By Emerson Schwartzkopf
Jan. 1, 2000: €1 =US $1.01
When the annual odometer turned over to The Big Two-Thousand, things look positively rosy in Europe. No more divided Germany. Former border outposts and customs houses literally going to seed. Commerce moving in all directions.
By Emerson Schwartzkopf
Since the subject of trade shows keeps coming up here, you might wonder if I’m really living in a convention hall and sneaking away occasionally to a residence for vacation time. My spouse wonders about that, too.
Stone continues to sell at a record pace, but … well, something’s still missing. The whole idea of buying stone, from the consumer’s side of the deal lacks the panache of selecting a diamond, or a Dior or a Lamborghini Murciélago. It’s a high-quality product, but where’s the high-class feeling?
By Emerson Schwartzkopf
LAS VEGAS – So here I am again, tromping down the trade-show aisles, doing the usual rounds of handshaking and swapping the latest industry dirt, seeing plenty of fabricators with “Marble & Granite” printed on the name tags ….
By Emerson Schwartzkopf
You haven’t caught me with one of those bonehead production errors like “Paris in the the Spring.” And, to alert everyone still sensitive from the last election cycle, I’ll declare right now that this is a column full of numbers and politics.
By Emerson Schwartzkopf
Back when I was growing up – a phrase that builds up more of an antique patina on a daily basis – one term that shone brightly was full-service.
By Emerson Schwartzkopf
While it may be hard to fathom for those of us in the trade, stone isn’t the first choice of majority of consumers looking for a new way to top a counter. Trying to explain this odd behavior leads to plenty of factors, including price, availability and the grumpiness of the estimator.
By Emerson Schwartzkopf
The Soviet Union took close to 75 years to be consigned to what Ronald Reagan called “the ash heap of history.” It took my last computer less than 48 months.
By Emerson Schwartzkopf
VERONA, Italy – Somebody asked me earlier this year about the size of Marmomacc, the big stone show here in October. Square-meter hall measurements and long exhibitor lists make for nice statistics, but those are just numbers on charts.
By Emerson Schwartzkopf
State legislators, like anyone else, find it hard to say no to little girls. As a result, Colorado joins a long list of places with something nobody should live without: an official state rock.