Behind the Surface

Shaping Tomorrow’s Quartz Innovations and Safety Insights

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.

Digital Tools for Templating

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.

Integrating Software in your Business

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.

Tracking Sales

In this episode of Behind the Surface, Tim Saddoris, president of Grand Onyx, a firm dedicated to helping fabricators increase their revenue using proven techniques that help build more profitable and scalable businesses, joins ISFA Executive Director Nancy Busch to discuss ways in which you can set your sales team up for success. Tim will break down methods to refine your existing sales process, uncover better ways to sell, and coach your sales teams to get remarkable results.  
 
Learn tips and tricks, including: 
Using Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software. 
Tracking unanswered phone calls. 
Tracking sales by month and quarter. 
Reviewing average order size. 
Assessing close rates. 
Monitoring time to close. 
Harnessing missed opportunities. 
  
Without a streamlined sales funnel, your business is going nowhere fast. Tune in to discover how you can arm your sales team with tools and strategies that bring in more jobs and keep your business running smoothly. 

Silica Safety and Industry Standards with NIOSH

In this episode of Behind the Surface, ISFA Executive Director Nancy Busch is joined by Alyson Fortner and Reid Harvey from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Respiratory Health Division. Together they will discuss:
What is NIOSH and how is it different than other agencies?
How does NIOSH work with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention?
Crystalline silica safety: how to provide a safe working environment.
Listen in to learn how you can insulate your business from the harmful effects of silica by taking steps to ensure a safe working environment for your fabricators.

Sink Cutouts: Carving Out Hidden Revenue

In this episode of Behind the Surface, Steve Mast, director of Precision Countertops, joins Nancy Busch to discuss why there's no such thing as a free sink and how this concept applies to your sales strategy. Listen in and explore how you can make these offerings work for you by understanding the true costs versus the advantages. Learn practical tips for evaluating and selecting add-on programs that maximize margins and increase profitability.

Slab Yield and Material Optimization

In this episode, Joe Duszka, a highly experienced fabricator and current president of Carolina Custom Surfaces, joins host Nancy Busch for a conversation about innovative techniques and strategies that maximize slab yield and efficiency. Whether you're looking for cutting-edge technologies or tried-and-true methods, Joe will share his valuable insights and uncover the secrets to achieving higher profits and reducing waste.
Listen in and learn how you can fast-track your slab efficiency and take your production process to the next level.

Staying Power: Adhesives for Manufactured Surfaces

In this episode of Behind the Surface, Bradley Tuck, technical sales representative for Integra Adhesives, joins Nancy Busch to discuss adhesives for manufactured surfaces. In this podcast, you’ll learn about:
Application best practices.
Sticky sinks: ensuring adhesion on all surfaces, including porcelain and cast iron.
Color matching.
How to prevent mishaps and mistakes.
Tune in to hear about all the latest developments on the adhesives front and pick up a few tricks of the trade that can save you time and money!

Insurance 101 for Fabricators: Protecting Your Assets and Managing Risk

In this episode of Behind the Surface, Marc Rosenkrantz, president of Schechner Lifson Insurance, shares insights and strategies around how fabricators, installers, distributors and anyone else in the industry can protect themselves from potential risks and liabilities. He'll cover important topics such as property insurance, risk transfer programs, workers compensation, the dos and don’ts around protecting your business from cyber threats and more. Tune in to learn how you can safeguard your business for the future!

Pro Tips for Shop Process Improvement

In this Behind the Surface podcast, Ed Young of Fabricator’s Business Coach joins Nancy Busch to discuss strategies for process improvements in the shop. Ed will identify value-added and nonvalue-added activities and discuss the TIM WOODS approach, a methodology that can reduce process waste and costs while enhancing productivity. Tune in to discover the eight ways you can recapture 10% of your capacity.