More Solid Than Rock

August 4, 2006

The basic premise was simple, and our goals were few:
1. Create a space where fabricators could chat with each other in a friendly forum and exchange ideas, methods, tips and tricks. (Or just shoot the breeze and share a joke or two.)
2. Create an online directory where slab fabricators could locate services and products that benefit fabricators.
3. Publish a WebLog (a blog) where products would be reviewed by other fabricators. (Think of a Consumer Reports®-type service for the stone trade.)
4. Publish a large online photo gallery where fabricators could post pictures of their work, shops or other things they find interesting.
5. Launch a buy/sell/trade section and a help-wanted category in the forum.
When we started the site, we were very happy to get two or three posts per day. Now, one year later, we have more than 1,500 registered users, and we passed 30,000 posts in our fabricator forum.
The bulk of this information regards fabrication; all of the posts are archived and very useful for quick research. We’ve discussed everything from what type of CNC to buy to what’s the best accelerator for cynocyrlate adhesive. It’s wonderful to be able to ask a question and have up to a dozen experienced shop owners provide their unique perspective.
At the end of last year, one of our members (MikeD) made a suggestion that we form a fabricators “union.” That comment and vision sparked an interesting chain of events; one of the amazing dynamics of a networked online community is the amazing speed at which ideas can grow, expand and change at the speed of light.
We decided to create a private forum and a dozen or so very highly skilled and respected fabricators were given invitations. We began the largest brainstorming session I’ve ever had the pleasure to participate in.
The group hammered away at a mission statement. This debate alone lasted weeks: “Do we strive to increase standards?” “Do we work to educate the public?” “Are we a brotherhood?”
The mission statement took many revisions and hundreds of posts to reach a consensus. The longest thread of all was the one on our name and logo. There were hundreds of posts, suggestions, polls and arguments. A solid name finally emerged.
Stone Fabricators Alliance.
We also worked out a logo after dozens of submissions. While this was going on, we continued to invite more fabricators to join the effort. By the time we settled on a logo, we had approximately 40 people from three different countries participating.
The brainstorming continued. It was like a firestorm; ideas kept being presented by members which would generate another debate and grow into yet another concept.
The first real benefit happened when we created the Friends of the Alliance. This is an invitation-only forum for companies wanting to support our small new organization. By offering our members exclusive discounts or extended warranties, we’re able to produce tangible benefits.
Many of us went to large manufacturers making machines we used and asked them to support our members. The response was astonishing. CMS/Brembana North America, Northwood Machine, Helix Professional Tools, Bergman Blair/Salem, Laser Products, eTemplate and many others got on the bandwagon.
The next benefit that surfaced is our ability to influence machine suppliers to provide better support and service. One of our fellow fabricators was having issues getting good support from a machine company; we emailed and called the company (20 or 30 of us) and were able to exert some pressure to get our member’s machine up and running. It feels good to know that someone has my back if I ever get in a pinch with the industry.
The success and continued growth spawned more interesting developments. One member suggested it would be cool to have a place where we could download MSDS sheets, DXF files, sample contracts and other documents that fabricators need to conduct business. We created one; as members send in forms, we upload them to the database and make them available for free to members.
We also created a members-only sections on our Website called the the Think Tank. It’s a collection of instructions with pictures on how to top-polish seams, hang undermount sinks, sharpen diamond blades and other techniques..
Another cool development is a forum we call the Dark Room. It’s only visible to SFA member fabricators, where we can talk amongst each other in private. We can talk about pay, manufacturers or whatever. This is powerful stuff!
One of our founding members suggested we do a booth at StonExpo. The challenge was getting the organizers to give us a booth for free; it didn’t work.
We had no money. Our intention from the start was that our organization was free to members and for fabricators only. So, a new debate emerged. Should we have dues and seek corporate sponsorship, or simply skip the booth. What were we going to do with a booth, anyway?
I think this was about the time that the natural evolution began to take the shape of a grass-roots revolution.
If we were going to ask for sponsorship for our booth, what were we going to do with the booth? The answer: training, education, networking.
We decided that we would get a 10’ X 30’ booth, set up workbenches, and teach how to top-polish seams, repair chips, do advanced field work and more. Nothing to buy, nothing to sell; just stop by the booth and participate in our free workshops.
This premise has always been at the heart of what the Alliance has been about: sharing ideas, bettering the industry by setting the example, and providing grass-roots leadership.
We didn’t know if we could get people in the industry to pony up the dough; we committed to the booth and went to work. The response was overwhelming – I can’t express how moving it felt to see industry rally around our vision.
We also initiated a suggested $250 annual membership fee. This fee is voluntary; if you have the money to help the cause and are getting a measurable benefit, send it in. If you are a new shop or are struggling, the last thing in the world we would want to do is take money from another fabricator that needs to buy a new grinder or provide for the family.
We have no paid employees or staff. All money raised goes to pay for the booth at StonExpo, Internet bandwidth, publications, training for members, props, shirts and of course … cold beer at events. Top-polishing makes one thirsty.
We’re still raising funds to accomplish our goals. We hope to build the largest online database of stoneworking tips and information in the world. We want to make this info available to all fabricators for the good of the industry. The data stored is generated by real fabricators for fabricators: login, learn, share and grow.
Finally, the latest development from the SFA is free onsite training for members. My shop hosted a three-day workshop at our facility earlier this summer; we had some 30 fabricators fly in from all around the country to participate in real training, in a real shop with real fabricators.
If someone wanted to see how our shop did templates they would follow our crew to the jobsite and participate in creating the templates. The same went for running the CNC, fabrication and installation.
SFA member shops plan on hosting one of these workshops every few months for SFA members; these sessions take place in actual shops with real kitchens and fabricators. They are member-hosted by volunteers willing to share knowledge with others.
The training benefits the host as much as it does the attendees. My fabricators were stunned that shop owners from around the country wanted to see how they did things. The pride and positive effect it had on my crew’s morale was incredible.
We hope you will take the time to visit us online: If you would like to talk to other SFA members, they can easily be found in the fabricators forum at www.stoneadvice.com!
Join the Alliance! Expect big things!
‘Til next time … Mark Lauzon, stonecutter.
Mark Lauzon is a fabricator in Oregon and the administrator of www.stoneadvice.com, a Website dedicated to slab fabrication.