Slippery Rock Gazette

by Sharon Koehler

Photos Courtesy ROCKin’teriors

Deep in the Research Triangle area in North Carolina is a not-so-undiscovered gem named ROCKin’teriors. The company, owned and operated by Laura Grandlienard, started back in 2008 when it was practically unheard of for a woman to be in the stone business at all, much less at the helm of a fabrication company.

Coming from a successful corporate background, Laura had taken trips to Brazil and other countries on business, but she didn’t become truly interested in stone until she was building her own home. She was captivated by the beauty of natural stone and knew she wanted it in her home. And that was how she discovered a somewhat overlooked niche in her area: high-end, eco-friendly stone fabrication.

Then, to paraphrase a well-known quote: A dream was born! With a set of business skills equal to the task of opening and running a business, plus some support from family, Laura Grandlienard opened ROCKin’teriors. To further cement her place in the stone world, Laura herself has served on the accreditation committees of the NSI and the ISFA, plus she has been involved in Women in Stone since its beginning.

ROCKin’teriors is the Research Triangle’s only female-owned, certified and eco-friendly natural stone showroom and fabrication facility. Based in Raleigh, the company serves the Triangle region, which also includes Cary, Durham, Chapel Hill and other North Carolina communities. They service high-end, whole home, and large commercial projects such as airports and large office spaces, including but not limited to interior and exterior wall cladding, flooring, ceilings and infinity pools.

They service their wide variety of clients by offering a diversified assortment of natural stone, semi-precious material, ultra-compact surfaces, sintered stone and quartz. Their clients also receive an educational, immersive experience in their 2,300 square foot, purpose-built showroom and conference center, staffed by designers and other cross-trained staff.

Laura elaborated on the customer education process at ROCKin’teriors. “We offer consultations where we discuss the properties and benefits of different stones, guiding clients through the selection and installation process to ensure they make informed decisions. We also host various industry events to pull local industry partners together to talk about trends and the future of the industry. We host an annual ‘Raleigh Technical Summit’ each year with CaraGreen, an industry partner.”

Laura further explained: “Our business model focuses on delivering high-end, luxury stonework backed by a skilled team and state-of-the-art machinery.
This combination allows us to efficiently meet client needs while maintaining exceptional quality. We bring a white glove service mindset to the industry because our clientele expects fine luxury and amazing service.”

Offices of Preston Development. This large-scale project involved exterior cladding and interior design elements, including wall cladding, and a curved reception desk in the lobby, other stone accents.

For obvious reasons, the company itself has changed and evolved over the last 16+ years. When asked about the evolution and changes in the business that have made ROCKin’teriors so successful, Laura told us how the company had evolved since the beginning, and what successes those changes had brought to the company.

“Since our inception, we’ve embraced technological advancements to enhance our fabrication processes. For instance, integrating CNC machinery has improved our efficiency and precision, allowing us to better serve our clients. In the last few years, we went digital in all our processes. We have been focused on high-end luxury residential and commercial since inception. We’ve worked on the Holy Name of Jesus Cathedral for the Roman Catholic Diocese, Raleigh-Durham International Airport, the N.C. State University chancellor’s residence, as well as in luxury homes for NFL, NBA and PGA superstars, Fortune 500 executives, and other exclusive clientele.”

Though the company as a whole might have gone through some changes over the years, their staff actually has an extremely low turnover rate. Most of their team has been with the company 10+ years. Part of that was due to Omar Salazar, Laura’s brother, who recruited and trained a team of skilled craftsmen who went on to be recognized an ISFA Fabricator of the Year – TWICE. Omar was also a key part in getting ROCKin’teriors involved in the Gary Sinise R*I*S*E program that helps to build accessible homes for wounded war veterans. Plus, he also helped the company become the area’s first fabricator to become certified in ultra-compact and sintered stone.

Lakeside luxury residential estate in Hills of Rosemont, Durham, N.C. includes Dekton infinity pool cladding and an interior large format fireplace surround, and ten slabs of one-of-a-kind Delicato Oro Brazlian quartzite for the centerpiece kitchen island and full-height backsplash surround.

Below: ROCKin’teriors installed 24 feet of Dekton Kira with a smooth matte texture to add an elegant touch for this fireplace surround.

Besides being ISFA Fabricator of the year – twice, and being nominated for ISFA Project of the Year, ROCKin’teriors has, over the years, picked up numerous accreditations and awards:

Certifications Include:  

* Accredited by the Natural Stone Institute, 2016

* Certified in Lapitec, 2016

* Certified in Dekton, 2017

* Certified in Neolith, 2017

Awards Include:  

* Cosentino Dekton Fabricator of the Year, 2018

* ISFA Fabricator of the Year, 2018 

* ISFA Fabricator of the Year, 2019

* Cary Chamber of Commerce Small Business of the Year Award’, 2022

* Cosentino High End Residential Award, 2023

* Cosentino ROCK Masters Program, 2024

In addition to the above-mentioned certifications, they also completed NSI’s silica safety training in 2024, which recognizes the importance of workplace safety and sustainability.

Laura is also a founding member of Women Who Rock and currently serves in an Advisor role. Women Who Rock is a female-led group that supports and promotes women in professional roles in the surface fabrication, machinery, tooling and stone supply industries. The group’s goals include encouraging growth and development through engagement with members from diverse backgrounds and experiences. To be eligible for membership, women must be owners, co-owners, leaders or decision-makers, and they must believe in and support the group’s purpose. Women Who Rock members take part in events and discussions that focus on learning, development and collaboration in the surfacing industry. The group is focused on female leadership and decision-making, and using those skills to empower and elevate other women in the industry. 

Laura’s other passion beside ROCKin’teriors is “To promote women in professional roles within the surface industry.”

Above: This outdoor kitchen in Raleigh, N.C. features wall cladding in Dekton Trillium, an Italian pizza oven surrounded by Dekton Domoos, and counter surfaces in Caesartone Raw concrete.  Below: Dekton XGloss wrapped fireplace surround.

Below: Floating, wall-to-wall Blue Bahia vanity with a unique, offset undermount trough sink.

The LAFA Initiative

Another one of ROCKin’teriors affiliations is the newly formed group Latin American Stone Fabricator Network. When asked about this new network and ROCKin’teriors involvement,  Laura explained:  “LAFA is a dedicated platform for the Latin American stone fabricators. The purpose is to bring them forward and have a voice at the table. We held our first inaugural Latin American Stone Fabricator Exposition on November 2, 2024, in Dallas. It was the first of its kind, dedicated to fostering a unique networking platform within our industry. LAFA’s mission is to remove barriers, bridge resources, and facilitate knowledge exchange among professionals in the Latin American surface fabrication community in a bi-lingual format. Myself, among others, are passionate about serving the underserved Latin American community in our surface industry. Among those who supported the kickoff of this initiative is BB Industries, Benjamin Moore, CaraGreen, GranQuartz, Cantera Portofino USA, Farnese, Laser Products Industries, Park Industries, and Spark Capital. Cambria was so excited about this initiative that they also came on board to sponsor a pre-event dinner.”

Laura Grandlienard, pictured below standing, at center: “Our inaugural LAFA Exposition launched with corporate support on November 2, 2024 in Dallas. Among those who supported the kickoff of this initiative are BB Industries, Benjamin Moore, CaraGreen, GranQuartz, Cantera Portofino USA, Farnese, Laser Products Industries, Park Industries, and Spark Capital.”

Having touched on the fact that ROCKin’teriors has successfully completed the NSI silica safety training, we asked Laura to elaborate on their compliance with new OSHA regulations: “We prioritize workplace safety by implementing comprehensive training programs and adhering to industry best practices. Our commitment to safety is reflected in our participation with OSHA, and in programs like Cosentino’s Rock Masters, which emphasizes sustainability and safety.”

When asked about the safety systems in place at ROCKin’teriors fabrication facility, she explained, “Our facility is equipped with advanced machinery that includes safety features to protect our team. We also have protocols for dust collection and water reclamation and recycling to maintain a safe and eco-friendly environment. We are really excited about our whole team transitioning to BBI’s Swiss Air PAPR -purifying respirator. It’s a game changer for our team. Every step we take is to help our team be safe and healthy in all we do.”

Additionally, ROCKin’teriors installation team is trained to handle materials carefully, ensuring that each piece is transported and installed with the utmost care to maintain its integrity and beauty.

One way for a company to become as successful as ROCKin’teriors is through advertising. Standard ad campaigns for shops include commercials, Facebook ads, Google ads and print ads, truck wraps and signage, yet ROCKin’teriors has a different approach. They rely more on marketing, public relations and word-of-mouth from their clients, which makes customer satisfaction a “must” for them. 

Above: Grandlienard, pictured at left, meets with design staff in the ROCKin’teriors design space. Below, right: One of the vignettes from the ROCKin’teriors showroom.

ROCKin’terior specializes in exotic and one-of-a-kind materials for their high-end clientele.

ROCKin’teriors has a truly clear vision on what “customer satisfaction” means to them and their clients. “Customer satisfaction is achieved by delivering exceptional quality, personalized service, and ensuring that each client’s vision is realized through our craftsmanship. We call this our “white glove” service, and it includes following up before, during, and after our interaction with the customer to ensure they feel special and that ROCKin’teriors has helped contribute to their new home or project. Oftentimes, our customers begin to feel like family, as we have worked so closely together, and we get a lot of referrals based on the experience alone. A lot of our clients have been with us since the beginning, and they are still coming back to this day.”

Another part of their advertising philosophy is that quality work and focusing on strong client relationships coupled with their professional website and their continuous involvement in industry events helps them to reach a broader audience in their market.

Every good leader has a vision for the future of their company —  what they want it to be, how they want it to grow. Laura Grandlienard is no different. When asked about her vision for the future of her company, she was very clear: “The culture that we have created is something that we can move forward for generations and generations. Our craftsmanship and skill set that we have can move us forward and allow us to constantly be at the forefront whether it’s technology, design or customer vision.”

ROCKin’teriors in Raleigh, North Carolina is proof that hard work, craftsmanship and relationships with customers and team members is a great way to be successful.

For more information and to watch a video interview with Laura Grandlienard, visit their website http://rockinteriors.com .