Behind the Surface
Behind the Surface is the ultimate podcast for fabricators! From mastering the latest tools and materials to navigating business challenges and enhancing your creative process, our podcast covers it all. Join us for insightful interviews with industry leaders, expert roundtable discussions and actionable insights designed to empower fabricators at every level.
Episodes
Monday Jun 26, 2023
Silica Safety and Industry Standards with NIOSH
Monday Jun 26, 2023
Monday Jun 26, 2023
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.
Monday Jun 12, 2023
Sink Cutouts: Carving Out Hidden Revenue
Monday Jun 12, 2023
Monday Jun 12, 2023
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.
Monday May 29, 2023
Slab Yield and Material Optimization
Monday May 29, 2023
Monday May 29, 2023
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.
Monday May 15, 2023
Staying Power: Adhesives for Manufactured Surfaces
Monday May 15, 2023
Monday May 15, 2023
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!
Monday May 01, 2023
Insurance 101 for Fabricators: Protecting Your Assets and Managing Risk
Monday May 01, 2023
Monday May 01, 2023
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!
Monday Apr 17, 2023
Pro Tips for Shop Process Improvement
Monday Apr 17, 2023
Monday Apr 17, 2023
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.
Monday Apr 03, 2023
Tracking Your Machines’ ROI
Monday Apr 03, 2023
Monday Apr 03, 2023
Recent years have shown steady growth in revenue, enabling many shop owners to invest in new machinery or expand their staff in order to keep up with demand. But when a downturn looms, how do you maintain a positive trajectory? In this Behind the Surface podcast, Tim Saddoris, president of Grand Onyx, joins Nancy Busch to discuss how to get the most from machinery and the employees who operate them.
Tim will focus on the people and the process in these three steps:
Having the right staff in the correct position
Creating a competition
Documenting the process
Hint: if you’re not first, you’re last.
Monday Mar 20, 2023
A Colorful Conversation with Mark Woodman
Monday Mar 20, 2023
Monday Mar 20, 2023
Did you know color trends start in development as much as 10 years before they hit the marketplace? In this Behind the Surface podcast episode, Mark Woodman, CMG, a passionate designer, trend-spotter, and consultant for Corian Design, joins Nancy Busch to discuss color and design trends in the decorative surfacing industry.
Together they will discuss:
The importance of light, dark and neutral
A rearview on how the pandemic affected the color trends
Return to nature design trend; increase in popularity of stained wood for cabinetry
Finish and Texture
Popularity of textures
Mixing and matching colors and texture
Using trends to help your customers choose materials
Asking key questions to steer your customers in the right direction
The dos and don’ts of stocking colors
Monday Mar 13, 2023
Industry Outlook: A Fab’s Perspective
Monday Mar 13, 2023
Monday Mar 13, 2023
Are you wondering what the industry holds for your business this year? In this Behind the Surface podcast episode, Ed Young of Fabricator’s Business Coach joins Nancy Busch to discuss the 2023 Industry Outlook from a fabricator’s perspective. Tune in to hear what expert and fabricator Ed Young sees trending across the country and gather insights on what to do to ensure your success.
Discussion will include:
Insights by geographic area:
Some areas are seeing slow down
Some areas are still as busy as ever
Predictions by market segment:
Residential
Commercial
Medial field
Define your focus
2024 Sneak Peek: Which markets stay hot and which will turn cold?
Pro Tips: If your shop is busy right now, learn what you can do with as little as 30 minutes each week to work on your business and get ahead of potential problems. Hint: Train for a marathon, not a sprint!
Monday Mar 06, 2023
A Sales Rep Clinic
Monday Mar 06, 2023
Monday Mar 06, 2023
Do you need to train your salespeople in the art of selling specifically for the surface fabrication business? Are you struggling to find the time to provide the comprehensive training necessary to develop your team's skills? Join Justin Shaw from Stone Fabricator Elite and Behind the Surface host Nancy Busch for A Sales Rep Clinic Introduction. Learn how this eight-part webinar series can help you navigate the sales process more efficiently, engage better with potential customers and close more deals.