Custom Stone Interiors, Centre Hall, Pa.
And, that’s quickly followed by an assessment of what can be done to make the job less stressful for the client.
“There’s always a little bit of room for improvement,” Waltz adds, although it’s definitely the rationale behind the duo’s decision to start stocking more natural stone and the recent addition of sinks and faucets to the showroom.
It’s also a big part of the reason why sales have continued to grow, despite the economy, and why the partners feel confident they’ll be in a new building with CNC capabilities before the end of next year.
DURABLE SURFACES
Everhart and Waltz always y wanted to be business owners; they just took a slightly roundabout way to get to fabricating and installing stone and quartz surfaces.
Waltz explains that the two had been childhood friends, and both worked construction with different homebuilders in the area to help pay their way through Pennsylvania State University, which is located just a few miles down the road in State College, Pa.
Waltz was a park-and-recreation management major, while Everhart’s degree is in soil science.
“I even did a stint as a recreation manager in Carlisle, Pa., but after about a year I got out of it,” Waltz says. “Jake and I always knew we wanted to have a business; we just didn’t know what direction it was going to take us.”
The duo actually began by doing concrete countertops. Waltz notes that, in 2001, it wasn’t only trendy and a staple of the home-designer cable TV shows; they were the only ones in their area willing to pour them.
“In terms of design, we could do just about anything for people; we could really customize their projects,” he says. “The main issue with getting out of doing them was the care and maintenance, and upkeep. Even though we told our customers (beforehand), there were issues with cracking and chipping and staining.
“Gradually we decided to get out of that aspect of the countertop business, and focus on surfaces that would be a little-more-durable for a customer.”