ISFA Fabricator Profile: GMD Surfaces

By Sarah Peiper

Since 2007, GMD Surfaces has become one of Chicago’s premier surface fabricators. The company has a vast inventory, including more than 80 colors, and a quick turnaround program that serves its primary markets of builders and remodelers. The GMD Surfaces team employs cutting-edge technology and strict quality control measures to ensure meticulous craftsmanship.

A Wide Perspective

Owner Omar Chahin immigrated from Syria as a teenager. He comes from a long line of engineers and follows family tradition. He got his undergraduate degree in engineering and layered in a master’s in architecture. “I learned a lot as an architect and established connections with builders and contractors.” But after more than 10 years as an architect and builder, he needed to make a change. “I sensed the housing market was not headed in the right direction,” he recalled. “I decided to sell my remaining inventory of housing lots and reinvest the money in a countertop shop.” He started with three employees, two of whom are still with the company today. “We had a simple bridge saw and one truck.”

Omar credits some of his success to the perspective he gained as an architect, engineer and builder. He didn’t know all the details of surface fabrication and installation, but he had other tools that gave him an advantage. “Architecture is one of the most amazing forms of study,” he explained. “It’s all about problem-solving; it teaches you to think for yourself and to make good decisions. Of course, it’s about spaces and design, but an engineering aspect is at the core.”

It’s also about professionalism, he noted. “When you have a professional background and come to work in this industry, I think you approach things differently. For me, it was never about sell, sell, sell. It’s more about being a resource — establishing trust with clients by answering every question they have. Clients want to work with providers they can trust. If you create that trust, eventually they will buy.” For Omar, word of mouth traveled from there, and he quickly established an excellent reputation. “It’s about being professional and doing what you’re supposed to do.”

Recession Looms, but Opportunity Knocks

Omar looks back at the 2008 recession with a fondness most in the building and housing industries do not. “It actually gave me a big boost,” he recalled. “We were small and agile; we had low overhead and leaner margins, so we could compete with the big shops. They were just too big to adjust to the times. They had too many processes that became barriers when the market changed. I was fine with a lower margin; they were not. I was negotiable; they were not. I approached it from outside the box while they were trapped inside theirs.”

Omar had created some momentum with his client-centric approach. “A smaller shop owner is willing to compromise and do whatever it takes. Even though I am bigger now, I still operate with that mentality.”

Today, GMD Surfaces has seven installation crews and 42 employees. They serve northwest Indiana and northeast Illinois. They currently work with builders, kitchen and bath showrooms and some retail customers. The fabrication team produces about 15,000 square feet per month. They work with quartz, natural stone, and sintered or porcelain materials, including Dekton.

Offering a variety of materials gives GMD Surfaces a competitive advantage. “We can serve a wider segment of the market,” said Omar. “Every client has different requirements, and we need to be able to accommodate as many types of projects as possible.” GMD isn’t just doing countertops. They do all kinds of applications like fireplaces, facades and more. “I want to be versatile with our offerings; that also means appealing to every budget,” he explained.

It also means fostering good relationships with suppliers and partners. He approaches those relationships like friendships. Omar stresses the importance of building solid relationships that can weather adversity and the challenges faced in today’s changing landscape.

“In 2022, we were working with a major builder doing 300400 houses a year with what we call level one granite at about $40 per square foot — 5-8 projects per week,” he recalled. “At the start of 2023, they scaled down to 4-5 jobs per month. It was a big hit. I needed higher margins, so I added Taj Mahal quartzite and bought it in bundles to price it at $100 per square foot. Now, I’m keeping my revenue despite volume being down. It was an eye-opening process.” Omar and his team started approaching different classes of builders and adding various levels of materials. “We were quick enough to adjust to create an opportunity.”

Omar says the only slight drawback is that you must take the time to teach your employees the processes working on different types of applications. “How you handle a vertical application is different than a vanity. You have to take the time to teach your employees the processes,” he added. “You have to innovate and find production solutions.”

In the Shop

When Omar started the shop, he did not like how rudimentary it was. Everything was manual. He had an affinity for systems and technology and a lot of great experience with CAD drawings, so he knew there was an opportunity to improve. The first step down the digital path was a Laser Products Industries LT-55 templator. “We needed to be more efficient and accurate, so this was a game changer. It was so precise.”

Because of the economic downturn in 2008, a couple of nearby shops went out of business, and Omar saw an opportunity to make some upgrades. “We acquired some newto-us equipment at a lower cost, including an in-line polisher and our first CNC.” This opened up a path to high-end work that he couldn’t get into before. Since then, GMD Surfaces has continued to grow — one square foot of material in front of the other.

Technology has been the cornerstone of GMD Surfaces’ success. “I knew digital fabrication was the key to optimizing efficiency and accuracy,” he said. “It started with digitizing the most important item: the drawings.” He knew that would get the ball rolling and make way for other modernizations throughout his workflow. “We never looked back.”

Today, GMD Surfaces is running two CNCs, a Saberjet and a Fastback from Park Industries, a dual-bed sawjet and water filtration system from BACA Systems, and they’ve upgraded their LT-55s to the LT-2D3D model.

GMD Surfaces has a vast inventory, including more than 80 colors, and a quick turnaround program that serves its primary markets of builders and remodelers.

For workflow management, Omar leans on the latest tech to streamline his operations. His team uses Moraware to manage projects and CounterGo to provide quotes. They use CAD and AlphaCam to run their machines and Slabsmith to manage inventory. “Two years ago, we went paperless,” he said. “Boxes and boxes of files and file cabinets were discarded. We started documenting projects using SPEEDlabel and Job Well Done Dox and Field. We developed shop forms for quality control, field and sales — all digital. They are emailed to the clients for approval and automatically loaded into Moraware using Job Well Done. It was a long and difficult journey but worth it.”

Technology has been the cornerstone of GMD Surfaces’ success. “I knew digital fabrication was the key to optimizing efficiency and accuracy,” admitted Owner Omar Chahin.

Omar and his team have created machine monitoring software that tracks equipment usage and shop efficiency. “I needed to track downtime and understand why the machines stop,” he explained. “Using this software, you have to input the reason, and the software tracks it. Now we can tell what is happening — identify patterns — and uncover the gaps in our workflow.” The software also creates accountability for the team. Everything is monitored, so there are no secrets behind the downtime.

Omar worked with the University of Illinois Engineering Department to create systems that track his entire workflow. “Four industrial engineering students came in — superusers in Microsoft’s Power BI, Python and more — and together, we created dashboards for accounting, inventory and projects. It is amazing. Now I can see how we are doing relative to the trailing 12 months and project how busy we will be in the near future and long term.” Omar is looking to take this solution to market to help other fabricators improve their workflows.

In the Marketplace

GMD Surfaces’ most prominent line is MSI’s Q Quartz, and Daltile’s ONE Quartz and Cambria are closely trailing. Residential projects account for 88% of his business, while the rest is commercial, such as restaurants, health care and other public spaces. “We are trying to have a variety of brands and qualities that cater to all clients and budgets. We have a program in our shop that we go to market with — material tiers.”

Omar says it is critical to upsell clients when possible, especially on the retail side, which is only about 20% of his business. They do not have much control over how their partners — kitchen and bath dealers and builders — sell their products and services.

What sets GMD Surfaces apart from the competition is value and service. “We have a great price point for the quality and services we offer,” said Omar. “We are not greedy, and we genuinely care about our clients. Although sales are important, professionalism comes first. If you take care of the client, the sale will follow.”

Offering a variety of materials gives GMD Surfaces a competitive advantage. “I want to be versatile with our offerings; that also means appealing to every budget,” explained Omar.

Company Culture

Omar’s mantra in the marketplace — to take care of the customer — extends throughout his business. “You must take care of your employees,” he explained. “You have to treat them like human beings and provide them with the tools they need to succeed, not just on the job but as people with families and personal lives. Omar sponsors a soccer team that plays in a local league and holds company picnics and other events, fostering camaraderie among the staff while rewarding them for their dedication and hard work. “The more you understand your employees, and they understand you, the more likely they will stick with you. It’s about mutual respect,” he noted.

Regarding safety, the GMD Surfaces team has dedicated meetings and training sessions, and Omar regularly brings in OSHA consultants. He says the consultants have been a big help in improving their safety training and documentation. His team goes through voluntary reviews to make sure everyone is protected. “It’s always transparent and accountable,” he explained. “Every third Thursday, we have a shop meeting. I tell them this is a journey we are taking together. If they agree to follow the procedures, I expect them to do it. Some people are more motivated, and some need reminding, but you have to get them invested in the processes and the reasons behind them. I approach it from, ‘Look, you agreed that you wanted a safe work environment. I give you all the tools to be safe, so you need to use them. Respect what you told me and be respectful of your colleagues by doing what’s right.’”

GMD Surfaces team has dedicated safety meetings and training sessions, and Omar regularly brings in OSHA consultants. He says the consultants have been a big help in improving their safety training and documentation. His team goes through voluntary reviews to make sure everyone is protected.

There’s also a recruiting aspect to a positive company culture. “Your best marketing to bring new employees is your current employees,” Omar said. “When you give them time and space and respect them, they will attract people with the same values. Investments in my staff — I don’t see that investment as losing money. I look at it as building relationships. It’s cheaper to keep them than invest in new hires.”

Staying Connected

Omar is a member of the Rockheads Group, the International Surface Fabricators Association and the Natural Stone Institute. He regularly attends BACA’s Digital Fabrication Seminars, Park Industries’ Digital Stone Expos, TISE and Coverings. He brings his employees, too. He finds a lot of value in the connections he makes and the knowledge shared, but he also sees the value in what these organizations do to support fabricators and represent their best interests in policy and governance.

GMD Surfaces is a member of the Rockheads Group, the International Surface Fabricators Association and the Natural Stone Institute. Last summer, GMD Surfaces hosted ISFA’s Fabricator Crawl.

“If you’re serious about growing your business and doing the right thing, you must be involved in these associations,” he said. “They are our advocates. There’s no way I can change anything by myself. We need these groups to represent our best interests. That in itself is worth the membership dues.”

What’s next for GMD Surfaces? Omar wants to scale up, and he’s trying to position the business to run by itself. His son has expressed interest in joining the company down the road, so perhaps Omar is building a legacy. But being nimble and eager — those qualities will always remain at the core. “Don’t get complacent; always be hungry,” he recommends. “Having that growth mentality is critical. If the business is growing, it’s not getting old. I don’t want to stop now; I want to grow into different markets.

Residential projects account for 88% of GMD Surfaces' business, while the rest is commercial, such as restaurants, health care and other public spaces.

“I’m ambitious about the future, particularly when it comes to using technology to overcome challenges,” he continued. “I love problem-solving and want to see where that leads me. One of my favorite sayings is, ‘Not all storms comes to disrupt your life; some come to clear your path.’ There is opportunity in everything. The future dictates that we adapt.”

Learn more about GMD Surfaces at www.gmdsurfaces.com.