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About nine months ago, a group of fabricators at stoneadvice.com started brainstorming for a different approach to trade associations. One of the advantages of participating in this large online forum was the speed at which ideas grew and formed. We created a new hidden forum, invited about 25 fabricators and began to work out the final details.
Many debates raged. Coming up with a mission statement was easy, but the amount of time and energy spent trying to come up with a name and logo went completely out of hand. The name we finally arrived at was the Stone Fabricators Alliance, or SFA for short. Our logo consisted of a fabricator swinging a hammer and chisel, with a diamond saw blade in the background.
The idea was that we would form a loose federation of fabricators working together for each other. We have a members-only section on StoneAdvice called the Dark Room — by far, the alliance's most powerful feature. How do you top polish seams? Which epoxy works best for lamination? Who is the best company to buy slabs from direct? What is the name of that lady that inspects your slabs in Brazil? Which sales guy did you talk to when you chose your CNC? This is the place where these questions can be answered and fabricators meet with fabricators to share ideas and learn from each other.
SFARocks.com
We have also created an official Web site at www.sfarocks.com, where you can read our charter and mission statement. We are in the process of building a section called the Think Tank as well as currently loading tutorials on how to top polish seams and hang undermounts and sinks. In addition to that, we created an area where you can download forms, MSDS documents, sample contracts and fabricator checklists. These forms are sent in and posted for download by members.
In the Friends of the Alliance section of the site, members of the industry can meet with SFA members in a closed forum. Often, companies and manufacturers offer members exclusive discounts and extended warranties through this portion of the site. This is a great place to meet with industry reps and save a little dough for your company.
SFA at StonExpo
For the longest time we had no dues or sponsors because, frankly, we did not see a need for them. Many of us volunteered our time, and my Web programmers were able to modify the site for a reasonable cost. But when we decided to get a booth at StonExpo in Las Vegas, we knew we needed funding. We instituted a voluntary membership fee of $250 per year to help pay for the booth at the trade show — the idea behind the voluntary fee being if you were a new or struggling fabricator it would make much more sense to use your cash to buy a new grinder. If the SFA helped you become more profitable, perhaps you could pay your dues the following year. Ninety percent of our members have paid their dues.
We then set out to get some corporate sponsorship, approaching Park Industries first. They were very generous and supportive, so once they got on the bus it was smooth sailing. We now have 22 corporate sponsors, and are going to host free workshops in our large booth and demonstrate basic fabrication methods.
Free On-site Training
In the near future we will host on-site training for members. I hosted one of these workshops at my facility in Oregon, and 25 shop owners from all around the country showed up to watch me demonstrate certain advanced fabrication methods. Several industry reps visited our shop including Laser Products and Etemplate, who demonstrated digital templating processes. Some attendees went on installs and others stayed in the shop and participated in writing programs on our Northwood CNC.
We demonstrated top polishing, rock pitch edge work, advanced lamination and much more. The workshop lasted three days. You cannot imagine how powerful it was to get 25 owner/fabricators in one place sharing ideas and experiences — our shop learned as much as we were able to teach. As an organization we hope to host this type of free workshop once per quarter.
If you are interested in joining our agenda-free populist insurgency, visit www.stoneadvice.com. Just make a post and introduce yourself, and we will be happy to help you in any way we can.
About the author:
Mark Lauzon is a fabrication shop owner in Hubbard, Ore. He is also the administrator of www.stoneadvice.com and one of the founders of the SFA movement. You can find him online in the SFA forum.
author: By Mark Lauzon