ILCA Awards & Honors —
ILCA Selects—
Lafarge Fox River Stone Distinguished Supplier Award Nina A. Koziol
There are products and then there’s customer
service. Sometimes one outweighs the other. And then there’s that special firm that offers an exceptional level of both great products and great service. It will come as no surprise to longtime customers of Lafarge Fox River Decorative Stone that the firm recently received the ILCA’s Supplier of the Year Award. “We’ve been buying from them for over 20 years,” said Tony Sindt, president of Seasonal Concepts in West Chicago. “They carry a very diverse set of products from pavers to walls to natural stone and mulches. It is rare that we’re unable to find a specified product. Lafarge just has good people that work there. Our experiences from the top down have always been good. You can tell that team has great leadership and that transforms into a better supply house for us. They truly do work for us — and that loyalty goes a long way to seal the deal on where we buy our products.” In the Beginning In 1934, Fox River Stone in South Elgin began as a fabrication shop that used locally mined limestone. Over the past eight decades it has blossomed into a prosperous business offering landscape, hardscape and masonry products, and accessories. The company manufactures its own base gravel and sand and the property sits on a limestone mine, which makes it unique. In 2007, Lafarge-Holcim, a world leader in the building materials industry, bought Fox River Stone and renamed it. 12
“I like to say that we operate like a small business but we have the global backing of this large organization,” says Nicole Nault, resale operations manager. “We can make the decisions locally. It’s an ‘act local, think global’ kind of model. There are a lot of details with ordering, but my favorite thing is interacting with our customers.” She manages a nine-member team in sales, warehousing, and shipping and loading. “We’re so excited about the award. It was totally unexpected.” The Customer’s Always Right Although it’s well known for its product lines, it’s the company’s excellent customer service that clients have come to appreciate. “People who’ve spent time with us have said ‘it looks like you guys are having so much fun,’” said sales rep Jim Slattery. “We do have camaraderie and fun but the customer comes first.” Slattery notes that while he and Sarah Egan handle outside sales, they work closely together and don’t have specific territories. “It’s not ‘you’re my customer or that’s my customer,’” Slattery said. “All of us know our customers and they know all of us.” “They have been our main supplier for eight years,” said Scott Hutchings, vice president of operations at Grant & Power Landscaping. “They have great customer service and they work with us constantly, always checking in—they’re like another arm of Grant & Power.” Sales rep Sarah Egan has been with the company for nearly three years. “Our key focus is customer service. We’re different from other companies in that we have such a team mentality at our location and that creates a fantastic environment to help
The Landscape Contractor January 2022
