Surfaces for All

story by Bob Luder | photography by Sarah Reeves

Rod Savage walks with purpose through the bright, spacious showroom at Surface Center Interiors on Shawnee Mission Parkway. Aligned throughout the showroom’s main space are large pieces of natural stone— marble and granite, as well as pieces of manmade quartz and solid surfaces from national brands such as Corian, Wilsonart, Cambria, Cosentino, and MSI. Along a back wall are small samples of kitchen backsplashes, and there are several staged kitchen areas throughout the room.

Savage, who became president of what’s more commonly referred to as SCI Surfaces after acquiring the company in 2015, walks and talks on point and with commitment … probably a major reason his company has firmly established itself as one of the top fabricators and installers of residential and commercial countertops in the Kansas City area, as well as one of the top businesses in Shawnee.

“This business is about two things—people and process,” says Savage, who employs more than 80 people throughout his showroom and fabrication shop. “The people here know about the business.”

Savage claims he knew nothing about countertops and surfaces before buying the company. He left a family-owned business where he had worked for years and was at what he calls a “fork in the road. I was looking for a new direction.”

The Overland Park native began looking for a local business to buy and came across SCI, which had formed when Ameristone, a long-standing Shawnee company, and start-up Cutting Edge Granite & Tile merged in 2010 as a means to survive the housing crisis of 2008. That’s also around the time the business moved to its current location at 12800 Shawnee Mission Parkway.

When it comes to describing what SCI does, Savage keeps it simple and straightforward—template, fabricate, and install custom countertops for both residential and commercial properties. He says the company’s business typically balances out around 70/30, residential to commercial.

SCI runs up to eight install crews. It services the entire Kansas City metropolitan area for residential jobs and up to a 250-mile radius for commercial jobs.

In addition to countertops for kitchens, both indoor and out, SCI also custom-fabricates and installs backsplashes, sinks, and surface areas around indoor and outdoor fireplaces and gathering areas. Commercially, the company traditionally works with corporate, education, health care, and retail spaces, working directly with architects, developers, and general contractors to follow design ideas from sketch to finished product. SCI also imports and installs custom-designed countertops for hotels, multifamily dwellings, and senior living centers.

From its fabrication shop behind the showroom, SCI staff, which Savage regards among the best in the business, can take pieces of natural stone, manmade material, or solid surface and cut, shape, and polish it into finished works of art.

“The key to getting repeat business in this type of work is to provide a good customer experience,” Savage says. “Be easy to do business with. Be on time and on budget. If you’re reliable, you’re doing well.”

SCI hasn’t been immune to the challenges during these last two years of the COVID-19 pandemic. Like every business, finding qualified workers has been difficult, and Savage says the business has relied more and more on sub-contractors to get work completed. He and his staff had to be flexible and adapt to mitigate risk during the height of the pandemic.

“We had to overcome changes in how you work,” he says. “We had to adapt, evolve, and modify, find ways to get the job done. Most were just common-sense steps.”

But, he says, business remained strong throughout the pandemic. Demand for housing has remained healthy. And all those new homes and apartments need countertops, backsplashes, and sinks.

“There are some headwinds coming because of economic forces slowing down,” Savage says. “Business is still strong though.”

It’s a business Savage says he and his staff are constantly trying to grow, improve, and innovate. Part of that includes being an active steward in the Shawnee community. SCI has been an active member of the Chamber of Commerce for 12 years, dating back to the merger and SCI’s formation. It’s a relationship Savage says his company cherishes.

“It’s an active relationship that we participate in because we care about the local community and local issues,” he says. “Shawnee is an excellent place to do business. A lot of our employees come from here.”

“The Shawnee Chamber is proud and lucky to have businesses like Surface Center Interiors, who support this community,” says Brandon Wilcox, director of investor services with the chamber. “Rod and his team at SCI are ‘mission members.’ They understand the importance of the work that goes into creating and sustaining a vibrant community and have invested in those efforts for more than a decade.”

However, as Savage quickly points out, SCI’s business extends beyond the Shawnee city limits.

“We do jobs all over the city every day,” he says. “From a market standpoint, I’d probably say we’re one of the top three (countertop companies) in the city.”

SURFACE CENTER INTERIORS

12800 Shawnee Mission Parkway

Shawnee, KS 66216

913-422-0500

www.SCI-Surfaces.com