Radio Stone Update
Radio Stone Update
ParkFest 2025 a Success; Latino Fabricators Meeting in San Antonio
00:00 Brought to You By TAB Quartz
00:19 Intro
00:29 Latino Fabricator Group Meets November in San Antonio
01:58 A Word from TAB Quartz
03:08 ParkFest 2025 a Success
05:56 Brazil Promotes Stone in United States
07:07 NSI Lundh Honor to Stony Creek's Atkinson
08:25 New Digs for UMI Stone, MSI, Neolith
10:32 LX Hausys Issues ESG Report
11:40 Neolith Achieves Sustainability Award
12:38 MSI Rated as Admired Workplace
13:37 Outro
14:05 Brought to You By TAB Quartz
Radio Stone Update is presented on the second and fourth 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.
00:19
Hi, I’m K. Schipper with the latest is hard surfaces industry news from Radio Stone Update.
00:29
The Latin American Fabricators’ Network is off to San Antonio Nov. 14-15 for its final 2025 event. Under the theme “Loteria y la Fabrica” the two days will offer hands-on-training, facility tours, speakers and product showcases.
Activities begin at 2 p.m. on Nov. 14 with hands-on training at Gecko Solid Surface Solutions, where owners Augie and Becky Chavez will include a tour of their state-of-the-art shop. They continue the next day at CRS Marble and Granite and along with the fabricator-focused training and a facility tour, there will also be speakers, a hands-on product showcase and family activities.
There is no cost to attend, and both days will include food and a chance to win prizes.
The Latin American Fabricators’ Network is the first dedicated platform for Latin American professionals in the surface fabrication industry. Members include fabricators, distributors, manufacturers and vendors of stone-related products and services.
Their goal is to provide Latin American professionals in the industry with the tools, knowledge and networking for success and business development. The organization held its first event in early November last year and followed that with a second gathering in Houston in May.
For more information on the Latin American Fabricators’ Network, go to www.aboutlafn.com.
03:08
Much further to the north – in St. Cloud, Minn. -- Park Industries’ headquarters hosted its ParkFest Oct. 1-2, with more than 150 attendees from across North American. The event included a mix of education, live demos, shop tours, and opportunities to share information with other fabricators and industry partners.
A much-anticipated part of the event was the reveal of a new Park machine – in this case the SPARTAN™ Sink & Seam CNC Router.
Following a meet-and-greet Wednesday evening, Oct. 2 included a full day of events, starting with a FabX Mini, a compact version of the fabricator events staged by Park earlier this year in Florida and Utah. Those breakout sessions, led by industry experts, focused on topics such as maximizing throughput dollars, eliminating workflow bottlenecks and programming smarter from template to saw.
Following lunch, the group took buses to tour two shops of longtime Park customers, Granite-Tops Inc., in Rockville, Minn., and Premier Stone Design in St. Cloud. Both tours highlighted high-scale production, machines in action and practical insights.
From there, attendees returned to Park’s headquarters for the reveal of the company’s newest machine, the SPARTAN™ Sink & Seam CNC Router. Matt Grow, mechanical project engineer, and Brian Lindbloom, product manager, led the introduction of the new machine, which showcased its precision, speed and ability to streamline production.
The event concluded with a Made in Minnesota Celebration of food and drinks from the Gopher State. Molly Hauer, Park director of marketing, said the company is grateful to its customers, partners and team who helped make the event a success.
05:56
Concern over the Trump administration’s 50% tariffs against a host of Brazilian products isn’t keeping representatives of that country from launching a new promotion in their best customer – the United States – this week.
Beginning this past Sunday and running through Oct. 28, It’s Natural – Brazilian Natural Stone – an initiative carried out by the Brazilian Natural Stone Association (Centrorochas) in partnership with the Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (ApexBrasil) – began a new phase of international promotion.
The events began Monday with the Brazilian embassy hosting a lecture for North American architects, designers and builders. While in Washington, plans also called for meetings with various government and professional bodies related to the industry.
That included the United States Trade Representative, the International Trade Administration, and the Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs, although the government shutdown may impact those sessions. Visits were also scheduled with industry related organizations, including the American Institute of Architects, the National Association of Home Builders, the Natural Stone Institute, and the National Kitchen and Bath Association.
From Oct. 23-26, the Brazilian representatives head off to Orlando, Fla., to participate in Bond Custom, an annual event that connects leading architects and luxury residential designers in North America with premium product suppliers.
Says Fabio Cruz, vice president of Centrorochas, “The presence of the Brazilian industry at Bond Events reaffirms that the project It’s Natural is committed to positioning Brazil as a global leader in the natural stone segment.”
Back in Washington Oct. 27-28, representatives of the Brazilian natural stone industry will participate in an event held by ApexBrasil in partnership with the Atlantic Council and its Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center. The nonpartisan think tank seeks to foster U.S. leadership and engagement around the world in cooperation with global allies and partners, aiming to shape joint solutions to international challenges.
07:07
Richard “Rick” Atkinson was recently honored by the Natural Stone Institute (NSI) with this year’s Thor Lundh Quarrier Award.
Atkinson, the fourth generation of his family to work at Stony Creek Quarry in Bradford, Conn., inherited the helm from his uncle, and over the past 45 years carried forward a legacy of craftsmanship, safety and mentorship.
The quarry’s pink granite has been a key part of projects such as the Statue of Liberty Museum, Columbia University, and the Smithsonian.
Atkinson is recognized by his peers as both a protector and a pioneer. He has consistently placed safety and sustainability at the forefront of the operation. In 2005, Stoney Creek earned an MSHA Certificate of Safety, and in 2018 became the third quarry worldwide to achieve gold certification for NSI 373 Sustainability of Natural Dimensional Stone.
The award was established last year and named in honor of Thor Lundh, founder of Norway-based Lundhs AS, to celebrate visionaries who modernize quarrying practices, take courageous risks and elevate the global natural stone industry. The award was presented during the recent NSI study tour in Georgia.
08:25
A trio of stone and hard surfaces suppliers are on the move to better and more-prominent facilities. UMI, MSI, and Neolith have all recently reported making moves to make things easier for their customers.
UMI Stone, a leading importer and distributor of premium stone surfaces, has relocated its Boston-area facility to a new state-of-the-art showroom in Wrentham, Mass. The move represents a significant expansion for UMI in New England.
The new 5,000 ft2 facility includes an expansive indoor slab gallery showcasing thousands of natural stones, Vicostone Quartz and Infinity porcelain slabs, along with a showroom to highlight full-sized displays.
M S International – MSI – has added a prestigious address to its 50-some North American showrooms. The company recently opened its newest design center at THE MART, home to more than 250 of Chicago’s most innovative showrooms.
The space will allow the supplier of flooring, countertops, wall tile and hardscaping products an outlet to highlight its latest surface solutions while offering visitors an immersive experience with cutting-edge materials, trend-forward designs and versatile applications.
MSI will feature premium natural stone countertops and quartz surfaces from collections such as its domestically sourced Q™ Studio, along with an extensive array of mosaics and wall tiles. Take-away samples will be available for all the products displayed.
And, sintered-stone producer Neolith announced the grand opening of its new Neolith Living Gallery in Madrid.
The opening brought together architects, interior designers and leading industry professionals, along with the brand’s strategic partners and highlighted the importance of the Spanish capital as a hub of architecture and design.
The new venue is seen as a key environment to host professional gatherings while also inspiring private customers interested in design and architecture. Along with special events, the space will serve as a showroom for private clients who want to experience Neolith’s creative universe.
In other news ….
10:32
LX Hausys America, Inc., has announced the release of its corporate 2025 Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) Report. The report details the global sustainability goals and achievements of its parent organization, the Korean-based LX Hausys, Ltd.
A highlight of the report is the company’s continued execution of its 2050 Carbon Neutrality Roadmap, a strategic pathway to actively pursue greenhouse gas reduction initiatives. Last year the company reduced its GHG emissions by 2,218 tons and sold 13,040 tons of surplus emission allowances through Korea’s Emissions Trading Scheme.
In the United States, LX Hausys strengthened sustainability practices at its two state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities in Georgia, where it produces VIATERA quartz and HIMACS solid surface materials, as well as automotive fabrics. Facility upgrades include boiler replacements and optimized heat recovery systems to improve energy efficiency and reduce reliance on fossil fuels.
The company also reports improvements in waste reduction and recycling of byproducts. Both U.S. plants maintain ISO 14001 environmental management certification. The full ESG report is available on the company’s website.
11:40
Neolith has been awarded the EcoVadis Gold Medal, the most prestigious business sustainability certification at the international level. The manufacturer of sintered stone products has been recognized for four consecutive years.
It keeps the company among the highest-scoring organizations globally and reflects its commitment to sustainability, innovation and excellence through its entire value chain. The award places Neolith in the 97th percentile, endorsing its global leadership in environmental performance, labor and human rights, ethics and sustainable procurement.
More than 150,000 organizations across 220 industries in more than 175 countries were evaluated. The consistency of this achievement reflects the company’s efforts in environmental, social and governance matters, as well as its ability to integrate sustainability as part of its global strategy.
12:38
Finally, M S International (MSI) has been named by Newsweek magazine as one of America’s Most Admired Workplaces 2026.The supplier of flooring, countertops, wall tile and hardscaping products was among 4.9 million companies reviewed nationwide. The award celebrates organizations that are highly esteemed by employees and peers alike.
At its core, it recognizes a company’s ability to inspire its people to thrive and bring out their best selves – a quality invaluable in today’s workplace.
Jennifer H. Cunningham, editor-in-chief at Newsweek says, “These companies are a leading example of best workplace practices, creating environments that are admired by employees.”
Chris Courneen, senior vice president of HR at MSI, said the recognition reflects the company’s commitment to an environment where people feel supported and inspired to do their best work.
13:37
Remember, our online newsletter, Slab & Sheet, comes out on alternate Wednesdays. It can be found at www.stoneupdate.com. For a transcript of this broadcast, go to www.radiostoneupdate.com. I’m K. Schipper for Radio Stone Update, and we’ll see you here again soon.