Click the arrow to play
TRANSCRIPT
00:22
Hi, I’m K. Schipper with the latest in hard surfaces industry news from Radio Stone Update.
00:33
The International Surface Event (TISE) hosted more than 700 global brands from 25 countries showcasing materials and flooring solutions during its run at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas Jan. 28-30.
Making its debut this year was the Natural Stone Specialty Program, highlighting topics including economic climate, silica impacts and advancing sustainability. The program provided tailored education and resources for stone professionals along with a tour of the quarry and processing plant of Las Vegas Rock.
Live demonstrations and training sessions held in collaboration with the Stone Fabricators’ Alliance, World Floor Covering Association, the Natural Stone Institute, and the National Tile Contractors Association provided hands-on education on effective tile and stone installation techniques, and evolving market trends in retail and design.
Discussions projected optimism as the market slowly regains momentum, with insights on how businesses can develop strategies, adopt technologies and embrace innovation to stay ahead of changes.
Dana Hicks, group event director for TISE, believes the show is the ultimate industry event for inspiration and sourcing for tile and stone professionals, and organizers recognize the evolving market conditions and the need to look ahead at the future of the industry.
Next year’s TISE is scheduled for the Mandalay Bay Convention Center Jan. 27-29, 2026.
03:19
More than 400 attendees gathered at Riviera Maya, Mexico, last month for Cosentino’s annual C.Next Fabricators and Installers events.
The fabrication session drew more than 150 manufacturing, installation and processing companies throughout North America, as well as top industry organizations.
This year’s program included welcoming remarks by Cosentino President and CEO Francisco Martinez-Cosentino on the brand’s latest innovations. The summit also previewed several product launches planned for 2025.
The presentation centered mainly on the evolution of Silestone® as a low-silica hybrid mineral surface. Its innovations will be featured at Cosentino’s booth at the upcoming Kitchen and Bath Industry Show in Las Vegas. Cosentino also recognized top-performing partners by awarding $5.5 million in rebates.
Panels held throughout the event addressed topics including the future of the industry, the importance of sustainable manufacturing, digital innovation and new ways to expand business. Among the speakers were Jim Hieb, CEO of the Natural Stone Institute, and Bill Darcy, president and CEO of the National Kitchen and Bath Association.
Following the fabricator/installer event, Cosentino hosted its fourth annual C.Next Designers summit, which brought in more than 250 influential designers and brand partners from across North America.
04:53
During the C.Next summits, Cosentino also announced that it’s matching donations supporting rebuilding homes and lives following the wildfires in Los Angeles last month.
The company is partnering with Habitat for Humanity of Greater Los Angeles to support the ReBUILD LA® initiative. Cosentino will match, dollar-for-dollar, donations up to $20,000 to help affected families and communities.
Sabrina Lacle, Cosentino public relations manager, said the company is honored to help those affected by the fires through its partnership with Habitat for Humanity. To support the effort, text COSReBuilds at 41444, or go to the ReBUILD LA Donation Page at ReBUILD LA.
05:42
Coverings announced its lineup of educational programs for its 2025 show, which will take place April 29-May 2 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Fla.
This year’s program offers a mix of live demonstrations, interactive learning sessions, Q&A panels, partner-led education and more. The sessions have been designed to cover all business segments of the tile and stone industry, including architecture and design.
Jamie Rich, Coverings show director, says that showgoers will have unparalleled opportunities to personalize their education experiences by attending sessions focused on one or more of Coverings’ four core tenets: ‘Sustainability,’ ‘Health and Wellness,’ ‘Outdoor Spaces,’ and ‘Timeless Luxury,’ and choosing topics most relevant to their interests and professional goals.
Education at Coverings is comprised of almost 30 unique sessions that have been designed to foster career advancement, business development and increased revenue. They are strategically organized into three key learning tracks: installation and fabrication; materials and trends; and workforce and profits.
Among educational program highlights are:
*Color/Design Future Trends: Welcome Home by Lee Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute; and
* Building Safe and Stylish Homes: The Role of Tile and Stone in Aging in Place by Sydney Hughes, CAP, founder and chief executive of Senior Proof.
For more information on the full scope of Coverings 2025’s educational sessions, go to www.Coverings.com/learning-opportunities.
07:28
The International Surface Fabricators Association (ISFA) is launching a new safety training program designed to make workplace safety a top priority.
In collaboration with Ving, a safety training and compliance management company, the new ISFA program is tailored to the needs of safety managers, business owners, and fabrication teams.
The program is made up of training modules including a critical course on silica dust exposure. Designed with employees in mind, the training emphasizes practical understanding and actionable steps to mitigate the risks associated with silica dust exposure. The program also covers a range of other safety issues, including fall protection and material-handling safety.
Marissa Bankert, ISFA CEO, says the organization is thrilled to be able to provide fabricators with a one-stop solution for safety training and compliance, reflecting its commitment to supporting the well-being of fabricators across the industry.
The new program is included as part of ISFA’s membership dues. For more details and to enroll, go to www.isfanow.org/silica-exposure-prevention-training-menu.
08:50
Flow International Corporation, the Kent, Wash.-based manufacturer of ultrahigh-pressure waterjet cutting systems, announces the promotions of Adam Mooneyham and Jesse Tilley to the positions of vice presidents of sales for North America.
In their new roles, Mooneyham will oversee sales operations for the eastern United States, while Tilley will lead sales in the western U.S.
Mooneyham and Tilley have had remarkably similar career trajectories at Flow. Both began with the company in 2006 as application specialists, getting hands-on experience with customer installations, training, troubleshooting, and support.
Over the years both transitioned into sales and management. For the past decade both have served as regional business managers. Their hands-on expertise and customer-focused approach has made them leaders within the organization and provided the foundation for their deep understanding of Flow’s customers and technologies.
09:49
And, when it comes to helping dehumidify heavily used indoor spaces, researchers at ETH Zurich in Switzerland have come up with a covering for walls and ceilings that combines a millennia-old material with the latest in technology.
The covering components are made of waste materials from marble quarrying and then produced by 3-dimensional printing.
Wherever people gather in large numbers, there’s a risk of the air becoming thick, especially if mechanical dehumidification isn’t sized properly, or puts an overly high demand on the energy used to run the system.
To deal with this issue, a team of researchers from ETH Zurich came up with a passive dehumidification system, meaning the high humidity is absorbed by walls and ceilings and held there until the crowd decreases and the mechanical system can take over.
A key component in the system is finely ground waste from marble quarries. A binder is then used to turn the powder into moisture-binding wall and ceiling components. That’s done by the use of a geopolymer made up of metakaolin, which is used in porcelain production, along with potassium silicate and water.
The result is a solid building material comparable to cement that emits less carbon dioxide during its production. Combining the materials with 3-D printing also allows the efficient production of components in a wide variety of shapes and thicknesses.
The material is in some ways similar to plaster, which in years past provided the same passive regulation of humidity in indoor spaces. However, plaster has a lower storage capacity for water vapor. Study is on-going, but researchers hope to be able to further develop the idea and scale it for industrial manufacture.
11:34
Remember, the January/February issue of Stone Update magazine is now available online at www.stonemag.com. For a transcript of this broadcast, go to www.radiostoneupdate.com. For Radio Stone Update, I’m K. Schipper, and we’ll see you here again soon.
