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The Beacon of the Stone Industry www.slipperyrockgazette.net
Taking Care of Business (and Installers!)
January 2024 Vol. 30-01
MYfirst day as a fabricator was sometime in 1985. There were very few safety aids available for shops or jobsites in those days. Cut pieces were hand-carried throughout every stage, and then loaded on a pickup truck. When arriv- ing at the jobsite, pieces were either brought in on a dolly or cart, a small device with two small wheels, or just hand-carried, while steps and stairways were traversed with a tight grip, a strong back, and a deep grunt. Needless to say, everyone who worked there was strong and dedicated to getting it done.
As the years passed, the folks who stayed grew more efficient at creating quality work. What nobody saw, especially the installers, however, was that all those years of heavy lifting were slowly and quietly taking its toll on their bodies. Yes, our installers were finding better ways to finish their work, but hardly any effort was put into finding bet- ter ways to move materials into the custom- er’s home. Those installers, who’d now grown into super installers and able to say yes to any problem, had bodies that were now saying “No!” Their backs, shoul- ders, wrists and knees had had enough, and many were facing an untimely early retire- ment. All that knowledge, patience and skill would walk (or hobble) away, and the learn- ing cycle, along with hundreds of mistakes, would begin again.
Now fast forward to 2024. Wow, how have things changed! Breakthroughs and inventions to improve safety are aplenty, and careers that might have ended early for us old timers, are now extended decades into the future by progressive shops willing to invest in the latest safety equipment. One of those progressives who continue to lead the industry in safety is Aaron Crowley, a former countertop shop owner, and long- time safety equipment developer, writer, and now pod caster. Crowley has been a true safety advocate from the get-go, when he opened Crowley’s Granite & Quartz
by Peter J. Marcucci
PhotosCourtesy No Lift Systems
in Tualatin, Oregon in 1998. Aaron has also recently been made Chairman of The Natural Stone Institute Safety Committee, and as you’ll see, he’s not afraid to speak his mind.
“What we’re up against is an old school mentality that still believes it is okay to expect another human being to sacrifice their health and future quality of life for an install job that may only last a few years. Some companies are oblivious to it, and some just don’t care, enough to change. Unfortunately, the inevitable result of this mentality is an ever-shrinking pool of qual- ified installers.
“If you do the math, an 85 square-foot kitchen weighs about 1,330 pounds. If a crew picks those countertops up to load their rig, picks them up again to unload the rig, and then picks them up again to set them on the cabinets, that’s lifting over 4,000 pounds per day, 20,000 pounds per week. That’s over a million pounds per year in cumulative lifting! So when you’re trying to attract employees to install for you, it’s an uphill battle trying to find people who are willing to work that hard and take that risk for installer wages. The easiest way to solve this problem is to protect the installers who you already employ, so you don’t lose them due to a lifting-related injury. ”
The Alternative
Crowley, not being a guy who just talks the talk, walked the walk to his drawing board. He built many prototypes that were extensively tested in the field by his own install crew before coming up with a work- ing design to facilitate the safe transporting and lifting of slab counters, no matter the jobsite conditions.
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Aaron Crowley with a very happy crew at Block Tops Anaheim, CA. Nate Kolenski, owner of Block Tops is a pioneer in the stone industry, outfitting all his install crews with No Lift Systems.
BB Industries Celebrates 30 Years of Excellence with 30 for 30 Theme
BBIndustries has a lot to celebrate in 2024. Headquartered in Knoxville, Tennessee, BB Industries has provided quality tools and supplies to the stone and tile in- dustries for 30 years, and January 2024 will mark the company’s year-long anniversary celebration of 30 ways it has impacted,
contributed to and changed the stone industry.
It’s not just a celebration of the business, though. CEO Rick Stimac said it’s a cele- bration of the people, including staff, cli- ents and supplier partners, all who have contributed to BB Industries’ longevity and continued success. “Everybody talks about how important people are, but I think sometimes in companies that’s lost.
We do a really good job of living that. We’re blessed with great people here, and the family atmosphere we’ve cultivated. One affirmation is that for 3 years run- ning, we’ve received a Top Places to Work award for our region. So this is a 30th anni- versary celebration of us and our partners. That’s how we make the customer delight and everything we’re able to make happen every day,” Stimac said.
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