Twiss New MIA President

CLEVELAND — Michael Twiss, a 30-year veteran of the stone industry, is the 2012 president of the Marble Institute of America.

Michael TwissTwiss, the CEO of Columbia Stone and Natural Stone Designs in Tualatin, Ore., took the office during the MIA’s annual meeting at StonExpo/Marmomacc Americas in Las Vegas earlier this year.

Others taking 2012 association offices at the meeting were Vice President Jonathan Zanger, Walker Zanger, Perth Amboy, N.J.; Secretary Tony Malisani, Malisani Inc., Great Falls, Mont.; and Treasurer Dan Rea, Cold Spring Granite Co., Cold Spring, Minn.

Twiss began his stone industry career in 1982 with the Blaesing Granite Co. in Portland, Ore., after working six years in the heavy civil construction industry.  In 1988, he started Columbia Stone, followed by Natural Stone Designs in 1991. Both firms are MIA-accredited; Columbia Stone as a Commercial A Contractor, and Natural Stone Designs as a Natural Stone Fabricator.

Twiss also holds Civil Engineering licenses in California and Washington State, and has been a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers since 1982.

MIA members also elected three new members to the association’s Board of Directors:

• Claus F. Larsen of DANSK Marble & Granite Works S.r.l. in Carrara, Italy, representing Europe;
• Jon Lancto of Surface Products Inc. (an MIA-accredited Natural Stone Fabricator) in Cornelius, N.C., representing the Southeast U.S. in zone 3;
•  Arik Grebelsky of A. Grebelsky & Son in Har-Tuv A Industrial Zone, Israel, representing the Middle East and Asia.

Brenda Edwards of TexaStone Quarries in Garden City, Texas, was also appointed to serve the remaining two years of a vacated at-large position.

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