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Slippery rock Gazette July 2019|21
Moda Stone
Continued from page 8
“Part of it is because we try to cover such a large area. This has helped tremendously, and if there is one thing I could say to every fabrication company out there, it is do not be afraid to advertise. It’s been a great benefit for us, and we are convinced that we are going to expand on what we spend. So put your product out there, tell them what you’re doing, and don’t be afraid to charge what you need to charge. Too many shops are in a race to the bottom, and if you’re trying to get business just by cut- ting your price, you are cutting all of your core values out and can’t pay your employees or yourself.
“What also sets us apart is that we are the only ones who put a 25-year warranty on all of our products. Problems don’t happen all that often, but if we have to replace a kitchen to make a cus- tomer happy, we do it! We all work in the fabrication industry and issues happen, and for us it’s important that we jump on it right away and take care of it. We never leave a customer hanging, and always do what we need to do to take care of it. Furthermore, we make getting our products
convenient for the customer, such as having our own materi- als here so the customer doesn’t have to go to another stone yard, or for a sink, go somewhere else. Our sales people also try to work within the customer’s time frame and in their home as much as possible.”
Continuing Down the Long and Winding Road
“One thing that I see is how much our people have developed. Stone fabrication is fun, but very stressful when we get some off- the-wall project from time to time, but in the end, it’s good to see that they enjoy what they are doing. They all do a great job and they are great at the problem solv- ing end of it, and this is testament to their dedication and getting it right. Moda Stone is positioned in the market at a premium price point, and traditionally higher priced than our competitors, yet we have grown in volume and size exponentially. Part of that is because we have a good name be- cause we do a good job, and that’s because of the guys in the plant and the guys in the field making
that happen. We are here to pro- vide our people and their family with success, and try every day to remember that they have hus- bands, wives and children, and everything involved. They are all part of our team, and we want them to stay here.
“As for the immediate future, we are in the completion process of a new 18,000 square-foot fab- rication facility, and we will be in there within the next 18 months. We’ve also got our eyes on other markets, and plan on being in them in the next five years. South Dakota is a beautiful place to live and raise a family. The cost of living is reasonable, and is a par- adise with everything you could want. This may not be the opti- mum place for a fabrication shop, but the reason it’s here is because we love living here.”
Moda Stone is a member of the Natural Stone Institute and the Stone Fabricators Alliance.
For more detailed informa- tion visit Moda-Stone.com or lifesongmonuments.com .
Classic white master bath with Calacatta marble tub surround and tiles, Snowfall quartz vanity with porcelain vessel sinks.
Left: This spacious kitchen fea- tures Ivory Fantasy granite coun- tertops with coordinating, full- height glass tile backsplash. Right, center: Life Song offers many custom shapes besides tra- ditional rectangular monuments. Their personalized, detailed pho- to-engraved designs are very popular for memorials.
Right: Columbia Granite quarry operations in the 1930s.