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Featured in this Issue January 2025
SLIPPERY ROCK GAZETTE ® The Voice of the Stone Fabricator
ROCKin’teriors Leads the Way with Style, by Sharon Koehler ........................................................................................... Begins on 1 Brown Canyon Sandstone: Building Sustainable Landscapes in Utah, by Karin Kirk .................................................. Begins on 22
Training, Safety and Education
Industry Calendar of Events and Training: January to March 2025............................................................................................................ 5 Your Number One Customer is on Someone Else’s Prospect List , by Tim Saddoris .................................................. Begins on 6
Marketing and Sales Alignment: The Missing Link in Stone Fabrication Success, by Anthony Milia ............................................... 7 The Power of Google Reviews for Your Shop, by Stephen Alberts ................................................................................................. 8 Leveraging Customer Experience Feedback to Shape Your 2025 Goals, by Darlene Compagna ........................ Begins on 9 The Importance of Understanding Product Margin: Part One, by Rick Phelps .......................................................................... 11
Industry Topics, Tips and Featured Columns
Why Not Play “Winter” Music All Year Long? by Sam Venable ............................................................................................. 13 Stone Restoration and Maintenance Corner – The Parish Church of St. Joseph the Worker, by Bob Murrell ... Begins on 14 TheStoneDetectiveInvestigatesaRealMurderMystery,byFrederickM.Hueston...................................................... 16 It’s a New Year! by Sharon Koehler ................................................................................................................................................ 18
Industry News
Natural Stone Institute Announces New Board Members ............................................................................................................... 4 Coldspring Announces New CFO .......................................................................................................................................................5
NTCA Announces All-Woman Certified Tile Installer (CTI) Test, Marks Industry Milestone............................................. 12 Natural Stone Foundation Grants Funding to Global Standards Initiative ................................................................................ 19 ISFA 2025 Board of Directors ................................................................................................................................................................ 20 NSI and ISFA Announce Silica Exposure Literature Review .......................................................................................................... 23
Marketplace ............................................................................................................................................................ 20 Classified Ads ......................................................................................................................................................... 21
Contributors & Staff
Rick Stimac ........................................................................................................................................ Publisher Larry M. Hood ................................................................................................. Editor and Design Director G. William Brown............................................................................................................... Graphic Designer Andrea Horvath .................................................................................................................. Assistant Editor Stephen Alberts ....................................................................................................... Countertop Marketing Mark Anderson ........................................................................................................ Department of Humor Darlene Compagna .............................................................................................................. Direct Opinions Frederick M. Hueston ................................................................................ Stone Forensics Investigations Karin Kirk ....................................................................................................................... usenaturalstone.org Sharon Koehler.................................................................................................. Stone Industry Consultant Rufus B. Leakin ...................................................................................................... Guru of Urban Folklore Peter J. Marcucci .......................................................................................................... Special Contributor Anthony Milia ......................................................................................................................... Milia Marketing Bob Murrell ............................................................................................................. Restoration Consultant Rick Phelps ................................................................................................................ Synchronous Solutions Tim Saddoris ................................................................................................................................ Grand Onyx Sam Venable.................................................................................................................. Department of Irony
Read our online edition at www.slipperyrockgazette.net. Use the Classified drop-down menu to browse ads and to place a classified ad, and the article links to view stories in the current issue. Send advertising inquiries to LHood@ slipperyrockgazette.net, and comments c/o publisher@slipperyrockgazette.net. Subscription requests, a classified ad submission form, current and archived back issues and articles are available online at www.slipperyrockgazette.net .
The Natural Stone Institute welcomes two individuals to its board of directors in January 2025.
Natural Stone Institute Announces New Board Members
Joshua Levinson
Artistic Tile
Joshua Levinson is the CEO of Artistic Tile, a family owned and operated business and leader in the natural stone industry. Based in Secaucus, NJ with eleven locations and dealers nationwide, Artistic Tile imports, designs, develops, manufac- tures, distributes, and retails natural stone for residential and commercial projects. Josh has nearly thirty years of stone industry experience, includ- ing extensive volunteer work and leadership roles supporting the indus- try. His most recent role included serving as the inaugural President of the Natural Stone Foundation to help launch the industry’s only phil- anthropic arm. He has also contrib- uted to the Gary Sinise Foundation’s R.I.S.E. program and volunteered as a Women in Stone mentor.
Susan Moser
Fauske Marble by Moser Aps
Susan Moser is a third-gener- ation natural stone industry pro- fessional from Denmark who has worked all over the world in different positions, lately as stone consultant for government lead projects in Saudi Arabia. Currently Susan is CEO and owner of the historic Norwegian Rose marble quarry north of the arctic circle in Norway and has reactivated the quarry, bringing it back to the world. She strives to empower the use of natural stone and is an advocate for incorpo- rating natural stone as a sustain- able material in building projects. Susan is the recipient of the 2025 Women in Stone Pioneer Award.
About the Natural Stone Institute
The Natural Stone Institute is a trade association representing every aspect of the natural stone industry. The current membership exceeds 2,000 members in over 50 nations. The association offers a wide array of technical and training resources, professional development opportunities, regulatory advocacy, and networking events. Two prominent publications—the Dimension Stone Design Manual and Building Stone Magazine—raise awareness within the natural stone industry and in the design community for best practices and uses of natural stone.
Learn more at www.naturalstoneinstitute.org.