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TRANSCRIPT
Hi, I’m K. Schipper with the latest in hard surfaces industry news from Radio Stone Update.
0:29
There’s a new – but familiar – face in the CEO’s office at Caesarstone. The Israel-based company
announced that Yosef Shiran, who filled that role from 2009 to 2016, is again at the helm of the surfacing producer.
Shiran began his job March 16, replacing Yuval Dagim, who, it was announced, will assist in ensuring business continuity and a smooth transition.
In a release, Shiran is quoted as saying he’s honored to rejoin Caesarstone as its CEO. He says, “Caesarstone is currently facing many challenges, but I believe that the company has significant assets and potential, highlighted by its supportive board of directors and loyal employee base.”
Shiran led Caesarstone to several significant milestones during his initial tenure as CEO, including construction of its U.S. factory in Richmond Hill, Ga., consolidation of its North American distribution, and the public stock listing of Caesarstone Ltd. on the NASDAQ exchange, where it appears as CSTE.
Caesarstone’s board chairman, Dr. Ariel Halperin, says the company welcomes Shiran back in part because of his familiarity and achievements with Caesarstone. Halperin added that he will provide “unique value, agility and insights” as the company restructures itself and aims to restore value to its shareholders.
Caesarstone is working its way through a slowdown in the overall worldwide hard-surface industry. The company announced in early March that while it recorded record revenue of $690.8 million in 2022, it also saw fourth-quarter business drop 6.8 percent from the same quarter in 2021. At the same time, the company announced a $71.3 million write-off in a non-cash charge at the end of last year.
During the announcement of Shiran’s return, Dagim said it had been an honor to serve as CEO of Caesarstone, and he expressed confidence that Shiran would successfully lead the company through its next strategic evolution.
In his absence from Caesarstone, Shiran has co-founded and led three privately held companies. Following the announcement of his return, Caesarstone stock has generally closed higher.
2:53
Polycor earned its 12th certification to the Natural Stone Sustainability Standard, otherwise known as ANSI/NSI 373. What makes the Bronze status exceptional for its limestone quarry in Massangis, France, is that it’s the first quarry outside of North America to receive the certification. The quarry produces four varieties of limestone.
Polycor Director of Environment and Sustainability Ralph Morgan says achieving the first certification outside North America is a way to lead the expansion of the standard worldwide. Morgan adds, “Natural stone is a sustainable material and deserves recognition when quarrying and manufacturing processes are sustainable.”
The Natural Stone Sustainability Standard was first published in 2014 and the Natural Stone Institute took ownership in early 2021. Quarriers and natural stone fabricators look to this multi-attribute industry standard to identify ways to improve sustainability efforts in their operations. Through NSI’s third-party verification, companies can certify their compliance. To learn more, go to www.naturalstoneinstitute.org/sustainability.
5:20
LX Hausys America Inc. announces the opening of its first-ever direct-to-consumer showroom in the United States. Located in the New York suburb of Farmingdale, N.Y., the new facility allows homeowners and trade professionals to experience the design possibilities of a U.S.-produced quartz surface.
The new showroom is also expected to be a resource for connecting homeowners with kitchen and bath dealers, fabricators and other industry professionals. The showroom is located at SkyDrive, a 13-acre shopping developing on Long Island.
The opening of the new showroom marks an important day for the company and its Viatera Quartz Surface brand, according to LX Hausys America President S.K. Lee. Lee said it gives partners and homeowners a place to experience the Viatera brand in-person, and should support them for many years to come.
The newly designed showroom features a modern industrial aesthetic and more than 30 of the most-popular Viatera designs displayed in full-slab formats. Products from LX Hausys’ HIMACS solid surface brand and its HFLOR Resilient Flooring brand are also on display.
Hours are Mondays from 1-6 p.m., and Tuesdays through Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. A grand opening will be held later this spring.
6:41
M S International Inc. – MSI –announced its relocation and opening of a large showroom and distribution center for the greater Seattle metropolitan area. The new location, in Kent, Wash.’s Kent Valley, spans 232,000 ft2, and includes an 8,000 ft2 showroom.
The new building is home to a climate-controlled, state-of-the-art showroom featuring floor and wall materials, hardscaping products, slab areas and a full-service distribution center. The larger location features hundreds of colors of quartz, granite, marble and other natural stone surface materials, as well as the company’s Q™ Premium Natural Quartz, and Premium LVT floor materials.
The showroom is expected to serve numerous business channels, including residential remodeling, new home construction and commercial. MSI’s exclusive company-owned fleet of express delivery trucks is also expected to reduce lead times while providing superior service.
Founded in 1975, MSI is a leading supplier of flooring, countertop, wall tile and hardscaping products in North America. Headquartered in Orange, Calif., MSI maintains more than 40 showrooms and distribution centers across the U.S. and Canada with domestic manufacturing facilities for Q Premium Natural Quartz in Latta, S.C., and Premium LVT in Cartersville, Ga.
8:12
And, Cambria announces the opening of its new sales and distribution center showroom in Union City, Calif. The 23,566 ft2 showroom offers designers and customers from around the San Francisco Bay area and neighboring cities a comprehensive look at the company’s quartz design collection.
The center offers access to viewing full slabs, including the company’s Jumbo and Super Jumbo sizes. The center will also have an expanded library of more than 100 samples of Cambria’s newest and most-popular designs, including the company’s recently launched Alloy Collection™.
Cambria’s Regional Vice President of Sales, Brenda Maher, says, “We’re proud to showcase our expansive collection of quartz surfaces in this state-of-the-art facility. The opening of this sales and distribution center showroom underscores our commitment to bringing the best of Cambria to Northern California.”
The center will be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. This is Cambria’s 22nd sales and distribution center in the U.S.
9:19
Stone Panels International LLC is the CEU Educator of the Year for 2022 for the Natural Stone Institute. This is the third consecutive year Stone Panels has won the award. The company is based in Marble Falls, Texas, and deals in lightweight stone.
The company presented 136 CEU courses to a total of 1,645 design professionals last year, up from 1,128 in 2021. One of their most popular courses is their own entitled “Using Lightweight Stone for Architectural Facades: Manufacturing to Installation.”
Also, for the third consecutive year, Kayla Keenan from Stone Panels received the CEU Speaker of the Year Award. She presented 41 CEU courses to a total of 597 design professionals, using a mix of in-person and virtual courses. Keenan’s number represents almost 200 more attendees than in 2021.
Each year, the Natural Stone Institute recognizes both an organization and an individual certified speaker for presenting the most CEUs for that calendar year. It takes time and effort to coordinate those events for architects and designers, and the education impact deserves recognition.
The Natural Stone Institute’s CEU program currently has 334 certified speakers internationally. For 2022, a total of 539 CEUs were presented to slightly more than 7,000 design professionals. To learn about the CEU program or to become a CEU speaker, go to www.naturalstoneinstitute.org/CEU.
In other news around the industry…
11:11
The Artisan Group™ welcomes McDermott Top Shop as its newest member. The company brings the Artisan Group’s membership to 30. Based in Jefferson, Wis., McDermott has been providing custom countertops in Wisconsin and surrounding states since 1995.
Artisan Group is a premier network of stone fabricators based in North America. Each member is an equal owner of the group. Its extensive network allows the confidential sharing of best practices with protected territories. The collaboration also offers members the ability to offer the best granite, quartz, and other materials from sources around the globe through its buying group.
11:54
Longtime employee Nino LaDuca is the new president and CEO of Shape Technologies Group in Kent, Wash. LaDuca, who’s been with the waterjet-technology company for 15 years, most recently served as president of the Shape Process Automation division.
LaDuca will lead all aspects of corporate strategy, ensuring commercial and operational excellence, while continuing to foster a culture of unwavering partnership with Shape customers. A CPA, his extensive background in finance, operations and business development will be critical as the company continues to expand its product offerings and geographic reach.
He replaces former CEO Steven Harris, who will remain with the company as executive chairman.
12:42
And, Alpha Professional Tools announces the addition of Philip Matheus and Kevin Smith to its team of U.S. sales associates.
Matheus will represent the Franklin, N.J.-based company in California, Idaho, Montana, northern Nevada, Oregon and Washington. Based in California, he has 10 years of sales experience in the building industry.
Smith will work as an inside sales associate working with the company’s customer service team and outside sales reps. Bilingual in English and Spanish, he will be based in eastern Tennessee.
Remember, the latest issue of Stone Update Magazine will soon be available at www.magazine.stonemag.com. Our newsletter, Slab & Sheet, comes out on alternate Wednesdays. For a transcript of this issue of Radio Stone Update, go to www.radiostoneupdate.com.
For Radio Stone Update, I’m K. Schipper and we’ll see you here again soon.
