Bedrock: Our Mission...

Doing What We Love

I was talking with a marketing consultant recently who suggested that I should consider preparing a Mission Statement for Mountain Marble. “Hmm,” I thought. “We’ve been in business here in Western North Carolina for 20 plus years. We’ve weathered some very tough times— including the ‘Great Recession’—and we’re still here, doing what we love to do. Isn’t that a statement?”
 
Still…it got me to thinking about why, exactly, I started this business over two decades ago. I’m passionate about stone; it absolutely fascinates me…it informs my world. I’m also passionate about the craftsmanship that brings out the full potential in that stone and makes it a beautiful addition to someone’s home or workplace.
 
To get the full picture, I’d have to go back to Birmingham, Alabama where my family had a masonry business. I learned how to read blueprints at my father’s knee when I was ten years old. It sparked my interest. I was always building something…tree houses, shacks in the backyard, or miniature towns. Making things that are durable and functional is in my blood. I am a builder.
 
As a young man, I went to work at the Arthur Morgan School with Richard Kennedy fashioning some of the first ‘earthships’ in the Blue Ridge Mountains. I signed on for six weeks and stayed for years, completing  a passive solar jappalachian handmade home. Then I got a call from my brother who said “I’m going to take the family business from brick and block to marble and granite” and, like the prodigal son, I returned to the fold.
 
That was in the early 1980s and it was a rocket-ship ride. We helped to build the Atlanta skyline, working with the major architects of the time…I.M. Pei, Philip Johnson and John Burgee, John Portman…I’ll spare you excessive name-dropping. I was traveling to quarries around the world, selecting and importing millions of square feet of stone and coordinating large crews on 50+ story buildings.
 
Then the bottom dropped out of the commercial construction business and I had to make some significant life decisions. My wife, daughter and I chose to return to the Asheville area and, with encouragement from an architect friend, to bring the lessons I’d learned in high-end commercial construction to serve the local and residential customer. We founded Mountain Marble & Granite in 1994 to do just that.
 
Those lessons included a broad understanding of the world of stone, from quarry to fabrication to installation. I’d learned about the importance of realistic scheduling and how to work in concert with builders and sub-contractors. I’d also developed a deep and abiding recognition and respect for the craftsmanship and skills that seasoned stoneworkers bring to the process—skills that can be furthered by computers and technology, but will never replace those craftsmen. 
 
I’ve gathered a team of talented and dedicated artisans and customer support staff…many of whom have been with me for more than a decade. We like what we do. One of my primary goals in starting Mountain Marble was to create a decent place to work. That meant it had to be pleasant for me, for the team and for the customer.
 
So I suppose that’s my mission: to give our customers an education about stone that allows them to make the best choices for their home or business; to offer a carefully selected, high quality inventory that can address their needs; to provide them with the expertise of a team that cares and executes the job with dedication, skill and pride—to get back to the essence of the craft.
 
I see us as “the village stone guy”, just like the village cobbler or the village blacksmith. If someone needs stone, it doesn’t matter what size or amount. We’re here at your service. We do stone.
 
It’s as simple as that.