Lafarge Fox River Stone

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.

“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

support our customers and each other. My customers make my job very fun and the staff is phenomenal to work with. The award is a nice honor.”

“I’ve been buying from Lafarge for at least eight years,” said Bob Bols, manager of operations at Pederson Company in St. Charles. “First and foremost they’re close. Time and distance makes a difference, but their service and rapport is above and beyond that which I’d get anywhere else. I’d go to them and spend a little bit more for the service and friendliness I get.” Bols has developed a dear friendship with Slattery. “We hit it off — we’ve had a close working relationship and then we became more than work friends. He’s a great person and our families know one another. He makes my life that much easier with what I do.”

Challenging Times It’s no surprise that the pandemic impacted the availability of materials. “I’ve been encouraging my customers and their customers to be more flexible with design choices because products aren’t always available,” Egan said.

Slattery said the demand for product was high in 2020 but 2021 was even greater. “It was one of the busiest years in our industry but the biggest challenge was getting material. Where something would typically take seven to 10 days, or special orders would take two to four weeks, it would be three or four months.” In situations where customers needed an exact product for an add-on, Slattery urged them to purchase early while it was still available. “I noticed that our customers became more organized and ordered materials sooner than they had in the past.”

The company has plans to expand product sourcing. “We do get locally mined stone but also from all over—-from Pennsylvania and from Tennessee,” Nault said. “Now we’re looking to source stone globally as well since the world is becoming a more global marketplace.”

Although Nault notes that most stone companies have similar product offerings, “It’s the service piece that sets us apart. If someone’s initial plan can’t come to fruition because their end client changes their budget, we can offer different solutions and drop off samples.” Volunteerism “We really enjoy being a part of the ILCA,” Nault said. “When I first started, my predecessor had scheduled a visit to the ILCA office. Most industries have an association, but I found it interesting as a first week activity—visiting the ILCA office! I met Scott Grams and the folks and immediately we were discussing committees and different opportunities.”

She signed up for the Women’s Networking Group that first week. “I was new to the industry and I found it so interesting and so fun and now I’m serving as the chair of the Women’s Networking Group. We love being a part of the ILCA and what better way to be successful than to be involved with the association.”

Slattery serves on ILCA’s Golf Committee and Egan is a member of the Snow Committee. “The sense of community is what’s best about the ILCA and the support we have for one another,” Egan said. “Even though we may be competitors, at the end of the day we’re all trying to do the best for each other.”

Slattery has served on the Golf Committee for more than 12 years. “I play golf so it was a natural fit and at the time I knew all of the members on the committee. Back when I started we had five members and now we have 16. For the past three years, we have sold out with foursomes and sponsorships by August 1 for the September outing.”

Tributes “Sarah and Nicole and the whole group make my job easier by knowing what they’re doing,” Bols said. “That’s the best thing I can say — the way they handle things, what they know and what they do.”

“Their customer service is phenomenal and I usually deal with Nicole,” said Taylor Wilson, project coordinator for McGinty Brothers. “I can give her an obscure spec and say this is what my boss is looking for. If she doesn’t have an answer she can get me to someone who can help me, which is huge. We’ve done more stone this year and Lafarge has been a lifesaver.”