11 minute read
ISFA Fabricator Profile: Redemption Stone Craft
By Sarah Peiper
Bobby Finn has worked in the construction and remodeling industry for almost 25 years. He got his start as an installer, fabricator and salesperson at some of the biggest fabrication shops in the country. He spent the last decade or so helping struggling companies become profitable. Now, he owns Redemption Stone Craft, a business he started from scratch in 2022. “After a while, I decided to stop working for someone else and open a shop,” recalled Bobby. “I guess I wanted some redemption for all the hard work I put into making others successful. Now I’m doing something for myself; it’s been a wild ride.” Located about 30 minutes north of Detroit in Clinton Township, Michigan, Redemption Stone Craft is a fully automated shop that thrives on technology, thoughtful planning, streamlined processes and superior customer service.
Built from the Ground Up
“I have a 10,000-square-foot shop space,” he explained. “In just under 45 days, I put this shop together. Everything from staff, machinery, suppliers — you name it.” Previously in his career, Bobby connected with Ed Hill, an expert in Synchronized Flow, a concept that looks at the entire business as one system of separate but dependent events. “That chain of events, when mapped from beginning to end,” explained Ed, “shows that the capacity of the entire chain is limited by only one process step, that being the weakest link in the chain — also known as the business system’s constraint. Anything that the business does to increase the capacity and productivity of that constraint strengthens the entire chain and makes the business more productive.” It’s based on the theory of constraints, which is best described in the book The Goal by Dr. Eliyahu Goldratt.
Bobby used some of this logic to develop his workflow. “You have to identify the steps in your production process and understand what your people are doing in each department,” he said. “That is the challenge. Without some kind of system, the only way you can know what everyone is doing is to sit in a room and watch, and that’s just not possible or productive.”
In the Shop
Bobby leans on technology to arm the shop with tools that help them run lean and mean. They use StoneApp by StoneGrid, an all-in-one enterprise resource planning software that automates sales, marketing, customer service and more in one platform. “I created task triggers in StoneApp to monitor each part of the process. It creates a chain of events — one task completion triggers another. If the tasks don’t get completed, I can see where the break is and why we are behind. Now, I don’t have to be physically present in every part of the business.” He can see it all in a dashboard in real-time. It created accountability in the processes; if he sees a breakdown, he can get ahead of it and make changes. And it establishes accountability among his team because they can all see where the breakdown is, and no one wants to be responsible for a fail point. “We have these quick-start meetings every morning, and if someone is behind, the last thing they want is to have to admit it in front of the team. So they don’t let it happen.”
Redemption Stone Craft operates with 10 employees covering a 100mile radius. The company focuses on specialty materials, including quartzite, marble, porcelain and ultra-compact surfaces like Dekton. Bobby says they cruise through about 100 slabs per month. “We work with a lot of materials that most fabricators won’t touch.”
The benefits of working with multiple materials are simple, he explained. “Profitability increases when you successfully embrace specialty work — a custom world. It’s very different. If you’re known for being a shop that focuses on custom work, including drop-down waterfall legs, full-height fireplace cladding and wet wall cladding using unique materials, then you can carve out a niche and concentrate on those kinds of projects without jamming in hundreds of basic jobs.”
On the flip side, Bobby admits a significant drawback when working with these materials is that you need to understand the nuance of the material inside and out — you have to be an expert, and that includes everyone on the team. “The tooling needed to fabricate these different materials varies,” he added. “You need to understand what blades and RPMs work best on each material while having special equipment to move slabs safely.”
Redemption Stone Craft is operating a lot of equipment from BACA Systems, including the Miter X miter saw, a Robo SawJet 2.0 and the BACA Pure water filtration system. They’re also using a Comandulli Omega 100 polisher, and Bobby likes the Flexijet 3D laser measuring system for templating.
“Machinery can either be a game changer or a dealbreaker. You have to run the right equipment for the kind of work you do, and this setup works well for us. And safety is important to me, so I’ve set up the shop in a way that keeps our workers safe. We’re a dust-free shop — no dry cutting,” he added.
In the Marketplace
Redemption Stone Craft doesn’t offer other services like cabinetry, flooring or plumbing. That’s a strategic move on Bobby’s part. “I like to stick with what I know and love; for me, that’s surface fabrication.”
They target the residential sector by partnering with a few local builders and cabinet companies, including E.W. Kitchens, Cabinetry By Better Bilt, Kitchen Cabinet Value, Cabinet Creations, Kitchen & Baths by Majestic, and others. “We also work with Arteva Homes, PRM Custom Builders and Moceri, just to name a few.” In addition, Redemption Stone Craft has a showroom that’s open six days a week. They typically have about 70 different slabs on display in the showroom.
A favorite material is a quartz line called New Symphony, made by Dwyer Marble and Stone. “It’s not throughbody, but it’s stronger than porcelain and cuts beautifully on the Robo SawJet. The miters come out amazing!” Natural stone, predominately quartzite, is another material that often moves through the shop. “A lot of our clients are looking for quartzites, which drives revenue because we charge more to fabricate it because it’s a more complex process.”
Redemption Stone Craft is a word-of-mouth company. “We don’t pay for advertising, but we’re active on Facebook. We get quite a few leads this way, and having a Google Business Profile has been super helpful for our brand and reputation. We have over 100 Google reviews averaging five stars.” In follow-up communications to customers, they ask them to leave a review. Because the Redemption team prioritizes excellent customer service, customers are almost always happy to leave glowing reviews. “We build trusting relationships with our customers by educating them about what they are purchasing,” he explained. “We’re with them every step of the way and beyond. We foster a personal connection with everyone, so by the end of the project, they’re motivated to share their positive experience.”
Bobby is thrilled to see Redemption Stone Craft develop into a household name. “Growth has been steady — exceeding my expectations, to be honest,” he said. “We are on pace to do upward of $2 million this year, and I’m proud of how far we’ve come in just a couple of years.”
Redeeming Qualities
Redemption’s mission is to provide efficient, cost-effective, and functional countertop solutions and systems for its customers while adding value to any project, and this means consistently exceeding expectations. Redemption strives to be a leader in the industry, maintaining trust and forming a partnership with its customers.
What sets Redemption Stone Craft apart from other fabricators is a strong company culture and a team that comprises some of the best experience in this business. “I have a lot of industry knowledge, and of course, I’ve made a lot of mistakes along the way,” admitted Bobby. “But as long as you turn mistakes into learning opportunities, you’re heading in the right direction. I suppose that’s what redemption, by definition, is all about — the chance to come back and do it right.”
The team prides itself in how it serves its customers; sometimes, the customer is a fellow fabricator. “Not every shop has the experience or the equipment to handle specialty materials, so some fabricators will seek us out for help with some of their more complex jobs,” he explained.
Staying Connected
For this fabricator, it’s imperative to stay active in the industry. “It’s constantly evolving with new technology and equipment,” he said. “We attend The International Surface Event (TISE) each year — StonExpo in Las Vegas — where all the fabricators, manufacturers and suppliers get together to learn about new products and network.”
One of Bobby’s philosophies for success is to take care of the people around him — his staff. Last year, he took all his fabricators to the show. Some have been working for more than 10 years in this industry but have never been able to go to a trade show like TISE. It’s crucial for Bobby, as a business owner, to enable his team to grow and learn. He says the connections made at events like that can really make a difference. “The knowledge you learn from everyone — you can’t put a price tag on it.”
Bobby maintains that you’re only as good as the people around you, and if you do right by your people, they will do right by you. “People don’t leave bad companies,” he mused. “They leave bad managers.” He’s a working business owner, and he’s right there next to his team when things get hard. Staying connected to the work helps him make better decisions for his business while building trust with his team.
“There’s a lot of good information shared out there among fabricators. You can learn something new every day. I spent decades traveling the nation, connecting with other fabricators, and it’s part of why I am so successful today.”
What’s Next
Bobby has no intention of slowing down. “I had this dream, and I’m chasing it,” he admitted. Despite the sacrifices he’s made and the challenges he’s faced, there’s nothing better than the sweet smell of success. “It’s a tough business. You have to work harder than the next guy — reach higher. Many people doubted me, which only inspired me to take this further.”
What’s next for Redemption Stone Craft? Bobby intends to take this as far as possible; he has his sights on expanding. “We have one location for now, but we are talking about opening a satellite shop in the Carolinas,” he said. “We have big dreams for Redemption Stone Craft.”
To learn more about Redemption Stone Craft, visit www.redemptionstone.com.
