Some people who work in the stone fabrication business see it as a fairly isolated practice. There is not much communication with others in the business, and trade secrets are held close to avoid unwanted competition.
Members of the Stone Fabricator's Alliance feel differently about the role of communication and sharing information. The alliance's web site, www.stonefabricatorsalliance.com, provides a vehicle for these professionals to share information, techniques, skills, and resources, thereby improving an individual's business, as well as the industry as a whole.
"Nowadays there are so many new technologies and new ways of doing things in the business," said Dustin Braudway of Cape Fear Marble and Tile in Wilmington, N.C. and one of SFA's directors. "By staying in touch this way (through SFA), we're raising the quality of the industry for everybody - the quality of the products, the craftsmanship, the installation. Everyone benefits."
SFA is a membership organization made up of more than 400 fabrication and restoration professionals from across the country and internationally. These members pay $250 a year, agreeing to live up to the SFA standards of professional conduct while members. They have access to several internet forums located at the website, file and document sharing, and opportunities to participate in SFA-sponsored workshops throughout the country. They also have direct access to SFA's sponsors, which are manufacturers, distributors and other industry businesses that can be a resource to people in this line of work. The alliance is facilitated by a nine-member board of directors.
SFA started in the same place a lot of new ideas do - a bar. Ron Hannah of Cadenza Granite and Marble in Charlotte, N.C. and past executive director of SFA said that in 2004, several people attending StoneExpo were hanging out discussing the plight of the business. They were bemoaning the fact that "lowballing hacks who'll do the job in your driveway" were offering low-quality, cheap fabrication jobs, causing consumers to expect much lower prices.
"But those are not quality jobs," Hannah said. "It costs a lot of money to do this right."
The idea came up to create a web site where fabricators can teach each other to be better. It would be an educational tool for fabricators but also consumers, who could visit the site and learn what to expect in a quality job.
"Some people just don't get it, but I'm a firm believer that if you share the information it will help everybody," Hannah said. "If you really do a bangup job, you'll have a great product that more people will want."
SFA officially incorporated as a nonprofit in 2007, at first using the StoneAdvice.com web site for its online presence.
Above: SFA member Kris Jorgensen, Innovator of the Year and developer of the Seam Phantom gives a demo at Coverings. Teaching and sharing effective and safe methods are some of the main goals of the organization, which has grown into a real grass-roots movement. Below: the original SFA forum, accessed through the web gateway at www.stoneadvice.com
Then, at the 2009 StoneExpo, the alliance launched its own, member-owned web site, which is geared mainly to fabricators and others in the business. The consumer information that the founders originally envisioned can still be found at StoneAdvice.com.
"While our web site has some features for the consumer, meeting those needs is not our goal," said Guy Robertson of Robertson Manufacturing in Davenport, Iowa, and current SFA executive director. "Our goal is to meet the needs of fabricators and improve their business."
One of the main tools for reaching that goal is the website's members-only forums. In these internet discussion groups, members can share techniques, discuss industry changes, share files and templates, and download forms and packets.
"I'd say that in the majority of cases, if you ask a question on the forum you will get some kind of response within an hour, and within 24 hours you'll have multiple responses to your question," said Robertson.
Another major benefit to membership is the opportunity to participate in one of the SFAsponsored, hands-on workshops. Workshops are held most months and are scattered throughout the country so that participants can usually find at least one within driving distance. The workshops are hosted by a member business, and SFA members can attend for free, although they pay for their own transportation, housing, and food. Some examples lined up in 2010 are "Spreadsheets for Profit/Loss" in Barbados, "Old School Hand Fabricating" in California, "Shop Tech/Management" in Maine, and "Sales and Marketing" in Georgia.
"The knowledge you attain at these workshops is way above the yearly cost of membership," said Robertson. "The host shop benefits too. Work doesn't stop for them, although it is disrupted a little since there could be 20 to 75 fabricators overtaking them. But most hosts say that the workshops are just as beneficial to them. When you have that many pairs of eyes watching your operation, you're bound to get input that will help improve it."
SFA sponsoring businesses may also attend workshops and provide a "mini trade show" for the participants where they can display new products and offer demos.
With all the back-and-forth discussions and information hashing going on through SFA, one other benefit has naturally grown from the alliance: product development.
"We like to say these products are 'Born in the SFA,'" said Robertson. Examples include the "Rubenator," a sink hole routing tool; the "DT Backerpad," a rigid backerpad that is used for polishing edges; the "Seam Phantom," a seam dressing tool; and the "Fabcenter Concept," an all-in-one CNC and saw machine. All of these products originated from or were developed with input from SFA members.
The many benefits of SFA membership stem from personal connections as well as electronic ones.
"Being a member is beneficial because of the educational value and the networking," said Braudway.
"I've been able to make contacts all across the United States and overseas through the workshops and the on-line forums. I've made friends and found out about new techniques and products. In this industry the products are changing every day." It's all about the networking - fabricators sharing techniques with other fabricators, product developers learning from those who use the tools, professionals sharing stories about the trials and tribulations of working with stone, and everyone working together to "learn, share, prosper," as the SFA motto goes.
"We're all about education and trying to raise the bar, one fabricator at a time," Robertson said.
Top: Workshops hosted by shops, owners and fabricators willing to share their knowledge offer some of the best learning and networking opportunities available to members.
Bottom: Sharing hands-on techniques in such highly-desired skills as hand-polishing, member Matt Lansing is all about raising the bar and passing on valuable knowledge.
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