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Slippery Rock Gazette
November 2023 | 3
new faces. If you want to grow in the stone industry, come to the NSI study tours.”
Planning is currently underway for next year’s study tour, which will take place in Utah. Look for an announcement in early 2024 for dates and locations.
The Natural Stone Institute is a trade association representing every aspect of the natural stone industry. The cur- rent membership exceeds 2,000 mem- bers in over 50 nations. The association offers a wide array of technical and train- ing resources, professional development opportunities, regulatory advocacy, and networking events. Two prominent pub- lications—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.
Natural Stone Institute Holds Colorado Study Tour
Study Tour attendees at the Gallegos Corporation Stone Yard
Edwards during the second installment of the Women in Stone Legacy Series event. They also enjoyed plenty of networking and recreation time and participated in breakout discussions on topics important to the industry, including silica and safety, installer best practices, employee reten- tion and recruitment, and a session for new industry employees who are eager to break through hurdles and learn from seasoned professionals. The annual auction raised $57,000 in gross proceeds for the associ- ation and $13,000 for the Natural Stone Foundation.
Attendees spoke positively of the event, especially praising the networking opportu- nities. First-time attendee Todd Bay (Delta Stone Products) shared that attending the study tour “opened my eyes to the immense opportunities in this rapidly growing indus- try.” Board member Sal Banchitta (Simple Stone Care) agreed: “You never stop learn- ing! I enjoyed the quarry tour and meeting
Over 100 members attended NSI’s annual study tour, which took place in western Colorado
September 10-14. Highlights of the event included a rare glimpse inside Colorado Stone Quarries’ historic Pride of America marble quarry and fabrication facility and a trip to the Gallegos stone yard and marble shop in Gypsum. During the Gallegos visit, attendees enjoyed a fun Poker Run activity featuring their suppliers.
Gallegos CEO Gary Woodworth com- mented: “Gallegos Corp employees were extremely proud to welcome the NSI Study Tour to our West Campus Stone Yard and Marble & Granite Fabrication Shop. With the assistance of US Stone, Colorado
Flagstone, Northern Stone, Montes Stone, and Lyons Sandstone the Poker Run was a huge success and provided the attendees an opportunity to see stone from numerous NSI member quarries as well as our own quarry and custom stone fabrication shop.”
Giuseppe Telara, General Manager at Colorado Stone Quarries echoed these comments: “Colorado Stone Quarries would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to the NSI group that visited our facility and our Pride of America Mine. Your interest and presence were really appreciated, and we hope this visit created a memory that will last a lifetime!”
In addition to these tours, attendees also enjoyed exploring a portion of the Colorado National Monument and celebrated Brenda
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The Study Tour also visited the Colorado Stone Quarries’ Pride of America Mine.