American Exotic
Krukowski Stone Co. Inc.
MOSINEE, Wis. – Krukowski Stone Co. Inc. has been selling natural stone for 30 years now. And, over that time, the company has been offering a line of full and thin veneers.
The firm is now venturing into the slab market, with an emphasis on Krukowski Stone’s own Aqua Grantique, a dark-charcoal, blue-colored stone with white quartz and green veining; and Cambrian Cream, a buff quartzite sandstone.
Both are available in three finishes: polished, honed and brushed.
Company president Jeff Krukowski says the push into slabs is just one more way for the company to serve its diverse base by fitting into many areas of the construction industry from high-end commercial projects to homes.
“We see our slabs working particularly well in kitchen and bath areas, as countertops and shelves,” he says.
Krukowski expects to market its Aqua Grantique slabs to much the same client base as its customers for cut stone: architects, designers and distributors. He says the company realizes the slab market will require a high-quality product and quick turnaround. That’s why the company has purchased an extensive line of the newest European technology for the stone market, including a multi-wire saw, resin line and polishing line.
For a new product, Jeff Krukowski believes the stones have been well-received, even in areas where he describes the current economy as “more conservative.”
“Our toughest marketing challenge is other established products,” he says. “However, being a domestic producer has logistic advantages for someone ordering on a Monday and receiving the product that week.”
Already, he adds, Aqua Grantique has had success with several prominent slab distributors throughout North America, and the company is further marketing the slabs through architects and designers, trade shows, industry magazines and the company Website.
“Having a good Website and quick response to Internet inquiries has helped us gain sales where we normally would not have had the opportunity,” he says, adding that the company will sell direct in areas where it doesn’t have a local dealer.”
“We’re working on having Aqua Grantique stone specified on some large commercial cladding projects over the next couple years while creating more great relationships with slab distributors in North America,” he concludes.
Las Vegas Rock
JEAN, Nev. – Las Vegas Rock may currently be a Southwest secret, but the quarrier and fabricator of meta-quartzite is working toward a day when that desert oasis is as well-known for its natural stone as it is its gambling.
What started as mainly an exterior stone is coming on strong for a myriad of interior uses, including fireplaces, showers, countertops and flooring. The interest for Las Vegas Rock products has been so great that the company is putting in a new production facility that will include a fabrication line for floor tiles this fall.
“We had been out-sourcing floor tile, but because of the uniqueness of our stone, we felt it was in our best interest and in our customers’ best interest to bring our own tile facility online,” says Dan Rhoades, company vice president.
Driving a lot of interest is the company’s efforts to acquaint architects and designers with the meta-quartzite – silica granules bound by quartz and available in a range of colors including pink, gold and burgundy.
“Our integrated company and our geographic location put us in a great position in the stone marketplace,” says owner Steve Wickman.
It’s more than the stone’s appearance that seems to be driving the market, however. Chris Schulte, company president, says Las Vegas Rock’s recent designation as cradle-to-cradle by MBDC is attracting interest from many developers wanting a green designation.
“The quality of our product speaks for itself, but the green certification opens a lot of doors for us,” says Wickman.
“Not only is our stone beautiful, but we’re the most cost-effective, too,” says Schulte. “We’re excited to provide U.S. customers with an opportunity to acquire beautiful, high-quality products exclusively mined and fabricated in the United States.”
Las Vegas Rock recently did a bit of retrenching by eliminating its retail operation, but Schulte says that’s allowed the firm to concentrate more on its commercial customers, and Rhoades adds the firm is still working two shifts with current capacity.
And, that’s not even with having nationwide distribution, a situation Schulte expects to change as the company brings to fruition talks it’s currently having with a number of quality, known distributors.
Once that happens, “My personal opinion is that our biggest challenge is going to be producing the materials to the level of interest that’s out there,” Wickman concludes.
TexaStone Quarries
GARDEN CITY, Texas – There’s nothing especially new about limestone – although Texans will swear they have some of the best limestone on earth. What makes TexaStone Quarries a bit more on the exotic side is its increasing placement in interior residential projects.
That doesn’t mean the company is aiming to put limestone countertops in every kitchen in America, either. Brenda Edwards, owner and general manager, emphasizes more traditional uses of limestone, especially interior and exterior cladding.
However, it also fabricate such things as flooring, shower stalls and fireplaces, as well as columns, balusters, stair treads, furniture, and kitchen countertops if the job requires it.
“We really don’t spend a lot of time marketing the interior portion of our work,” she says. “If there’s a large residential or commercial building and they’re looking at these things, we bid the entire project. We’re not in the countertop business, but we do countertops for people who want them to match their limestone flooring.”
That’s actually not surprising, given that Edwards estimates her work the past two years has been divided almost equally between residential and commercial markets. What is surprising is that while Edwards says her limestone is competing directly with more traditional marbles and granites in bathrooms and kitchens, the company is continuing to keep busy.
“It’s probably because everything we do is custom work,” she says. “Everything is architect-designed. We don’t do volume work, and other people in the industry tell me their volume work is down, but their custom work is up.”
Because all her work is custom and she doesn’t have distributors, Edwards says selling nationwide can be a challenge. Much of her push comes through trade magazines. However, she says with her product, an ad on a page doesn’t really tell the complete story.
“Our biggest challenge is to get the specifiers to come and visit and see the quarries and fabrication plants,” she says. “We need architects and developers to come out and visit us. They need to feel the stone.”
With its emphasis on custom products, and six different limestone colors from 16 different quarries to choose from, Edwards says she expects TexaStone Quarries will maintain a steady growth rate over the next two years, even if forecasters say not to expect a turnaround in the market until 2010.
“Where we’ll be in the market after that, I haven’t a clue,” she concludes.
This article first appeared in the September 2008 print edition of Stone Business. ©2008 Western Business Media