NEWS: Fabricator Webinar Next Week; New LATICRETE CEO; more.

The latest podcast from Stone Update includes details on a free two-day webinar for fabricators on July 29-30, as well as name and logo changes with several industry leaders, a new CEO at LATICRETE, and an audio sneak of the next edition of Stone Update Magazine.

Fabricator Webinar: https://www.stoneworld.com/stone-industry-education/oregon
New Name -- BB Industries: https://www.stoneupdate.com/news-info/company-insider/1894-braxton-bragg-llc-changes-name-to-bb-industries
New Logo -- Breton: https://www.stoneupdate.com/news-info/company-insider/1895-breton-adopts-new-logo
Tile of Spain Awards: https://www.tileofspainawards.com/
Tom Ade Scholarship Winners: https://www.stoneupdate.com/news-info/association-beat/1896-ntca-names-ade-2020-scholarship-winners
R.I.S.E Home #28 for Natural Stone Institute: https://www.stoneupdate.com/news-info/association-beat/1897-natural-stone-institute-r-i-s-e-home-28 

Radio Stone Update is presented on the first and third Wednesdays every month at 9 a.m. everywhere on Earth with the latest news and insights in hard surfaces. Check our archives at www.radiostoneupdate.com.

Transcript

Hi, I’m K. Schipper with the latest from Radio Stone Update.

There’s little doubt that the events of 2020 have impacted all of us. But, has it changed the way you feel about your company? If so, join the Natural Stone Institute and co-sponsor Stone World July 29-30 for a virtual event to discuss ways to promote best practices in your facility. At the end of two 90-minute sessions, participants should be able to create a plan for safety and success and help secure their companies’ futures.

Taught by well-known industry expert G.K. Naquin of Stone Interiors North America, the first day begins with risk assessment and business threats securing the front office. From there, it offers a discussion on creating financial stability and ends with a panel on human resources. A virtual trade show follows. 

The second day begins with physical safety of personnel and how safety impacts sales. The final two panels look at creating a safety-focused facility and installation site safety. For more information and to register, check the notes on this episode’s web page.

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B-B Industries – or BBI -- is the new name for Braxton-Bragg LLC. The Knoxville, Tenn.-based distributor of hard-surface tooling, machinery and other goods announced the change earlier this month.

The company opened its doors in 1995, primarily to support the stone fabrication industry. Since then, it has expanded into other markets including tile installation and concrete polishing. BBI represents the company’s current tagline of “Better Service, Better Value,” as well as adding Industries to symbolize the group’s larger footprint. 

Company CEO Rick Stimac says nothing has changed but its name and growth objectives. He says, quote: B-B-I will not waver from our total dedication to world-class service, top-of-the-line products, industry, education, expanded CNC offerings and the industry’s only 30-day money-back guarantee, unquote.

The company can still be found online at Braxton-Bragg dot com. The website will transition to BBIndustriesLLC.com in the near future.

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Well-known Italian equipment manufacturer Breton is utilizing a new logo to acquaint the industry with its new vision for the design and manufacturing of machinery for processing natural stone, ceramics, and metals and the development of engineered stone plants.

The company will gradually replace its historic logotype with a new one expressing the company’s high technological and pioneering essence. 

The new brand vision stems from a new business identity strategy, which Breton executives say reflects the group’s goal of offering customers innovative and value-added solutions, products and services capable of meeting even the unexpressed needs of a global market. By moving from product to a product-as-a-service model, company officials believe Breton widens its offerings and keeps anticipating companies’ needs.

In Breton Digital Hub, a team of engineers, mathematicians and data-scientists is working to design, develop and improve software solutions that provide support to customers. By proposing new services – not necessarily related to Breton machines – they can help clients ensure full technological control over processing plants.

The company’s intelligence manager, Federico Milan, says Breton’s new mission is to design modular software platforms that can be easily combined with and adapt to customers’ needs. The result will be increased productivity and work quality for those companies.

As part of that process, Breton’s strategic business plan aims at introducing innovation in the field of natural stone processing through artificial intelligence utilizing a host of software programs that will do everything from monitoring the performance of CNC machines to allowing customers to purchase spare parts and consumables directly online.

Breton holds more than 350 patents and employs 150 technicians and engineers.

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The Spanish Ceramic Tile Manufacturers’ Association – or A-S-C-E-R – is calling for entries for the nineteenth edition of its Tile of Spain Awards. Deadline is October 23.

The awards have developed a prestigious reputation among professionals in the world of building design and are divided into three categories, architecture, interior design and a final degree project. Winners will split €39,000 in prize money, with those winning the architecture and interior design categories each receiving €17,000. The remaining €5,000 is awarded in recognition of a student of architecture. 

 Entry is open to designers worldwide, with registration forms and more information available at tile of spain awards dot com. Winners will be announced the week of November 20. 

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(Sound of machinery in production line.)

There are millions of dollars and a mass of brainpower behind that sound – the production line for Laminam porcelain slabs in a factory with few workers and plenty of sophisticated machinery. 

This is Emerson Schwartzkopf, editor of Stone Update Magazine, and earlier this year I traveled to Italy – when you could still do that kind of thing – and took a look at Laminam and what it sees as the future of hard-surface slabs. 

You’ll read, hear and see what I found in the Summer edition of Stone Update Magazine that will be available, exclusively online, next month.

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 The National Tile Contractors Association is honoring six students with its 2020 Tom Ade Scholarship Award program for academic achievement.

The winner of the $5,000 grand prize scholarship is Kimberly Callahan, stepdaughter of Woody Sanders, president of D-W Sanders Tile and Stone in Marietta, Georgia. Callahan is working toward a master’s degree in social work.

Winners of $1,000 scholarships are Sadee Perez, daughter of Sally Perez, who works for Visalia Ceramic Tile in Visalia, California.; Meghan Lowery, daughter of William Lowery, owner of Lowery Tile in Alsip, Illinois; Hailey Peffer, daughter of Meredith Peffer, general manager of NAC Products in Akron, Ohio; Alera Welch, daughter of Dan Welch of Welch Tile and Marble in Kent City, Michigan, and Emily Martinho, daughter of Edward Martinho, the vice president of Visalia Ceramic Tile.

The Tom Ade Scholarship program was established by the NTCA to provide educational opportunities for children and grandchildren of NTCA contractor members. Funds for the scholarship awards are made possible through donations of NTCA members.

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 The Natural Stone Institute reports the successful completion of another home through the Gary Sinise Foundation’s RISE program. RISE stands for Restoring Independence, Supporting Empowerment and provides specially adapted Smart Homes for severely wounded veterans and first-responders.

The Natural Stone Institute provides natural stone and fabrication services. This home is the 28th to be completed and was built for U.S. Army Staff Sgt Casey Jones and his family in Sevierville, Tenn. 

Sgt Jones, an explosive ordinance disposal team member, was helping to clear a compound in Afghanistan in 2013 when he stepped on a pressure-plate improvised explosive device that detonated, causing him to lose both his legs. 

Natural stone and fabrication services were provided for this project by Triton Stone Group and Stone World. Companies interested in getting involved with future RISE projects may email pam@naturalstoneinstitute.com.

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 Vincent N. Pompo, one of the founders of the Ceramic Tile Distributors Association, and a past-president of that organization, passed away July 14th at the age of 93.

A native of Los Angeles, Mr. Pompo was a Navy veteran of World War II. After working his way up from the loading dock to become a sales manager at Gladding McBean, in 1975 he started Southwestern Tile and Marble Company in San Diego. 

His family describes him as always a big supporter of the tile industry. His survivors include a son, two daughters, eight grandchildren and twelve great-grandchildren. Because of the coronavirus, a memorial will be held at a later date.

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 In late-breaking news, Bethany, Connecticut-based Laticrete, announces it has named Patrick Millot as its next chief executive officer. He succeeds David Rothberg, who will continue was chairman of the board. Millot will assume his new role August 10th. We’ll have more on his background and the upcoming transition in the next edition of Radio Stone Update.

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 Remember, you can read more about how U.S. imports are handling the coronavirus with Hard Surface Report. You’ll find that at latest dot hard-surface-report dot com. For all the industry news, check out our online newsletter Slab and Sheet. And, don’t forget to look at the notes on this episode’s webpage for links to everything in this broadcast.

I’m K. Schipper for Radio Stone Update, and we’ll see you here again soon.