Being a member of the natural stone industry is a great privilege steeped in a rich history.

For those of us who are, or have been, stone cutters, fabricators, quarry workers and stone merchants, it is humbling to think that these same activities, crafts and trades have been performed for thousands of years. Even though the technology has greatly advanced, the basic functions are being performed every day, around the world. As was the case in ancient Egypt, quarry workers (slaves) toiled in the hot sun hewing out large blocks of granite and limestone as structural and decorative elements for the Great Pyramids of Giza. These stones were cut and dressed to decorate these great structures. Today we quarry, fabricate and install natural stone slabs, cubic stock and tiles in very similar ways, yet with much greater ease. If you run your own fabrication and installation business, you may feel at times that you remain a slave of your business... but I digress.

For thousands of years these ancient crafts were passed on from generation to generation. Family names have been made famous over the centuries with their primary root based in the natural stone trade. The famous American film director Oliver Stone can likely trace his ancestry back to some connection with the stone industry. In medieval days, artist guilds were formed to formalize the instruction of trade methods to pass on to apprentices, perpetuating the craft and improving skills and techniques. Today the Marble Institute of America, and Building Institute of America are modern extension of the old world craft guilds. Along with trade associations, trade unions exist to promote the trade and help to insure safety, health and welfare benefits for the modern trade workers. These trade unions often incorporate apprenticeship programs in largely urban areas.

Today we seem to have a mixture of the ancient traditions combined with elements of modern commerce. Today many non-urban and non-labor union controlled cities do not have the same type of apprenticeship programs, and so rely more on the familial traditions being passed down from father to son or daughter. At the same time, many other tradesmen and women are cross-training and picking up the stone trade as a side business. Today the barriers of entry are coming down or are greatly diminished with access to tools through companies like Braxton-Bragg. Modern tools and equipment have made it much easier for novices to cut, shape and polish dimensional stone tile and slabs. And yet there remains a need for newer members of this industry to learn more about fabrication and installation techniques to maintain the integrity of our industry.

To this end, organizations like the Stone Fabricators Alliance are helping teach newbies the ins and outs of fabrication and installation, even if the craft was not passed down from an earlier generation. In communities across America, these workshops help equip new tradesmen and women with the tools to more effectively compete in a very competitive market. This competitive spirit serves not just to improve the quality of one particular company, rather it lifts the standards for our entire industry. The friendly rivalry I have witnessed between two relatively new fabricators in my region over who can create "the tightest seam" is great for the end consumer and will help promote the sustainability of our industry as a whole.

I encourage newer individuals to our industry to make the modest investment to attend these workshops or invest in the teaching programs that many of the equipment manufacturers offer to improve your skills and enhance the installed product for your clients and customer. By creating a friendly environment of competitive excellence, it helps to weed out the shoddy operators and elevates the quality and integrity of our entire industry. JOIN, PARTICIPATE, and SUCCEED.

Torin Dixon is owner and director of Montana Stone Gallery, an importer and distributor of stone slabs in Missoula, Montana. Contact him at tdixon@montanastonegallery.com

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