Behind the Surface
Behind the Surface is the ultimate podcast for fabricators! From mastering the latest tools and materials to navigating business challenges and enhancing your creative process, our podcast covers it all. Join us for insightful interviews with industry leaders, expert roundtable discussions and actionable insights designed to empower fabricators at every level.
Episodes
Thursday Apr 25, 2024
The Problem with Silica: What You Need to Know to Maintain a Safe Shop
Thursday Apr 25, 2024
Thursday Apr 25, 2024
In the latest episode of the Behind the Surface podcast, ISFA Executive Director Marissa Bankert is joined by Nate Kolinski, president of Block Tops in California, and Jeff “Corky” Cartwright from Planet Granite in Colorado to discuss what’s been deemed a silicosis crisis in our industry. They will delve into:
All eyes on engineered stone: bans, regulations and the dangers of respirable crystalline silica.
A brief history of silica safety standards in the United States.
How fabricators comply with federal and state guidelines.
California’s Emergency Temporary Standard: challenges fabricators are facing.
Common misconceptions within the industry.
Tune in to hear firsthand accounts of how fabrication shops are navigating silica safety regulations and OSHA compliance at a time when government agencies are elevating concerns around the dangers of respirable crystalline silica.
About the International Surface Fabricators Association (ISFA)The International Surface Fabricators Association (ISFA) is globally recognized as a premier trade organization serving the architectural surface industry. ISFA exists to help fabricators and other industry professionals increase product quality, improve safety measures, encourage professionalism and elevate profitability by facilitating education, standards and camaraderie. ISFA values innovation, dependability, trust, honesty, ethics and serving others above all else. Learn more at www.ISFAnow.org.
Monday Nov 27, 2023
The Art of Upselling
Monday Nov 27, 2023
Monday Nov 27, 2023
It’s pretty obvious that we wouldn’t be in business if we didn’t know how to sell countertops. The question is: How many of us know how to maximize the profit we get from each sale? In this episode, Geoffrey Gran of The Countertop Factory talks with us about:• Why sell upgrades?• Upgrades are everywhere in your life.• Eliminate “reverse buyer's remorse”.• Increased upgrades = Increased profits.• Self-funded raises for employees.
Listen to this episode if you want to discover ways to significantly increase your profit on every sale.
About the International Surface Fabricators Association (ISFA)The International Surface Fabricators Association (ISFA) is globally recognized as a premier trade organization serving the architectural surface industry. ISFA exists to help fabricators and other industry professionals increase product quality, improve safety measures, encourage professionalism and elevate profitability by facilitating education, standards and camaraderie. ISFA values innovation, dependability, trust, honesty, ethics and serving others above all else. Learn more at www.ISFAnow.org.
Monday Nov 13, 2023
The New NEO Consumer
Monday Nov 13, 2023
Monday Nov 13, 2023
When the economy gets shaky, consumers tend to spend less overall, and they look for more bargains when they do spend. If this is always true, then how do we explain how Apple generated $3B in iPad sales in 90 days during the Great Recession? If everyone is reducing their spending across the board, how does a nonessential and relatively expensive item like an iPad generate such large sales numbers during a severe recession? Is it because of the Apple logo or is something else at play?
It turns out there are two distinctly different types of consumers with two different sets of values – the NEO consumer who is driven more by authenticity, design and uniqueness as opposed to the traditional consumer who is driven by price, features and status.
Join us as we talk with Mike Hetherman of Willis about the impact of NEO consumers on the countertop business.
What’s the benefit of marketing to NEOs?
How do we identify NEOs?
How do we market to NEOs?
How do we use this knowledge to improve our businesses?
If you want to get out of the lowest-price-per-square-foot game, understanding the impact NEOs can have on your business is a game changer.
About the International Surface Fabricators Association (ISFA)The International Surface Fabricators Association (ISFA) is globally recognized as a premier trade organization serving the architectural surface industry. ISFA exists to help fabricators and other industry professionals increase product quality, improve safety measures, encourage professionalism and elevate profitability by facilitating education, standards and camaraderie. ISFA values innovation, dependability, trust, honesty, ethics and serving others above all else. Learn more at www.ISFAnow.org.
Monday Oct 30, 2023
Using Data to Find Opportunity in Your Business
Monday Oct 30, 2023
Monday Oct 30, 2023
The recession is on everyone’s minds:
Will we have one, or won’t we?
How long will it last?
Will we have a soft landing or a hard one?
In uncertain times like these, it is more imperative than ever before to leverage data to run your business.
Join us as we talk with Tim Saddoris, president of Grand Onyx. At Grand Onyx, they build world-class stone fabricators using systems, software, and technology they have developed to help fabricators better manage and grow their businesses. Today we will talk about how using data can help you navigate the challenges presented by this economy. Tim has a couple of specific case studies he presents that show how using data has impacted fabricators. We will also talk through some of the challenges in tracking and using data.
If you are struggling with adapting to the challenges presented by these uncertain economic times, this is an episode you don’t want to miss!
Sponsored by: Moraware, Grand Onyx
Thursday Oct 12, 2023
Mindful Materials and Sustainable Products
Thursday Oct 12, 2023
Thursday Oct 12, 2023
Tune in to this episode of Behind the Surface as two experts from CaraGreen, a trusted source for healthier alternatives to conventional building materials, address mindful materials and sustainable products. This discussion will cover:
What is being done to limit or eliminate crystalline silica in slabs for the safety of the fabricators.
Industry best practices regarding silica safety and material innovations.
Alternative materials and products that support a greener future.
Discover new material categories and innovations along with the resources you need to embrace sustainability in your business.
Monday Oct 02, 2023
How to Build a Sales Engine to Drive Business
Monday Oct 02, 2023
Monday Oct 02, 2023
In today’s uncertain times, it’s more important than ever to have a strong sales pipeline that can withstand economic pressures and keep your business profitable.
Join us as we chat with Justin Shaw, founder of Stone Fabricator Elite, a business development and sales support agency that specializes in helping fabricators grow their businesses with proven systems, solutions and strategies. Justin will share his expertise and insights on how to keep your pipeline full of quality opportunities and rapidly increase sales in both trade and consumer channels.
We’ll cover tactics used by top fabricators to create a more defensible business and drive profitability, even during challenging times. Whether you’re looking to fine-tune your existing sales strategy or build a new one from scratch, this episode is for you.
Monday Sep 18, 2023
Marketing Tools That Lead To Growth
Monday Sep 18, 2023
Monday Sep 18, 2023
In this episode, we’re joined by Stephen Alberts from Countertop Marketing Co. to discuss accessible and inexpensive marketing tools fabrication shops can use to glean customer insights and increase sales.
Starting with the basics, Stephen walks listeners through his recommendations with practical advice on the benefits of each tool. He’ll cover:
Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software.
Google Analytics.
Tracking calls and web form submissions: customizing to get the actionable data.
Other tools and metrics to keep an eye on.
Tune in to learn how to level up your marketing game in your fabrication shop and get results that bring in more revenue.
Monday Sep 04, 2023
Shaping Tomorrow’s Quartz Innovations and Safety Insights
Monday Sep 04, 2023
Monday Sep 04, 2023
In this episode of Behind the Surface, Egon Hinss and Damiano Caon from Breton discuss advancements that mitigate risk, including the company’s newest development: Bioquartz. Learn how this material enables a safer production workflow for fabricators while furthering sustainability initiatives.
The team also discusses other material innovations, including an exclusive technology that pioneers the production of full-thickness quartz slabs, showcasing ultra-exotic color patterns and other full-body engineered quartz slabs that exhibit exceptional durability and shine over time.
Tune in and get up to speed on the latest developments from this pioneer of the surfacing industry.
Monday Aug 21, 2023
Digital Tools for Templating
Monday Aug 21, 2023
Monday Aug 21, 2023
In this episode of Behind the Surface, Kyle Welker and Dan Peter from Laser Products Industries discuss the world of modern templating. They explore different solutions, their pros and cons, and how to identify which is right for your workflow.
Discover how these digital tools can enhance accuracy and create efficiencies and learn how to track key performance indicators to gauge success and make informed decisions.
Listen in to glean practical insights into optimizing templating processes and effectively leveraging digital tools to strengthen and grow your business.
Monday Aug 07, 2023
Integrating Software in your Business
Monday Aug 07, 2023
Monday Aug 07, 2023
An organized shop is a profitable shop. Chasing paperwork and other analog processes while keeping track of what and when things need to happen in the shop can be overwhelming. The bottom line: Disorganization inhibits your success in more ways than one. It creates confusion and mistakes and often increases the work.
There are all kinds of digital tools that help fabricators streamline their processes. In this episode of Behind the Surface, Nancy Busch talks with Kallie Biggs, head of sales and marketing at Moraware, and Steve Mast, director of Precision Countertops, about software solutions that wrangle the day-to-day and other strategies that can help your shop stay organized.