Picture This

August 5, 2005

   It’s a question I keep asking when it comes time to assemble the annual Stone Business Best of Home entries. Yes, we get plenty of good work, but for every company that sends an entry, there are a couple hundred others taking a pass.
   Don’t misunderstand me. While getting an entry from every fabricator reading this column would give us a tremendous selection, work on actually getting a monthly magazine out the door would stop. And, my personal postal representative would get very, very grouchy.
   Making her mildly upset, however, wouldn’t be bad at all. I know that we’ll get plenty of good entries for the Best of Home competition, but we’re always looking for more.
   The Best of Home concept came from seeing competitions in other countries, as well as in other U.S. industries. It’s not that there’s anything wrong with any of the awards – the quality of the work is always impressive – it’s the usual theme of the winning entries that made us think of something different.
   Invariably, most of the winners would be large public projects or the result of a very expensive and exclusive commission. It’s always good to see this type of work, and we feature it often in Stone Business. However, the constant exposure of these works can also lead to problems.
   Let’s face it; when someone shows off something fantastic, like a new automobile or laptop or piece of jewelry, what you have can look insignificant. Someone with a sharp Ford sedan can get a bit gun-shy when another person arrives with a shiny new Lexus. (And that Lexus owner can feel small when a Maybach pulls up to the curb.)
   After seeing a bunch of massive high-end jobs win awards, it’s tough to think that your fireplace surround or wet bar or master-suite bathroom would get the time of day. So, you let the contest deadline pass and look for the winners at the next trade shows or in an industry magazine.
   If anything, the Best of Home competition is aimed to get the Bashful Fabricator out of the backshop and into our magazine. We’re not interested in a huge commercial project or a reworking of a royal palace (unless there’s been some interesting work in the real throne room). We want to see the stuff that’s the bread-and-butter of thousands of shops out there – the kitchens, the bathrooms, the patios and the other projects that make up the bulk of work.
   Okay, the straight budget work isn’t all that exciting, but the shop schedule usually holds a custom job or two that’s worth a closer look. Maybe it’s the stone, or the edge, or the interesting fit into an unusual or tight space. Or, it’s part of an overall remodeling or new construction that gives the stone a great look.
   One problem is convincing yourself that any of your work is worth submitting for an award. It’s one thing to avoid boasting, but there’s nothing wrong in rounding up a good job or two for something like Best of Home; and, besides, it’s not just your work, but the product of everyone in your shop that’ll be on display.
   Another hang-up is the idea that someone, somewhere, will submit an over-the-top job that will outshine every other entry. And, yes, it happens in the Best of Home competition – but don’t get discouraged. We like to take a look beyond the size of a job (in size or budget) and find the details that make it exemplary.
   And, for Pete’s sake, don’t think that anyone here would laugh or poke fun at your work. We respect what it takes to cut, shape, polish and install every job. If you believe in a project enough to send it in, we’ll take it – and you – seriously.
   But, the worst problem with Best of Home entries is with photos; no, not the quality of the photos we get, but the entries we’ll never see because there are no photos.
   With today’s business pace, it’s easy to forget the small things like having photos of installed jobs or a particularly nice detail in the shop. Forgetting to take a few shots, though, robs you not only of a Best of Home entry, but also of a marketing tool for future brochures, Websites and presentations. It’s not just the award you’ve lost; it’s literally letting an asset get away.
   Not everyone is a great photographer, but the digital camera can sharpen anyone’s skill in a hurry. A digital unit is more than a toy or an extravagance; whether it’s in recording a great installation for a Best of Home entry or a backshop problem that needs some outside technical support. Every shop should have at least one.
   Don’t take my word alone for this, though. Our fabrication columnist, Mark Lauzon, weighs in on this with “Get The Picture” this month.
   Do yourself a favor. Take the pictures of your best work. Go back and ask some of your customers for an hour or so of their time to clear the countertops or pick up the family room and get the shots of jobs you’d like other people – including the readers of Stone Business – to see. And, send them with entry forms available online at addresses listed below.
   Don’t hide all that good work out there. Give everyone a chance to see what you can do … and the jobs that help an industry shine.