Artisan Group Adds Three
AUSTIN, Texas — The Artisan Group gained three members recently, as the fabricator organization brought in two new shops and welcomed back another.
Texas fabricator True Blue Granite, with locations in San Antonio and Austin, joined up, along with Summit Stone Works in Buda, Texas. And Lakeside Surfaces Inc, based in Muskegon, Mich., rejoined Artisan, making the group of independent countertop fabricators nearly 35 strong.
“We are strategically growing the group with premier fabricators in cities where we were lacking in representation,” says Sunil Palakodati, Artisan Group executive director.
The group offers their own brands of premium countertops including Metro Quartz, Artisan Stone Collection granite and marble, Saratoga Soapstone and Heritage Wood.
Summit Stoneworks was formed in 2006 by two entrepreneur brothers building high-end custom homes in the Austin area, and is now owned by Sam Roberts and Brandon Self. With the acquisition of Designer Showroom and Summit’s rapid growth, it has 60 employees and 13 installation crews serving the builder, commercial and residential sectors.
True Blue began in San Antonio since 2007, with an Austin location opening last September. Principals Tom Callahan and Eric Cole focus on the business-to-business (B2B) market, with their customer base being predominantly designers and builders.
“We believe that every installation deserves to be the highest quality irrespective of price level or material utilized, custom or production builder,” Callahan says. “Eric and I arrived in the stone world from industries that demand high quality and exemplary service, and we are driving True Blue to be a stone solution and customer service leader to the builder and designer communities.
“We are tremendously grateful to be a part of this group of fabricators who share our values.”
Established in 1992, Lakeside Surfaces Inc. is one of the largest fabricators of surfacing products in the Midwest. The company was founded by current president Rob Riegler, who began as a certified Corian® fabricator.
By listening carefully to customers and business partners, Lakeside has been able to steadily increase service area and fabrication capabilities as the surfacing market evolved. Today, the company employs over 130 artisans in five locations whose focus on quality, craftsmanship, commitment to unparalleled customer service.
“Joining the Artisan Group is a great way for us to differentiate ourselves from our competition with the exclusive MetroQuartz line,” Riegler says. “We know that our dealers will appreciate Lakeside bringing a comprehensive stone surfacing package into Western Michigan, Northwest Ohio and Northern Indiana.”
“The Artisan Group brands of stone and wood countertops span the United States and two Canadian provinces,” says Jon Lancto, Artisan Group president. “We were the first group of our kind to unite the best countertop fabricators in the business and we have not waivered on our requirements to join the group, so that homeowners get the best product possible with Artisan Group.”
Artisan Group™ is a premier network of North American stone fabricators in North America. Utilizing some of the most technically advanced, automated shops in the industry, highly skilled craftsmen ensure that each installation meets exacting standards.
For more information or to request a quote, visit http://www.artisan-counters.comor facebook.com/ArtisanGroupCountertops.
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