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TRANSCRIPT
00:00 Brought to You by Quantra
00:22 Intro
00:31 Safeguard Tariffs Face Court Challenge
03:22 A Word from Quantra
04:34 ISFA EDGE Awards Debut
06:24 Coverings 2027 Awards Seek Entries
07:52 Orlando Home of Coverings Through 2029
08:47 Booths Available for Xiamen 2027
10:20 Cambria English Program Marks 10th
11:53 AS Move to Natural Materials?
14:36 Outro
15:03 Brought to You by Quantra
00:22
Hi, I’m K. Schipper with the latest in hard surfaces industry news from Radio Stone Update.
00:31
The arguments continue on the “Safeguard” tariffs on imported engineered stone. Five companies are challenging the tariffs in the U.S. Court of International Trade (CIT).
The five include slab manufacturers, major importers and a large fabricator. They filed a complaint against the federal government on Aug. 21, asking that the new tariffs be declared unlawful and to have any duties collected be refunded.
The action is the first challenge to the quota/rate tariffs set by President Donald Trump on July 31 that went into effect Aug. 15. They apply to all imported man-made surfaces with silica as the largest component by weight.
The suit alleges that the U.S International Trade Commission – the USITC – committed several procedural errors in its consideration of a petition by the Quartz Manufacturers Alliance of America (QMAA). The QMAA is a coalition of U.S. based slab producers seeking relief through the federal Safeguard-tariff process.
The complaint focuses mainly on how the USITC defined the concept of “Manufacturer.” The suit claims there are two types – slab manufacturers who mold and compress raw material, and fabricator manufacturers who cut, edge, polish and finish the product.
The USITC only acknowledged slab producers as manufacturers, allowing the Safeguard filing by the QMAA, whose members operate most U.S. engineered-stone manufacturing lines.
More than 1,000 U.S. fabrication businesses submitted opposition to the QMAA petition and claims that including fabricators as manufacturer would show that the QMAA wasn’t representative of an industry, which is a requirement of a Safeguard action.
The filing with the CIT also disputes the USITC’s finding that imports were a substantial cause of serious injury for domestic producers from 2020-2024 as noted in the QMAA petition. The USITC found U.S. producers recorded operating profits in the 3.9% to 9% range during those four years.
Other issues raised include questioning the USITC’s timeline, and its use of the closing of Caesarstone’s production plant in Richmond Hill, Ga., as part of the serious injury to U.S. producers.
The companies filing the action are U.S. slab producer Elite Quartz Manufacturing; importers Arizona Tile LLC and M S International Inc.; Caesarstone USA, Inc.; and fabricator Wiesenbaker Builder Services Inc. No dates have been set for further action.
04:34
The International Surface Fabricators Association (ISFA) introduces a new awards program recognizing the projects, people, shops and innovations shaping the hard-surface industry.
Dubbed the EDGE (or. Elevating Design, Growth & Excellence) Awards, the program celebrates craftsmanship, innovation, professionalism, and leadership across the industry, from exceptional projects and material mastery to industry leadership, shop safety and product innovation.
Awards will be given in 15 different categories, including 13 core categories open to all eligible ISFA members. Two national Product Innovation Awards are reserved for Associate Partners. Applicable projects may be entered in more than one category, using a separate form for each.
Two National Product Innovation Awards are open to associate partners only. One is for product innovation in materials, and the other is in tools.
Additionally, there is a Shop Safety & Excellence Award, which must be peer nominated and recognizes the shop setting the standard for a safe, well-run operation. A sponsoring company submits on the nominee’s behalf documenting the shop’s safety program, training practices, shop conditions and safety record.
The deadline for submitting nominations is Sept. 30. Awards will be presented as part of this year’s Annual Conference in Fort Worth, Texas, on Nov. 3rd and 4th. For more information on categories, judging criteria, submission guidelines and tools, eligibility, timeline and FAQs, go to www.isfanow.org/isfa-awards.
06:24
Coverings is also now taking submissions for its two annual awards programs. Nominations for both the 2027 Coverings Installation & Design (CID) Awards, and the 2027 Coverings Rock Stars are due by Dec. 3.
The CID Awards recognize projects featuring tile and stone that showcase beautiful design and impeccable installation. Multiple entries are accepted and there is no cost to enter. To enter, go to www.coverings.com/cid-awards/.
The Coverings Rock Stars – an emerging leaders program — recognizes talented people working in the industry who are 35 years of age or younger. Over the past 12 years, the program has recognized dozens of young leaders and underscores Coverings’ mission to support the growth and success of the industry.
Rock Stars are nominated by industry leaders, and are currently employed as an architect, designer, distributor, retailer, contractor, installer, fabricator, specifier, with a trade association, or manufacturer. To nominate a future industry leader, go to www.coverings.com/coverings-rock-stars/.
If you have questions about entries for either program, contact Nikki McVickers at 571-313-5779.
07:52
Coverings 2027 is scheduled for April 6-9 next year in Orlando, Fla., and Jamie Rich, Coverings’ managing director, announced it will be taking place there through 2029.
Rich says Orlando is where the entire tile and stone ecosystem comes together to connect and form new relationships.
“Bringing Coverings back to Orlando for 2027 and continuing that momentum through the 2028 and 2029 shows creates an exciting multi-year opportunity to unite the global tile-and-stone community in one of the country’s most-dynamic event destinations,” Rich said.
Orlando and the Orange County Convention Center are mainstays of the Coverings show, which has been held there 14 times since 2000, and most recently in 2025.
08:47
Booth registration for the 27th China Xiamen International Stone Fair is now officially open. The show is scheduled for March 16-19, 2027.
The Xiamen Stone Fair is the world’s largest. The 2026 show welcomed more than 155,000 visitors from 122 countries and regions, with overseas attendance up almost 10.3% from the 2025 show.
With more than 2,000 exhibitors from 40 countries and regions, and more than 300 international exhibitors, the show covers more than 2 million ft2 across 24 halls with eight specialized zones.
In that space, attendees can find everything from raw blocks and slabs, through processing machinery and tools to semi-finished and finished products. Two halls are dedicated to space design and application solutions.
Estimates are the global natural stone market will grow an average of 3.4% annually through 2034. Asia-Pacific accounts for 30% of that share, and Xiamen stands at the center of China’s market as that nation’s largest seaport for stone import and export.
Reserving a booth space now will not only secure a strategic position, but also give maximum time to plan an exhibit, arrange shipments and prepare for visa applications, both of which take a minimum of three months. For more information, go to www.stonefair.org.cn
10:20
Cambria recently marked a decade of removing barriers to help non-English-speaking employees thrive with the 10th graduation ceremony for its English program.
Eight employees graduated this year.
The program dates back to 2015, when Cambria CEO Marty Davis found that employees with limited English had few opportunities for advancement beyond entry-level positions and decided the company would help change that.
Davis stipulated that the program would be free and students would be required to earn their certificates through rigorous testing.
The program includes two full-time English teachers and a full-time curriculum developer. Classes take place twice weekly during regular work hours, and employees receive full pay while attending. Instruction is delivered across all divisions of the company.
In addition to enhanced workplace communication, more confidence, better understanding of safety regulations and greater collaboration across teams, the classes have benefits beyond work.
More than 500 employees have benefited from participating in the program. Fifty-one employees are currently enrolled, and 81 have officially graduated, with 39 graduates stepping directly into higher-level, higher-paying roles within the company.
Building on this success, last fall Cambria implemented a GED program at its Le Sueur, Minn., facility, and plans to extend the program to additional Cambria locations in the future.
11:53
Just as there’s recently been an emphasis by dietitians on reducing ultra-processed foods, some architects are considering backing away from highly manufactured building materials.
In a recent article in the London-based newsletter Wallpaper, these experts say it’s time to reexamine our use of materials that include polymers, sealants, adhesives and synthetic composites.
Gina Cignanik, chief executive of Habitable, a Washington-based organization focused on reducing the use of hazardous chemicals in building products, says we are already living in a plastic world.
“We need to start thinking a lot more about what we are surrounding ourselves with and breathing in. With 2.5 trillion square feet of real estate projected to be built by 2060, the materials we choose going forward really matter,” Cignanik says.
Carrie Denning Jackson, head of innovation and technology at Atlanta-based developer Jamestown, says, “We are starting to understand that making our buildings, spaces and places healthier is the most important thing we can do for our health and the health of our families and children.”
And, Joseph Allen, director of Harvard University’s Healthy Buildings Program in Boston, claims buildings represent one of the greatest public health opportunities of the century.
Many architects believe that a shift towards using more natural materials will also lead to longer-lasting, more sustainable spaces where people feel more emotionally connected to the world around them.
That means that while reducing exposure to the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) found in highly processed building materials is part of the story, a piece of marble with its unique imperfections belongs to the homeowner alone.
Finishes also matter. For instance, the choice of leathered, rather than polished quartzite, is a more practical but still a 100% natural choice of stone. Nor does it matter with stone alone.
Architect Robert Douge of London-based Arya (pronounced AH-yuh) Douge cites Studio One, a Plymouth, England-based plumbing fixture supplier which specializes in unpatinated finishes.
“Everyone gets a high-quality tap, but in six months it will be different from any other in the world,” he says.
In pursuit of uniqueness, more homeowners are also turning to reclaimed materials and one-off finishes.
Not that making the switch back to natural materials is easy. Jamestown’s Denning Jackson notes that natural materials are regularly value-engineered out of projects due to higher costs, even though the durability of some of the newer materials is still in question.
14:36
Remember, for the latest information on hard surface imports, go to www.hardsurfacereport.com. For a transcript of this podcast, go to www.radiostoneupdate.com. I’m K. Schipper for Radio Stone Update and we’ll see you here again soon.
