRETE International, Inc. All trademarks shown are the intellectual properties of their respective owners. *Safer than solvent-based. can supply replacement | Slippery Rock Gazette September 2020 21

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Natural Stone Institute Completes 29th Home with Gary Sinise Foundation

he Natural Stone Rico joined the US Army the knee. He still suffers im- Institute has pro- in 2001. He began as a gun- mense pain in his right leg T vided natural stone ner and in 2006 became a but is hopeful that no further and fabrication services for squad leader. He carried damage will occur. another home through the the responsibility of lead- Gary Sinise Foundation’s ing two teams. While on Companies interested R.I.S.E. program his fourth deployment on in getting involved with (Restoring Independence February 22, 2007, Rico’s future projects are en- Supporting Empowerment). vehicle was blasted by an couraged to contact Pam The R.I.S.E. program improvised explosive de- Hammond at pam@natural builds specially adapted vice during a convoy mis- stoneinstitute.org. To learn smart homes for severely sion I Iraq. He remembers more, and to see a list of wounded veterans and thinking, “I’m not walking all Natural Stone Institute first responders. To date, out of this.” He was flown members who have donated Natural Stone Institute to Walter Reed National their time, products, and members have been Military Medical Center, services to this cause, visit US Army Staff Sergeant Rico Roman and family in front of their new home. involved in twenty-nine where he endured extensive www.naturalstoneinstitute. completed homes. surgeries on both legs and org/RISE. was confined to a hospital array of technical and train- awareness within the nat- Natural stone and fabrica- bed for three months. The Natural Stone ing resources, professional ural stone industry and in “Socialism in general tion services for US Army While the doctors were Institute is a trade associ- development opportunities, the design community for has a record of failure Staff Sergeant Rico Roman able to save Rico’s legs, he ation representing every regulatory advocacy, and best practices and uses and his family were pro- remained in unbearable pain aspect of the natural stone networking events. Two of natural stone. Learn so blatant that only vided by Northern Stone through therapy for the fol- industry. The current mem- prominent publications— more at www.natural an intellectual could Supply, Bedrosians, lowing year. He eventually bership exceeds 2,000 mem- the Design stoneinstitute.org. Columbia Stone, and made the decision to have bers in over 50 nations. The Manual and Building ignore or evade it.” Natural Stone Designs. his left leg amputated above association offers a wide Stone Magazine—raise –William Sowell | 22 September 2020 Slippery Rock Gazette Rocky Mountain Quartzite: An Iconic Stone from the American West

1952, Gary Mullard Karin Kirk IN loaded a pile of quartzite usenaturalstone.com into his pickup truck, drove down Diagrams and photos ® Karin Kirk. from the mountainside and into the nearby town of Oakley, , and declared the boulders for sale. this particular quartzite was rec- a devoted following. This beauti- At the time, in a rural agricul- ognized for traits that make it ful quartzite has become a popu- tural area with few nearby mar- especially useful. Most of us al- lar building stone in the mountain kets, it seemed doubtful the idea ready know that quartzite is a west, and throughout the U.S. and could succeed. strong, durable rock, but Rocky Canada. Northern Stone Supply But this quartzite had quali- Mountain Quartzite is more than ships about 25,000 to 30,000 tons ties unmatched by other stones, that. Its white quartz layers are of finished quartzite every year. and steadily it gained ground as interspersed with bands of glit- a viable product. By the 1980s, tery , and the stone cleaves A Buried Beach Re-Emerges Rocky Mountain Quartzite was along the mica planes, resulting in The story of Rocky Mountain fetching twice the price of other a useful, yet natural shape. Better Quartzite begins as beach sand stones, and it was sold in 20 states still, the mica minerals add an around 600 million years ago. and Canada. Dubbed “Oakley ethereal beauty to the stone, im- Grains of quartz sand eroded off Stone,” the sparkling quartzite parting a silver or gold shimmer some of the planet’s oldest rocks, became a significant source of to the surface of the slabs. and settled in a shallow ocean. income to the region, and sev- The combination of strength After each layer of sand was laid eral quarries opened in the area. and thin layering is the winning down, a pulse of clay washed in, Today, Northern Stone Supply formula for Rocky Mountain interrupting the white sand grains ships 50,000 tons of quartzite and Quartzite. With most stones, thin with a thin, dark blanket of sedi- granite to distributors across the layers tend to be weak. But the ment. On top of that, more sand First dubbed “Oakley Stone,” this sparkling white U.S. and into Canada, infusing recrystallized quartz crystals are grains flowed in. Then another quartzite has bands of Mica that add a metallic shimmer. the local economy with $80 to fused together solidly, such that wash of clay. That sequence re- $90 million of economic activity slabs less than an inch thick are peated itself with remarkable About 50 million years ago, the mountain ranges. The stretch- annually. plenty strong enough to use as pa- regularity, as thousands of feet of compression stopped and then ing caused younger rock layers The story of Rocky Mountain tios, walkways, or building stone. sediment piled up. about 17 million years ago, the near the surface to be rifted apart Quartzite is a classic American Typically, stones need to be at The layer cake of sand and clay tectonic motion ran in reverse, and allowed “windows” through success story that brings together least 2 inches thick to withstand was eventually buried by miles pulling and stretching the conti- which deeper, older rocks were all the necessary elements: favor- those uses. of rock, fusing the sand grains nent. The region around exposed. able geology, a product that could Thus, for a given weight of into a dense . A series and southern Idaho was stretched Thus, a rock that had been buried distinguish itself from others, and stone, Rocky Mountain Quartzite of tectonic collisions occurred apart to form “basin and range” for more half a billion years found a business plan and workforce that can cover twice as much area. along the west coast of North topography. Remarkably, in some its way to daylight again. After could develop the company to its This reduces shipping cost and America as small landmasses, areas the land was pulled apart so all that it had endured, the quartz full potential. simplifies projects. It makes the carried along the conveyor belt much that it became twice as wide sand grains were now welded stone usable as a veneer, and ap- of the Pacific Ocean floor, got as it previously was. As the land- solidly together in a dense, hard, Natural Layers Are peals to DIYers who needn’t per- shoved into North America. Thus, scape was expanding, some areas crystalline stone. The clay layers Thin and Strong form feats of strength to build a the entire western portion of the sank downward, making valleys, that interrupted the sand had been Quartzite is one of the most pop- garden path. U.S. was compressed. This event while other segments of rock ro- transformed into sparkling mica. ular and in-demand stones today. The recipe of strength, versatil- crumpled up the formerly flat-ly- tated and bobbed upward, forming Please turn to page 23 But way before quartzite was ity, and local provenance has gar- ing layers of rock and gave rise to a darling of the stone industry, nered Rocky Mountain Quartzite the Rocky Mountains.

With a high strength to thickness ratio, Rocky Mountain A drawing from a 1984 mineral patent application for Northern Stone Quartzite has become a popular, locally sourced building Supply. The drawing depicts the simplicity of the quarrying, thanks to stone in the western and mountain areas of U.S. and Canada. convenient geology that put the quartzite right at the surface. | Slippery Rock Gazette September 2020 23 “We try to learn what’s new, Rocky Mountain and how we can respond and im- prove,” she says. Continued from page 22 Google Earth image of the Quarrying ‘An Operation quarries near Adaptation is the Completely Dependent Oakley, Idaho. Key to Success on Hands’ This image is Northern Stone Supply’s current A few more geologic coinci- about a half owner, Greg Osterhout, made the dences helped this rock become mile across. transition from Vice President to straightforward to quarry. Thanks owner in 2008 – just at the onset to the way the stone was uplifted, of the recession. Sales slowed the quartzite is found right at the throughout the industry and ground surface, so no excava- many companies went bankrupt. tion is needed to get to the stone. town of around 900 people. About silver, white, and charcoal grey. that is relatively light- Osterhout saw this as an opportu- Secondly, the layers of the rock half of the quarried stone is left in Along with the blend of colors, weight but very strong – even nity to invest in the company and run parallel the surface of the the natural shapes that are split by the stone occurs in layers of vary- when only a half-inch thick. its processes. “He bought equip- landscape, meaning that individ- quarriers. The rest of the stone is ing thickness, making for an array Thicker seams yield chunkier ment from companies that were ual seams can easily be followed. fabricated into thin veneer, tiles, of products for different uses and blocks two or three inches thick, going out of business,” explains Because the rock is situated with dimensional paving stones, and tastes. useful for pool coping, stone Forest, “then used the downtime convenient access, the operation tumbled stone. One of most popular products, walls, or stepping stones. to learn new methods.” In partic- can be low-tech. Even today, little Idaho’s harsh winter weather according to Forest, is Honey Forest says the Sunset Gold is ular, Osterhout figured out a bet- equipment is needed at the quarry. means that quarrying is seasonal, Ledgestone, used as a veneer on particularly popular in California, ter way to fabricate thin veneer. Blocks of rock are pulled out running from April through building exteriors. This stone is “that’s a huge market for us,” she Quartzite’s hardness and tenacity of the slope with excavators, October. In the winter, a smaller offered in four styles, ranging says, explaining that the warm means that it’s notoriously slow to then hand-split along the mica workforce fabricates the previ- from thin, uniform stones for a colors tend to be the most in-de- fabricate. Osterhout figured how layers to create smooth, natural ous year’s harvest into various tidy contemporary aesthetic, to mand, while grey tones are also to make the fabrication faster and surfaces that look as if they’ve products. a more classic look with a wider enjoying an upswing in popular- more efficient, bringing down the been dusted with glitter. “It’s an Thanks to the diversity in the variety of shapes and colors. ity lately. price of the veneer. Forest didn’t operation completely dependent mica minerals within the quartz- Sunset Gold flagstone is an- Rocky Mountain Quartzite is elaborate on the method, stating on hands,” says Karla Forest, the ite, four distinct colors of stone other customer favorite. The thin mostly used outdoors, but works proudly, “He’s got a little bit of a Marketing Director of Northern come out of the quarries: gold, layering in the quartzite produces beautifully as interior tile or secret there.” Stone Supply. Skilled quarriers flooring, especially when seek- After the 2008 recession, sales “delicately work along seams,” Blocks of rock are pulled out of the slope with excavators, ing to “bring the outside in,” says of thin veneer er skyrocketed. “It as they follow the thin zones of then hand-split along the mica layers to create smooth, nat- Forest. blew up,” Forest recalled, and the mica. The split stones are then ural surfaces that look as if they’ve been dusted with glitter. To learn about evolving tastes company was able to climb out of sorted by thickness and size, and and needs, Forest travels around the recession with strong sales. stacked in crates. the country to different distribu- Thin veneer continues to be one tors where she keeps her ear to the of Northern Stone’s best sellers. Gold, Silver, White, ground to learn what designers, and Grey: A Diverse Set architects and customers want. Please turn to page 28 of Products Emerges from the Quarry The town of Oakley sits eight miles north of the quarries. A steady flow of trucks brings stone down from the quarries, into the

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“It’s an operation completely dependent on hands,” says Karla Forest, the Marketing Director of Northern Stone Supply. Right: Silver quartzite. | 24 September 2020 Slippery Rock Gazette Lost & Found hris Marckres of Hyde REDUCE LABOR COST AND INCREASE PRODUCTIVITY WITH THE C Park, Vermont, went sky- diving on July 25, but, he told **DYNAMIC DUO** NECN, “I think my adrenaline was so high and I was just so FROM excited, I didn't realize I had lost it.”

“It” was one of Marckres' two prosthetic legs. The dou- CNC BRIDGE CUTTING MACHINE WITH STATIONARY ble amputee was harnessed to an instructor and landed safely, TILTING TABLE ROTATING HEAD but he didn't know where the AUTOMATIC MITER CUTTING HTO-R2- 5A leg ended up. His plea for help on Facebook was answered INCREASE the next day by farmer Joe CUTTING Marszalkowski, who found the CAPACITY prosthetic in his soybean field. BY 40% Marckres said the leg suffered a few scratches but was otherwise unharmed. “We kind of take for granted sometimes how many truly good people there still are in the world,” Marckres said ––– ike Evans of Woodson MTerrace, Missouri, went for a five-mile float trip with friends on the Meramec River COMBINED WITH OUR STRAIGHT EDGE POLISHER on July 25 and decided to get out of the raft and walk be- LCV-711M LCH-711M hind it in the water for a bit. OR As the water got deeper, he had to swim to catch the raft, and as he climbed back in, Evans discovered his prosthetic leg was gone, the St. Louis Post- Dispatch reported.

He searched with no luck, but a Missouri state trooper re- 150-180 FLAT POLISHER & 150-180 sponding to a call nearby heard FLAT POLISHER L/F PER L/F PER about the loss and coordinated a MITER PROCESSING HOUR! dive team to help. It took divers HOUR! *INQUIRE FOR DETAILS* a couple of hours the next day to find the leg, saving Evans about $27,000 to replace it. “It was a happy ending to a stress- 1590 E. HIGHWOOD, PONTIAC, MI 48340 248-853-9000 [email protected] ful few days,” Evans said.

Incarcerated Don’t Mean Bad assistance as the deputy lost con- A study by Emery University sciousness again, the Gwinnett found that if someone in prison Gwinnett County (Georgia) lose consciousness and fall to the Daily Post reported. “These in- receives the opportunity to ASheriff's deputy is recover- floor, "splitting his head open." mates had no obligation whatso- learn an industrial skill or ac- ing at home thanks to three in- The inmates began shouting and ever to render aid to a bleeding, quire knowledge in a special- mates who came to his rescue. banging on their doors, which vulnerable deputy, but they didn’t ized field, not only do they roused the deputy enough that he hesitate,” the sheriff’s office said. rarely return to prison (single The unnamed inmates noticed “thought an inmate needed help “We’re proud of them. Many people have strong opinions digit percentage), but they also the deputy didn't seem well as and somehow managed to rise “These inmates came to his aid about law enforcement officers go on to build businesses, cre- he conducted security checks, to his feet and press the control because our deputy, like most law and criminals, but this incident ate jobs, and inspire their local the sheriff's office said in a July panel to open cell doors.” The enforcement officers, treats peo- clearly illustrates the potential communities. 28 statement, and then saw him inmates rushed out and called for ple with the dignity they deserve. goodness found in both.” | Slippery Rock Gazette September 2020 25 that’s how Michelangelo could Chris Miller Studio produce hundreds of sculptures Continued from page 3 project, and I love this part of the in his lifetime, and why I can’t, job! When it’s a large sculpture working by myself. Nevertheless, “When somebody comes to me project, with the design, the com- I’m going to keep doing this as with an idea for a sculpture and mittees, the subcontractors and long as I can. I figure I’ve got there are parts of the idea that lots of moving parts, the design about another decade that I can seem impossible, I sometimes management of this is incredibly swing a hammer. I’m sixty-two think, how am I possibly going to enjoyable, just because it makes and never want to retire, but do do this? But I love the process of me use my resources, and I find want to go to a nine month per- imagining a way to do this, and that really, really fun.” year work schedule, making then having that idea rejected, and When asked what a sculptor like larger public sculptures.” then having another idea and an- Michelangelo might think of his other idea and another idea, and work were he alive today, Miller When asked if he had any ad- by the end, I’ve taken the problem said, “He’d probably think I’m a vice for up-and-coming stone art- and challenges in the design and hack! However, he might appre- ists, Miller said “the thing to do worked them out. ciate that I usually do all the work when starting out is to make de- “The logistics of it, the practi- myself. signs that you want to earn com- cality about how you are going to “In his era, the sculptor would missions for in the future, because go about things and taking into design the model for it, and then when you’re starting out, you are Miller dry-stacking fieldstone to build the body of a pickup consideration the parts that can there would be a team of specialist going to make things on specula- UVM Catamount is a life-like truck, constructed near his break… there are so many differ- carvers: somebody who works on tion, and if you want to be known rendering in Barre granite. studio in Vermont. Miller is ent layers that have to work to- drapery, somebody who works on becoming well-known for his gether, and that kind of challenge heads, somebody who works on dry stack trucks. At the time is incredibly fun, and fits the way hair and somebody who works on of publication, he had received commissions to build 3 more my mind works. For example: at hands. There was a team, and that vehicles, including another old a recent remote job in Georgia, was the tradition. Ford in Granite in Pennsyl- doing a project like this involved “I like the designing, making the vania, a limestone half-scale figuring out the tools I’d need, the model, roughing it out, the finish semi in Indiana, and a 1925 materials, renting the equipment, work and the installation. People Ford Model TT slat-sided one-ton delivery truck with coordinating the deliveries and think I’m crazy for wanting to do a built-in waterfall, in Mary- putting a tent around it. It’s like all of the process by myself. With land. Look for coverage in an being a contractor of a large scale his students and studio helpers, upcoming SRG issue.

as a figurative artist, you need to make figurative work. “If you’re heading in the direc- tion of public art, you need to do sculpture that would be suitable for public art. That way you can build up your portfolio while doing it with an eye on the future. “Commissions are often awarded to sculptors who have a track record of public work. So, if you’ve done something suitable for a public piece, take a photo- graph of it, Photoshop it into a picture of a public square, and when you answer the call for art- ists, you can truthfully say, ‘this is a piece that I designed for a public setting.’ “So do the kind of sculpture that you want to do to get orders for the future, and build up your portfolio.”

To view Chris’ outstanding work, visit his website at www. chrismillerstudio.com.

Please turn to page 9 for a The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting presentation of Miller’s most re- our aim too high and falling short; but in setting cent project, and a detailed de- scription of how he methodically our aim too low, and achieving our mark. builds his iconic stone trucks. – Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni Unity, in Miller’s studio, at the final finishing stage. | 26 September 2020 Slippery Rock Gazette The Stone Detective The Slippery Rock Marketplace Continued from page 18 work, the urine odor may in- “As soon as you can, blot tensify at first. This is typi- the urine up with some dry cal with old or heavy urine paper towels. Do not wipe deposits, and indicates that the area, since this will only the urine is being loosened spread the stain. Clean the and is rising to the surface. stain with a mix of about You will want to use Patented Undermount Sink Clips one teaspoon of dish soap gloves for this step. Remove Used by 11 out of 12 fabricators of the year FAST. SIMPLE. SECURE. to a gallon of water. Apply the plastic and blot the floor www.laserproductsus.com this solution on the wet area dry with paper towels or www.sinkits.com (417) 374-7373 [email protected] and allow it to sit for a min- cloths. Expect the blotting ute or two. Blot the solu- towels or cloths to be col- We produce durable, easy-to-use stone tion up and rinse with clean ored yellow and smell heav- processing and handling equipment that water. If there is still a stain, ily of urine. Dispose of the will help the stone fabricator increase The unmatched production while decreasing costs. then you will need to apply soiled towels or cloths. quality and durability Makita 9565CV SJS a poultice. Reapply the cleaner. of Makita products 5” Industrial VS Grinder www.rye-corp.com “Once the stain is re- Allow to dry 1 to 2 hours. have earned the MADE IN THE USA trust of professional FAB KING • HUSKY • PRISM MITER moved, the urine smell may In humid environments users worldwide. www.makitatools.com RENEGADE • RYDRATOR • TILT-A-SLAB still be present. Here’s how lacking AC, drying may you can neutralize the odor: take longer. Since 1933... “The nasty smell you are Reapply as needed, with the original and experiencing is the result of 1 to 2 hours drying time most trusted seam adhesive STORAGE bacteria using the urine as a between applications, until FABRICATION food source. So, in order to odor is removed. AKEMI for over 80 years is your leading partner for TRANSPORTATION filler and adhesive systems based on polyester and Built with the customer in mind, offering tremendous eliminate the odor, we need I almost added that she epoxy resin. Our products are used worldwide by pro- strength and support for every job they are needed for! to kill the bacteria. There might want to try those lit- fessionals in the stone processing industry. Check out the Heavy Duty Transport Rack are numerous products tle boats in the toilet –you www.akemi.com www.groves.com | P: 800.991.2120 | [email protected] out there that are designed know, the ones you potty for eliminating the odor in train little boys to aim at? carpets. These same chem- However, that’s not my Learn Stone & Tile Troubleshooting icals can be used for stone. call, and way beyond my Stone Forensics is now But if you use these prod- expertise, anyway. Another offering its popular Stone Troubleshooting pitting and spalling, ucts, make sure they are case solved, with some free Inspection Seminar as an af- moisture, rust dam- enzymatic. Many products venting therapy thrown in. fordable, self guided Power- age and more will be www.wehausa.com Point presentation. covered in Dr. Fred’s only mask the odor, and [email protected] Take Dr Fred’s Stone and in-depth class. you want to eliminate it, The Stone Detective is Tile Inspection course and • Learn physical 1-877-315-4761 and chemical so an enzymatic product is a fictional character cre- learn how to take your skills testing, troubleshoot to the next level as a certified problems necessary.” ated by Dr. Frederick M. stone inspector. Evaluate in- • Earn Up to $300 I also gave her the follow- Hueston, PhD, written to stallations, understand crack per hour • Includes class LOWER INSTALL COSTS propagation, troubleshoot ing instructions: entertain and educate. Dr. manual & three INCREASE PRODUCTIVITY failures, learn problem solv- Spray the affected surface Fred has written over 33 technical calls to REDUCE INJURIES ing for stain removal, efflores- Dr. Fred liberally with the cleaner books on stone and tile in- cence, lippage, and more. See the stoneforensics.com using a pump sprayer or stallations, fabrication and #NoLiftSystem website for more online train- Visit our website for pricing spray bottle. restoration and also serves and more information ing opportunities. Cover with plastic for 1 to as an expert for many legal www.NoLiftSystem.com See the No Lift System 503.212.4034 2 hours to slow the evapora- cases across the world. in action on YouTube! Call 321-514-6845 Stoneforensics.com [email protected] tion rate and allow time for Fred has also been writing shown are the intellectual properties of their respective owners. shown are the intellectual properties A the first application to soak for the Slippery Rock for ©2020 LATICRETE Inc. 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“It’s important you be seen as hawkish on cats.” | Slippery Rock Gazette September 2020 27 The Slippery Rock Classifieds

For Sale Classified Ad Guidelines •Please review all your ad info before submitting – The Slippery Rock is not List your FREE Classifieds in SRG responsible for ads submitted with the Park Industries Hydra Split. YEAR: •To submit a print or online classified wrong contact info or content. 2014, MODEL: QS-700 Park Industries ad, use the online form at www. compact portable splitter. Throat width slipperyrockgazette.net/listingform – Send Business to Business opening: 36˝, Chisel width area: 24˝, Cut you will be sent a confirmation email. ad inquiries to publisher@ height: 12˝, Cutting force: 70 tons, Split- •Maximum of 70 words or less per ad. All classified ads must be typed–No slipperyrockgazette.net. from-top action, $29,000. Contact: Marcus ads taken over the phone–Sorry, No Vacca, 406-636-4889. exceptions. Email: [email protected] . ______2020 Classified Ad Deadlines Like new 14 inch Milling Wheels: used Issue Ad Submission Deadline but in great condition. There are three October 2020 Friday, August 21, 2020 available. Asking $700 each (+ shipping, if applicable), OBO. Local pick-up location: November 2020 Friday, September 25, 2020 Genoa City, WI. Serious inquiries only. December 2020 Friday, October 23, 2020 Contact: Ashley Schwarz Phone: 262-279- 7866 Email: joestone@craftedcountertops. com. 1300 X 600 ______MENHIR 320 w/ MP3RB, BTS & BTS New Pompetravaini Vacuum Pump, TRMX 257/1-C/RX. Brand new, never $269,000.00 USD fob used Pompetravaini Vacuum Pump, type: Whitehall, NY TRMX 257/1-C/RX, still in the original • 352 TON SPLITTING FORCE packaging. Asking $1700 (+ shipping, if • 61” MAXIMUM OPENING applicable), OBO. Local pick-up location: • 51.18” BLADE LENGTH Genoa City, WI. Serious inquiries only. • 23.62” SPLITTING HEIGHT Contact: Ashley Schwarz, Phone: 262- • 22 KW PUMP UPGRADE 279-7866 or Email: joestone@crafted • 1.94” PER SECOND DESCENT countertops.com. • 1.81” PER SECOND RETRACT ______• MP 3RB MANIPULATING ARM • HYDRAULIC FLUID HEATING ELEMENT Laser Products LT-2D3D R4.1 Laser • BTS 3X1 INBOUND AND OUTBOUND CONVEYORS (518) 499-0602 Measuring Device. Hardly used LT-2D3D • CURRENTLY IN STOCK IN WHITEHALL, NY 12887 [email protected] R4.1 Laser Measuring Device with hard case and Microsoft surface system. www.ApexEquipmentInternational.com Purchased as a back-up system and rarely used. In excellent condition. $11,750 Contact: Mario Divincenzo, Phone: 1-310- YOU The Raptor Aqua-Plate Rail Saw 650-8890 or Email: mario@delorenzo That’s a Lot of Cheese, Mickey SAVE% makes all other rail saws obsolete! marble.com . 15 ______The Raptor cuts twice as fast as other rail hode Island state officials said approximately 176 checks with in- saws, at a fraction of the cost. The Raptor Ra technical glitch was to blame valid signature lines were printed and Business Opportunities also cuts small tapered cuts, which are for 176 tax refund checks being mailed to taxpayers,” Borgeson in a not possible with other model saws. mailed out bearing the signatures statement to WJAR-TV. Annandale Quarries. Annandale REG. $1,295.00 of Mickey Mouse and Walt Disney. “The invalid signature lines Quarries, dimensional sandstone, located at $ were incorrectly sourced from the the I-80 & I-79 corridor in NW PA. Borgeson, chief of staff for Division’s test print files,” she said. Wall, Stone Steps, Rubble Cap, Patio 1,100.00 Item# the Rhode Island Department of Borgeson had no response regard- stone, Mantles, Hearths, Sills, Keystones. USE CODE RAPTOR 32 14159 Landscape Supply Yards & Landscapers Revenue, confirmed the checks ing WHY Mickey Mouse’s signature Dream; All visitors by appointment. Visit were mailed out in early August would be in any file associated with us on the web www.annandalequarries. with the signatures of Walt Disney state tax accounting, www.BB Industries LLC.com • 1-800-575-4401 com . Used for Residential & Commercial, and his most famous cartoon cre- Borgeson did reveal that most of Churches, Monuments, Institutional, ation, instead of Rhode Island the erroneous checks were corporate Educational. Hardscape Contractors Welcome. Endless Use, Strongest, Fabrication Shop Polishers, Drivers, experience with running multiple high-end General Treasurer Seth Magaziner tax refunds. Lustrous, Bold & Colorful Sandstone on Installers. We are a fabrication company projects, mitered edge detail, large scale and State Controller Peter Keenan. “Corrected checks will be reissued the market today. You should see what we dealing with high-end clientele in the South porcelain slab work, using vein matching “As a result of a technical error to impacted taxpayers within one SAW. Contact: Sam Tiche, 724-735-4939, Florida area. We are looking for polishers, program, very good communication skills. in the Division of Taxation’s auto- week,” she told WPRI-TV. [email protected]. drivers and installers who take pride in Knowledge of the BACA Robot and Boss mated refund check printing system, ______their attention to detail, the outcome of the saw helpful but not mandatory. Full-time project, are respectful of the job/job-site $20-30 hr depending on experience/skill. and work easily with others. Experience Contact: CJ Marble & Tile, Inc., 954-495- Help Wanted with stone, quartz and porcelain needed. 1226, [email protected]. $15-$25 hr depending on skill with room ______“If you could kick the person in the Fabricator/Driver needed - Duluth, GA, to grow. Contact: CJ Marble & Tile, Inc., $16-19 / hour. Experienced fabricators 954-495-1226, [email protected]. and drivers needed for cabinet shop with ______ign p pants responsible for most of your slab fabrication - Duluth, GA. Full-time S U position, $16-19 per hour depending on BACA Robot w/water-jet and BACA For the trouble, you wouldn’t sit for a month.” experience. Contact: Henry, 404-543- Boss Saw Operator. We are a fabrica- 0446, [email protected]. tion company that deals with high-end News! ______clientele in the South Florida area. We are – Theodore Roosevelt looking for skilled fabricators that have www.slipperyrockgazette.net | 28 September 2020 Slippery Rock Gazette This sunset photo captures the Rocky Mountain sparkle that occurs naturally Stone Restoration & Maintenance Corner from the mica in the quartzite. The next step in restoring the marble framework involved wet grinding the filled crack level using an Alpha air tool and Flexible Electroplate (ELF3 40) metal bond diamond pads. The air tool was powered by a vertical 15 cfm compressor brought onsite.

Continued from page 20 Also, the Alpha tool is water fed, which makes for easier addition of water to the operation. Of course, then you also have the problem of supply- ing adequate amounts of air Continued from page 23 to operate the tool.

The company now faces another challenge Air tools, at least in the as COVID-19 grips the world, triggering stone industry, require mas- widespread unemployment, and creating sive amounts of supply air. uncertainty for everyone. But Forest is This is measured in cfm or bullish for the health of the business. “The cubic feet per minute. Most housing market drives our sales,” she ex- of the air tools require 15 plains, and the company has many months’ cfm and up to operate ef- worth of contracts to fulfill. Quarrying ficiently. Many fab shops are not cheap and certainly Construction for wiring it and production are proceeding apace, and have screw type compres- not very portable. You up! Forest expects demand to remain steady. sors which cost upwards can rent one (gas powered The cracks were filled of $20k or more. Of course model that fits on a trailer) using K Bond Polyester ad- Platinum Sustainability they have multiple tools for about $450/week or you hesives colored to match as Northern Stone was the first company running at the same time. can buy a stationary verti- best possible. Then grinding White Mist Rocky Mountain to achieve platinum level certification via The Alpha Mini requires cal model (supplies 11 cfm the filled cracks level was Quartzite flagstone the ANSI/NSC 373 sustainability program. 10 cfm. Even so, this is a @ 90 psi) for about $800. completed using Flexible “It’s not an easy certification,” says Forest, fairly large amount of air, Oh, and because they are at Electroplated Metal Bond “It’s a big deal.” Forest feels that custom- increasingly important role. and most small portable least 5 hp, that means they Diamonds (ELF3) in 40 ers, designers, architects want to work with A stone’s place of origin “is one of the compressors are typically are 220 volt, which is an- grit through 120 grit before a company that shares their environmental first things people ask about” when they not able to supply this other hurdle. switching to DICP resins, and ethical values. “The certification is im- visit stone yards, says Forest. amount. To get this kind This project only required from 100 grit through 400 portant,” she says, as a way to demonstrate Forest sums up what Rocky Mountain of cfm, you must have a one tool so a vertical com- grit, and finally polishing a company’s commitment. Quartzite means to her: “This was quarried compressor with at least a pressor was implemented. using Majestic 5X and a Osterhout is featured on the Natural Stone from a mountain; it came from near where 5 hp motor and 60-80 gal- It worked like a charm. 3-inch natural pad center. Council’s sustainability website, where he I grew up.” This standout stone delivers lon reservoir tank. These Many thanks to Hickory Please turn to page 31 explained that the company was able to on many levels: “People like the beauty, save both money and fuel by reducing en- durability, and the story behind the stone.” gine idling. “We created an anti-idling pol- icy that included educating our employees Karin Kirk is a geologist and science on the cost of excessive idling, adding an- educator with over 20 years of experi- ti-idling signage in cabs, and in most cases ence and brings a different perspective installing auto shut down timers on our to the stone industry. Karin is a regular large diesel equipment,” he wrote, adding contributor to usenaturalstone.com and that these improvements had duel benefits: the Slippery Rock Gazette. “Good for the environment and our bottom Patented Undermount Sink Clips line.” This article is part of an ongoing series Karin Kirk is writing about American The Story Behind the Stone quarries. If you work for a quarry that’s a FAST. SIMPLE. SECURE. While it’s possible to simply use generic member of the Natural Stone Institute and materials originating overseas and pur- you’d like your quarry to be featured here, chased at a big box store, many custom- contact Karin Kirk, [email protected]. ers are seeking more than that. A desire for locally sourced materials is playing an www.sinkits.com (417) 374-7373 [email protected] | Slippery Rock Gazette September 2020 29

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® Makita XCV05PT HEPA Filter Dry Backpack Vacuum Kit Includes: •39” hose Continued from page 28 •Telescoping extension wand The vast majority of the •Floor nozzle work was spent on the 40 •HEPA filter grit ELF metal to level the •Filter dust bag repaired cracks. Once these •(2) 18V Lithium-Ion Batteries were smooth, they moved on •Charger to the 70 grit ELF3 and 120 grit ELF3 before switching Item # Description Price to resins and then polishing. After years without proper care, all of 11492 Makita® XCV05PT HEPA Filter Backpack Dry Vac. Kit $667.69 This part of the restoration the checkerboard white and black marble project was not typical by ® floors needed honing and polishing. any means and neither was Makita 9565CV SJS the prescription for the re- pair. It all worked out great 5 inch Grinder •13 Amps though and with maximum & Dust Shrouds •Lock-On Switch efficiency, even if I do say Item# 9375 so myself. •No Load Speed: 2,800 - 10,500 RPM As always, I recommend •Spindle Thread: 5/8” - 11 UNC submitting a test area to •Variable Speed Control Dial confirm both the results and •Overall Length: 11-3/4” the procedure prior to start- •Net Weight: 4 Lbs. ing a stone or hard surface restoration or maintenance project. Also the best way to help ensure success is by partnering with a good dis- tributor, like BB Industries, GUARANTEED that knows the business. BEST Item# 11492 They can help with tech- PRICE! nical support, product pur- chase decisions, logistics, and other pertinent project information. Item# 11493 I pray you all stay safe and healthy. Item # Description Our Low Price 9375 Makita® 9565CV SJS 5” Industrial VS Grinder $183.50 A lightweight and powerful air tool was chosen for the vertical grinding and polishing tasks. 11482 Makita® Dust Extraction Surface Grinding Shroud $57.07 for Makita 9565CV, 5” “If you hold a cat Note the careful masking of adjacent surfaces. by the tail you 11483 Makita® Dust Xtracting 4-1/2”, 5” Cutting Guard $118.47 Bob Murrell has worked He helped develop some with Shoe for Makita 9565CV learn things you in the natural stone indus- of the main products and Available at cannot learn try for over 40 years and is processes which revolu- well known for his expertise tionized the industry, and any other way.” in natural stone, tile and is currently the Director – Mark Twain decorative concrete resto- of Operations for M3 ration and maintenance. Technologies. Call 1-800-575-4401 or Order Online www.BBIndustriesLLC.com | 32 September 2020 Slippery Rock Gazette Legendary Strength Get a Hercules PRSRT-STD PERMIT #255 KNOXVILLE, TN U.S. POSTAGE PAID A-Frame for only $19875 Item# 6698 ay W azette G 37918 ock TN , R

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