StoneDimensions

Believe it or not, StonExpo/Marmomacc Americas 2013 is right around the corner. With less than four months before the show starts on January 28 at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas, planning is in full swing! As always, the MIA has a full slate (no pun intended) of events planned to assist members in their networking and professional development objectives.

The MIA events kick off on January 29th with the popular member happy hour. This, the best networking event of the year allows MIA members to enjoy a cocktail or two with fellow members from around the globe. On January 30th, MIA will honor the best natural stone projects of the year at the annual Awards Luncheon. The project deemed “best of the best” will win the Grande Pinnacle Award sponsored by Marmomacc and a trip to Marmomacc 2013 in Verona, Italy. Immediately following the Awards Luncheon is the MIA Annual Meeting. All MIA Members are welcome to attend and learn about all the MIA accomplished in the past year. Additionally, the MIA will again host a networking reception in their booth, open to all StonExpo attendees. The date and time of that event is TBD. Please join MIA at any or all of these events to thank retiring CEO, Garis Distelhorst, for his 11 years of service to the stone industry.

[Read more →]

The MIA's Safety Committee (comprised of leading safety experts from 15 companies from the US and Canada) met at StonExpo to review recent accomplishments and set their 2012 priority list. The 2011 committee accomplishments included:

1. Distributed hundreds of Safe Slab Handling II videos.
2. Introduced two new Spanish training resources.
3. Established a monthly safety toolbox talk (meeting outlines) subscription service.
4. Prepared competency exams for employee safety testing.
5. Offered face-to-face training in three cities.

[Read more →]

MIA staffers Jim Hieb and Garen Distelhorst are ready to unload the skid.

Thanks to MIA Member US Marble & Granite for receiving the skid for us!

The MIA staff is back in Cleveland after a fantastic StonExpo filled with good news, positive vibes, and plenty of innovative ideas for 2012. We are all hard at work following up on leads and catching up on email, but wanted to pass along the highlights of Day 3:

• MIA's Technical Director, Chuck Muehlbauer, gave a 90 minute presentation on the mineralogical makeup of natural stone. His presentations are always filled with attendees new to the stone industry and eager for knowledge. Once again, Chuck did not disappoint.
• Member recruitment far exceeded out expectations and outpaced 2010 and 2011 by a comfortable margin. Several existing members are already following through on their commitment to President's Michael Twiss' Member Get a Member Campaign.
• Several exhibitor members reported good sales on the show floor giving all a sense of optimism for 2012 and beyond.
• MIA hosted a happy hour in the booth complete with a keg of Fat Tire. Members and nonmembers alike enjoyed good conversation while discussing the state of the industry and the success of StonExpo!

That's all from Las Vegas...we'll see everyone next year!

Day 2 of StonExpo/Marmomacc Americas 2012 is complete and it was another eventful day for the MIA. Here are the highlights:

• Britishstoneworks of Lakewood, OH won the Grande Pinnacle Award during the annual MIA Awards Luncheon for its Spirit of the Ocean Fountain project outside of the Santa Barbara County Courthouse in Santa Barbara, CA. Congratulations to Nick, Nathan and the rest of their dynamic team. Eddie Mendoza of All American Stone and Tile Care won the MIA Scholarship Award, Daniel Catania of Miller Druck won the MIA Natural Stone Craftsman of the Year award, and Ron Busse won the MIA Migliore Award for Lifetime Achievement. In all, over 15 awards were handed out.
• MIA's Safety Committee met to review its 2011 accomplishments which included recognition from the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) for excellence in service to the industry.  The entire stone industry will benefit from four new programs that will be introduced in 2012 - stay tuned for details.
• The MIA CEU Committee (chaired by Josh Levinson of Artistic Tile) met with over 30 companies in attendance. Two new powerpoint presentations were introduced for use in 2012. The MIA and its outstanding member speakers gave over 140 CEU presentations in 2011 and have laid the groundwork to expand for many years to come.
• Michael Twiss of Columbia Stone became the 2012 MIA President at the MIA Annual Meeting. He received overwhelming support for his Member Get a Member Campaign.
• Outgoing MIA president G.K. Naquin completed his term with a spectacular President's Reception in his suite at the Mandalay Bay overlooking the strip. G.K. - thank you for your vision, new ideas, and years of service to the MIA!

The MIA just concluded day 1 of StonExpo/Marmomacc Americas 2012 and to say it was a success would be a serious understatement. Traffic on the tradeshow floor was up significantly over 2011 and attendance at education events was tremendous! Here are the highlights:

• The day kicked off with an Accreditation Commission meeting where the commission charted a marketing and advertising plan for 2012.
• MIA President Michael Twiss kicked off the MIA Member Get a Member Campaign. Over 40 MIA members signed up to find at least one new MIA member in the next year.
• Bulgaria became the 53rd country with an MIA member.
• The education session on the MIA Accreditation Program had more attendees than in past years and signal momentum for stone industry's only credible credentialing program. MIA members Tony Malisani of Malisani Inc. and Jon Lancto of Surface Products helped to educate attendees on the value of becoming accredited.
• MIA Executive Vice President Garis Distelhorst and Communications Director Garen Distelhorst facilitated a seminar on iPad app development for natural stone companies. Over 75 people were in attendance and post-seminar buzz about the presentation was electric. Rest assured, MIA is leading the way on this new technology!

That's all from Day 1...look for another update tomorrow night.  Viva Las Vegas!!!