Company Notes – August 2008

• U.S. Mix Co. of Denver signed a new agreement with Sakrete of North America that extends its Sakrete program in the western United States. U.S. Mix will produce and promote all of Charlotte, N.C.-based Sakrete’s products in Colorado as well as parts of Wyoming, South Dakota and Nebraska.
• Jeff Wendel of Wisenbaker Builder Services in Houston is the proud new owner of a Suzuki Hayabusa superbike, courtesy of GranQuartz LLC and its ADI Ultra High Speed (UHS) CNC Tooling Sweepstakes. Wendel won the grand prize in the promotion for ADI high-speed CNC tools.
• Lowe’s Companies Inc., the parent firm of the Lowe’s hardware chain, purchased Marble and Granite Works Inc. of Plain City, Ohio, in June, according to Business First of Columbus. Marble and Granite Works, which employs more than 150, supplied countertops for Lowe’s outlets in the region for several years; terms of the deal weren’t disclosed.
• The Marble Institute of America donated copies of its Dimension Stone Design Manual to schools of architecture throughout the United States this summer.
• VIC International Corp. launched its buyVIC.com Website in June, offering exclusive pricing to fabrication shops. The online supply service takes orders round-the-clock, seven-days-weekly, and gives fabricators the ability to pay with credit cards.
• Chicago Granite & Marble (CGM) recently received a ranking of the 48th fastest growing company on the Crain’s Top 50 Chicago list for the second consecutive year. The Franklin Park, Ill.-based supplier, fabricator and installer of natural-stone slabs and tiles posted a 161-percent growth rate in business during the last five years,