Fab Focus XTRA: B.C. Stone
“From the time we started to grow, Rodney and I have worked on the floor with the guys,” says his partner. “We’ve trained them ourselves, and we have a lot of the old knowledge from the time before there was a lot of technology to help out.”
He says even today one of his favorite activities is when a client comes in and asks B.C. Stone to design something such as a custom fireplace.
“That’s when it’s fun,” Collins says. “That’s when you can go out and work with them, pick a couple colors, and come up with a really great design.”
Still, B.C. Stone is definitely a production shop, and Collins says next up for the partners is the purchase of a couple pieces of larger equipment.
“They’re definitely going to help us out and speed things up and get us back to the strength we were at before the economy slowed down,” he says.
Of course, that will mean finding room for the new machines in an already crowded shop.
“We’ll make room for it,” Collins says. “We can double the size of our building right now with the land we own, so we’re not fenced in in that regard. We just want to feel a little better about the economy before we pull the trigger, but I don’t think it will be long.”
After those additions, Collins says he thinks he and Bair will mainly focus on continuing to think outside the box.
“In the long term, I think we’ll remain light on our feet and try to adjust to what comes down the pike,” he concludes. “One of the things I’ve noticed in the past five years is how our industry keeps changing. What might have worked five years ago won’t necessarily work tomorrow.”
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