Slippery Rock Gazette

by Peter J. Marcucci

Photos by Peter J. Marcucci & Courtesy CCS Stone, Inc.

(Hover over photos to see captions)

If you were asked which material would make the ultimate white kitchen countertop surface, would you answer: Carrara marble, for an elegant look; Danby, Vermont marble for a slightly more durable, elegant look; or would you pick one of many quartz products for a highly durable, contemporary look? Not sure?                                                

Home to some of the finest importers, fabricators, and tool manufacturers in the country, the greater New Jersey/New York area has long been known for decades as the “Silicon Valley” of notable heavyweights in the stone business — and there’s no business like stone business, especially when it’s a family business. Truth be told, the Mitnick family, consisting of father Donald, wife and mother Arline and siblings Bryan, Jonathan and Corey have brought and kept CCS Stone Inc. at the forefront of stone importing and fabrication for over a half century. 

They are tech-savvy and business-smart, with natural stone in their DNA. Paying a visit earlier this year to their busy, well-equipped shop was a great experience for me, especially when it involved seeing firsthand what the boys from Jersey were doing with their flagship product, Glassos^®. 

Upon showing up at CCS Stone’s doorstep in Moonachie, New Jersey, it was clear– sparkling clear in fact– that the brother’s second-to-none, 1,600 square foot showroom was one of the cornerstones of the company’s success.

Well lit by multiple shafts of light pouring in from side windows stood walls filled with samples, and floors abundant with carved and contemporary elements.

Tying this montage together were seductive cascades of shimmering stone vanities, seemingly suspended in mid air to draw you in–give pause–and stimulate the imagination. Quietly at the far end stood an inviting conference room, comfortable and conducive to getting the deal penned. 

Moments later I was welcomed into the inner workings by twenty-year veteran Receptionist Bonnie Araujo to meet with Vice President Jonathan Mitnick. After a handshake and a few minutes of friendly talk, I asked Jonathan, simply, “So where did CCS Stone begin, and what have you been doing with Glassos^®?”

“My Father worked for International Granite and Marble before I was born,” recalled Jonathan. “He had worked side by side with John Weiss from IGM in North Bergen, New Jersey. But there was a point when my Father had to move on – he had a growing family. I am the third son out of four, and when I was born (1963), that was the year that he incorporated and began forming the company we now call CCS Stone Inc. 

“I’ve been exposed to this business my whole life. When it was show-and-tell in first grade, I would bring in marble samples to show my friends and teachers what my father did. When I was older, Dad would drag me around Verona and Carrara, Italy, and we’d spend two weeks going to the shows, factories and quarries in those regions. The stone business was very different in those days. There were only a handful of people who knew stone, and companies like IGM wrote the book on importing it into this country. My dad was one of those, in that handful, who was able to import and broker those materials that were being produced overseas. 

“He found value for those products and thus became an importer. He was not a fabricator in the beginning, and all we had at the time was a small tug saw for samples.

If anything had to be fabricated we’d be dependent on other companies to fabricate it for us, and sometimes we couldn’t find another shop in the area that was willing to take a kitchen off of their saw and cut work for us. 

“Then at a certain point in time, we started to handle more slabs, and we needed to service our customers better, and it was necessary to put in some big machines to do the work. As soon as we put in the equipment, we booked it up which then created the need to put in more machines. We really didn’t plan on being in the fabrication business, it was just out of necessity, and that was the energy that pushed us. That was fifteen years ago.” 

Since those early days, the Mitnick family has installed two GMM bridge saws, a Ravelli Teorema 4-axis CNC, a Farnese miter machine, a super-slick radial arm polisher by Jing Yow with tilt bench and, last but not least, a custom built media blaster for texturing slabs. Jonathan, a long time advocate of safety, along with Bryan and Corey, also installed two 3-axis overhead cranes and one jib crane to safely move all production stonework anywhere within the 13,000 square foot shop. 

Rounding out the ultra efficient facility is a passive 3-lock water recycling system complete with dehydration, an air purification system in the hand finishing area, and locking workbenches that can be configured to assemble and dry-fit any configuration kitchen. Additionally, most of CCS Stone’s 40,000 square foot warehouse is serviced by three 3-axis cranes. 

Clearly the company’s history speaks volumes for its commitment to safety and, undoubtedly, with all of these amenities, safety is a priority for the company’s seven shop men and one full time warehouse man. 

“I’m the Committee Vice-Chair of the Marble Institute of America’s Safety Committee,” explained Jonathan, “and we’ve continued to develop a safer work place for us and the stone industry under the guidance of the MIA. 

“Most of our employees have been with us for a long time, and we have a high level of loyalty and feel that if they can come here with a clear head, they will be more productive. We are always throwing new challenges at them, and they are always very receptive to meeting those challenges. 

“They’ve shown the ability to adapt to a changing market, and they’ve worked with us to evolve and improve. Everyone looks out for each other, and I like that. We spend a lot of time with them discussing new and safe fabrication techniques, and most are cross trained, and that is very valuable to us. They like that too and it shows, otherwise they wouldn’t stay here. 

“They know how to handle the material and how to work with it before it becomes a problem. Our people spend a lot of time here, and we like to run a clean, safe shop and make it just as comfortable as their own houses. We know they have families, and we consider all of them to be part of our family, and all of us pay due diligence to their well-being. I’m vigilant about safety, and all of us want a safe work environment that is healthy and environmentally sustainable.”  

Known for years within the industry for their marble, currently, in terms of percentages, close to fifty percent of CCS Stone’s fabricated work is creature comforts made with White Glassos^® but, according to Jonathan, that does vary at different times of the year with mostly marble from Europe and exotics from Brazil making up the difference. But what truly makes CCS Stone different, Jonathan said, is the company’s history and ability to know what their clients want. 

“Understanding our clients’ needs, and treating people the way you want to be treated—that’s what makes the difference, because when a client talks to you, they know, right away, that you’re not giving them just a pitch. You’re talking from experience and about something you’re passionate about, and it shows. Years ago we developed a keen working knowledge using marble, and that was a big part of our growth and will always be at the core of our business. 

“We are still recognized as a big supplier of Portuguese stone as well as natural stones from the U.S., Spain, Italy and Canada. Granite sales have fallen off a lot, and the jobs we are producing, other than Glassos^®, are mostly in the exotic category. Rarely do we do an Ubatuba kitchen anymore, although my Brother Bryan just quoted one the other day. We used to quote Ubatuba every day, and these days it’s like, ‘Wow — an Ubatuba kitchen!’ 

“I enjoy the nature of the exotics, however, this industry is ever changing, and if you don’t change with it, you will die. That’s part of the reason we’re into Glassos^®. If you look at the type of industry that we are in, which is the stone industry — we are really in the surface industry — and if you do define yourself as being in the surface industry and listen to what your customers want, right now they want white, so that’s why we are in the ‘White Surface Business.’ 

“Our Glassos^® has the performance and look of natural stone or better, and is a color that is marketable right now. It is consumer driven, and when people find out about it they want it, and we get contacted. At that time we tell them to locate a local fabricator who is capable of working with the material and we ship the slabs to them. 

“Ultimately we would like to see shops around the country stock the material, and we would then send customers to those shops. For example, if we had a dealer stocking Glassos^® in California, I would be sending them customers every day. Unfortunately, because of the recession, companies haven’t wanted to invest in inventory, but it’s just a matter of time. 

“If you look at the engineered stone industry, they are doing a great job at coming up with many versions of white. They are focused on the market, and that market is using a lot of white. So that also helps guide us a little bit to know what the consumer wants right now. Products like Glassos^® offer our customers the solution to having a pure white kitchen that doesn’t stain, scratch, burn or damage under normal use.” 

According to Jonathan, sales of Glassos^® White is what has helped keep the company in the black since the name was trademarked in 2007. Available in two distinct types: Crystal White and Nano White, Glassos^® slabs are always premium quality and always pure white at a third of the cost of Thassos; half the cost of premium white quartz products; and about one quarter the cost of quality Statuary. 

That said, even though the cost of the material is a fraction of Thassos, shop labor does take more time due to Glassos^® requiring more hand work, said Jonathan, adding that the difference between the two is basically that Crystal White has a visible crystal and Nano doesn’t, and for that reason there are certain traits in the material that are a little different and respond differently when you work with them in the shop, such as the placement of seams. 

“You wouldn’t attempt to do a one piece tub deck in Crema Marfil or Emperador and expect it to stay together. So the same thing applies. Also, the ability to hide seams with Glassos^® doesn’t exist. Customers who are under the impression that a seam is going to disappear need to be informed that it won’t. It is not an attribute of the product, and the fabricator, needs to work around that.” 

Working mostly on a wholesale level with trade professionals such as builders, kitchen cabinet designers, architects and custom designers, CCS Stone’s radius of service spans approximately 50 miles from their 40,000 square foot location in Moonachie, New Jersey, servicing areas such as northern New Jersey, the Jersey shore, Connecticut as well as the Hamptons to accommodate their upscale demographic is not uncommon. The company will, however, travel anywhere needed said Jonathan.  

“We just did a multi story penthouse in Manhattan for a wealthy client. Tons of Glassos Nano were used for the floor and intricate stairwells that had all kinds of crazy angles. Mark Ellison designed and erected the steel work and installed the Glassos^®, and it won awards
“You’ve seen it in the magazines. I’ve been around a lot of trends and have seen them come and go. The white trend doesn’t seem to be letting up, and the whole world is recognizing this. Just this month we sold hundreds of slabs of Glassos^® and six more containers are in transit right now with the largest percentage going to wholesale.”

CCS Stone’s Future

“Dad is eighty years old and still comes to work. He loves the business and it keeps him active. People still come in and ask ‘How’s your Dad’, and when you draw from the history that he has had, that was the best gift that our Father gave to us. His credibility and reputation and doing things the right way. Our Mom comes in too for bookkeeping, invoicing and payroll, and we love having her here.

“As far as the future of CCS Stone Inc., we are going through a facelift. We’ve dusted ourselves off from a very difficult year after hurricane Sandy, and we are gutting our showroom and office area and starting over. At the same time we are keeping a balance in our business growth. 

“We see the market changing and we are doing our best to change with it. We’ve also expanded our shop and added new equipment so we can do more value added work with Glassos^® and exotics. We supply the trade, and our interest is supplying our clients with the finest materials and fabrication. 

“We are expanding our slab inventory with natural stone that we know will sell as well as expanding our inventory of Glassos^® slabs and tiles. We are known for these products, and we are going to stay with what we are known for within the industry. It’s important for us to stay focused on our core business model. 

“It’s like a curve or side current that’s pushing you, but you try to stay on target by using that current to drive you. We’re listening to what people are telling us, and we are always trying to keep things fresh. That’s important going forward. I can’t rest on my Father’s laurels and the things that he did. You’ve got to adjust and constantly define your company’s mission.” 

For more information about CCS Stone Inc., please visit www.ccsstone.com.