Over a year ago, I explained that Braxton-Bragg would not attend Coverings 2009 and StonExpo 2009. I believed that the shows were too expensive and that it just did not make sense for distributors to make a big splash with an expensive booth.
Well, this year at Coverings 2010 Braxton-Bragg did have a tiny booth. Several people stopped by and asked me why we were exhibiting, given what I had written. I was humbled that anyone read and remembered what I had written over a year ago, and somewhat red-faced explaining why we were there.
We had not planned to exhibit, but just before the show I met Louwrens Mulder, the inventor of the Tomahawk Stone Splitter. The machine converts scrap and trim stone from countertop fabrication into stone tile, eliminating the cost of hauling scrap to landfills while producing salable product. This seemed like a really timely idea, and one the industry could appreciate. Even better, after sharpening our pencils, it seemed possible to offer the machine for less than $6,000.
A couple of days after we agreed to distribute the machine, we had a retirement luncheon for one of our long-time employees and Doug Slocum, the founder of Braxton-Bragg, stopped by to participate in the party. I showed him the machine and he urged me to take it to a trade show so that people could see it. The next day, our Product Manager told me we should take the machine to Coverings, and later in the afternoon, our Sales Director urged me to reconsider our "no-show" position. So, in a nutshell, I was out-voted by people who I credit with more knowledge and experience about this industry than I have.
We called and were told that a 10 x 10 booth was available, so we grabbed it and exhibited the Tomahawk. I am glad we did. I enjoyed the show and had a chance to meet many customers. Many people stopped and were interested in the Tomahawk. It is possible that less stone will be hauled to landfills because of the show, so the expense, modest as it was, will pay dividends.
If you missed the show and are interested in the Tomahawk, you can learn more on the BraxtonBragg website or just give us a call. I hope that you enjoy this issue.
Thanks for reading,
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