Custom Stone Interiors, Centre Hall, Pa.
Armed with hand tools and some space in a warehouse complex, Custom Stone Interiors (the new name for their business) began modestly doing small projects.
“We started by doing a lot of tabletops and some other furniture-type work,” says Waltz. “From there, we started doing a couple countertops here and there. That’s when we realized that if we really wanted to get going we needed to invest in some necessary equipment to do it right and do it efficiently.”
Today the company operates a B 300 bridge saw from North Hollywood, Calif.-based Johnson Marble Machinery, along with a sink machine.
“We have pneumatic polishers, but we do all hand work,” says Waltz. “We don’t run a CNC at this point, but down the road that’s something we definitely want to get involved with.”
DEFINING CUSTOMER SERVICE
When Waltz refers to “we,” there’s nothing imperial about it, either. He and Everhart are both very hands-on owners at this point, although the two men have their own specialties as part of an overall crew of seven.
“I’m very involved with meeting the customers,” says Waltz. “I also am responsible for measuring and templating. Jake is the shop manager. He makes sure everything in the shop is going the way it should be going and tickets are getting done the way they should be done.”
The operation has an office manager, who handles the billing and helps Waltz with sales. Everyone else is part of the fabrication and installation crew whose big emphasis is quality.
“Our real specialty is our custom work,” says Waltz. “We’re best known for the quality of work that we put out, even without running a CNC machine. And, then, of course, there’s our customer service.”
For the partners, customer service takes on several different definitions. An early one was the decision to offer countertop removal and disposal on remodeling jobs.
“We just wanted to relieve some of the hassle associated with tearing things apart and having one contractor come in and do part of the work and another contractor come in and do another part,” Waltz explains. “We don’t do the cabinetry, but we’re involved in everything else.”
As for the old tops, Waltz adds they have several different final destinations besides the landfill. Some are donated to local charities that build low-income homes in the area. Others go into people’s hunting camps.
“We try to salvage what we can,” he adds.