StonExpo Group Now Natural Stone Alliance

LAS VEGAS – They came here as the StonExpo Federation, but they left as the Natural Stone Alliance.
The federation’s board of directors, in an April meeting, changed the name of the group in compliance with the buy/sell agreement of the StonExpo trade event with Dallas-based Hanley Wood Expositions. Hanley Wood purchased the show from the federation late last year.
The Natural Stone Alliance will be one of the lead annual sponsors of StonExpo, along with the Marble Institute of America, and will receive a share of the profits. This year’s StonExpo will be held October 19-22, 2005 in Las Vegas.
Income derived from the show by the alliance will be used to fund industry initiatives – such as the Natural Stone Council, a stone promotion organization headed up by several stone trade associations.
In its first action as the alliance, the board awarded a annual grant of $100,000 for three years to the Natural Stone Council to help develop a natural-stone brand and to continue promoting natural stone to architects and other design professionals.
The board also named Duke Pointer, long-time industry veteran and former president of Fletcher Granite, as its administrative officer.