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Fabricator Q & A: How Five Fabricators
Are Dealing with the Impact of COVID-19 COVID-19? It has been a challenge. Business
Sometimes the best way to understand and
deal with unforeseeable problems such as the COVID-19 pandemic, is to learn from peers and find out how others are responding. As
such, ISFA reached out to several fabricator members to find out how they have been
impacted and what they are doing to work
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through it. The following are responses from five of them:
Brad Pierce of Front Range Stone Inc. in Englewood (Denver), Co.
What surfaces do you fabricate and what
has dipped, but we are working through it.
What actions have you taken to “survive &
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markets do you serve? We fabricate laminate, solid surface, quartz, granite, marble and
compact surfaces. We serve all markets from big box stores and residential to commercial work and new construction.
How has your business been affected by
COVID-19? Initially we were most impacted on the big box retail front. I expect new
construction to fall off (hopefully temporarily) as we move through summer, and most commercial work to be in a down trend
through 2021. I think retail will improve as we enter the summer, and anticipate residential
construction improving in the fourth quarter. What actions have you taken to “survive &
thrive” through the pandemic? We evaluated all positions within the organization to ensure they add value to the business, and made
several adjustments. We also eliminated all overtime, which has been beneficial to our
margins and bottom line. Additionally, we are
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updating our website to increase our online and retail presence.
Scott Byers of Majestic Kitchen & Bath Creations with locations in Raleigh,
Greensboro, Charlotte and Wilmington,
N.C., and Greenville and Charleston, S.C. What surfaces do you fabricate and what
markets do you serve? We fabricate granite, quartz, porcelain, solid surface and laminate. We work within the residential home builder,
commercial, rehabilitation and some big box store markets.
How has your business been affected by 24 • Vol. 13 / Issue 2 • International Surface Fabricators Association
thrive” through the pandemic? We have taken some improvement steps to ensure we are lean in both our processes and our team.
Kevin Maxwell of Maxwell Counters Inc. in
everyone wants to remain safe. We created
scripts for our staff member who sets up all
field appointments as well as our crews who
call ahead to ensure everyone is on the same
page before arriving at the jobsite. Commercial business appears to be the most affected. We were pressed to maintain delivery schedules
early on, then were told to cancel deliveries until
Central Illinois
further notice. We’ve restarted shipments on
What surfaces do you fabricate and what
term issues within education and healthcare
markets do you serve? We fabricate laminate,
solid surface, quartz, sintered stone and natural stone. The residential market is the biggest
current projects, but are concerned with longbusiness that have been our consistent commercial segments.
part of our business, with sales driven from a
We strive to communicate consistently with
from our selection center. We also sell direct to
We’re diligent in following up on all proposals/
and have some direct general contractor sales.
projects are important to us and we need
How has your business been affected by
communicating with staff working different
wholesale model to dealers and direct sales
business partners, customers and suppliers.
builders, provide millworkers commercial work
quotes and candid with customers – their
COVID-19? The immediate impact was that
many of our wholesale customers were shut
down, so our sales were dramatically affected. We had recently hired on several employees who were training for what we expected to be a busy summer that we had to release.
Commercial work deliveries were suspended until mid-May. Managers shifted attention to
PPP loan applications and staff management with remote workers.
their business. The biggest challenge is
shifts or from home. We provide email updates, sharing what our sales trends look like, our key benchmarks for returning to normal
schedule and policy regarding cleaning, social distancing and mask use. We are evaluating
new opportunities, realizing there are going to be lasting economic impacts to work through for some time. There is a tremendous effort
being put forth by many professionals to help
all businesses increase their odds of surviving
What actions have you taken to “survive &
this mess. We take advantage of these learning
split shifts in each work area with three- to four-
crucial time. Most importantly, we try to
thrive” through the pandemic? We created
people crews working 12-hour days Monday through Wednesday, and a second group
Thursday through Saturday (paying them for 40
hours). We designated an area for installers only, and stagger shifts so only one crew is loading up at a time. It’s inefficient, but necessary to
try to prevent one positive test from shutting
down the entire business. It was survival mode in production, trying to keep money flowing in while keeping everyone as safe as possible.
Administratively we worked to have equipment
opportunities that might help us during this
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remember the old adage — when a door closes, a window opens, and keep looking for the window!
Laura Grandlienard, Owner of ROCKin’teriors in Raleigh, N.C.
What surfaces do you fabricate and what
markets do you serve? We fabricate granite,
marble, soapstone, onyx, limestone, quartzite, and semi-precious stones, as well as Dekton, Neolith and Lapitec compact surfaces. We
available for our office staff to work from
provide fabrication and installation for residential
than expected. Our selection center is “by
sustainability, eco-friendly technologies and a
home. This worked well and more efficiently appointment,” which also works well.
Customers have been very good with distancing policy at both measure and installation, as
and commercial building, with a focus on dust-free workplace.
How has your business been affected by COVID-19? During this unique situation we
