Byers, Gran for Natural Stone Institute Board of Directors
Looking to Increase Fabricator Representation
Scott Byers of Majestic Kitchen & Bath Creations (Zone 2/Mid-Atlantic) and Geoffrey Gran of The Countertop Factory (Zone 4/Midwest) are stone fabricators and installers who will bring an enormous amount of experience, both within the stone industry and from past business endeavors, to the Natural Stone Institute Board.
Scott Byers
Geoffrey GranFabricators currently represent three out of 18 board seats (only 16%) on the NSI board, but are a huge part of the organization and the industry. By electing these Artisan Group owners, NSI will have board members that truly understand the needs of fabricators, the largest group of members in the association.
These nominees have enormous respect for those who quarry and distribute stone materials. However, fabricators add the most value to these materials — from quarrying all the way to installation — so it’s critical that fabricators play a significant role in shaping the industry.
Byers and Gran intend to enhance the direction of the association by better addressing the NSI membership’s needs, and helping members operate their businesses more efficiently with greater profits. They are running together because their philosophies are aligned on how to shape the Natural Stone Institute to remain relevant to our industry and better serve its membership.
About Scott Byers
Byers is an accomplished and solutions-focused leader with nearly 30 years of business success. His skills include extensive business strategy, merger and acquisition work, operational/process improvement, financial management, and growth strategy leadership to drive profitability. An attorney and finance expert, Byers earlier in his career held executive positions with responsibility for finance, legal, accounting and business strategy for Diversified Industry Technologies, ED Americas and other organizations.
Since joining Raleigh, N.C.-based Majestic, Byers has quickly spearheaded several acquisitions in Greensboro, Wilmington and Charlotte to advance the geographical reach of Majestic across the Carolinas. He has taken steps to advance and deepen the relationships with Majestic’s clients to ensure delivery and service requirements are achieved, and advanced growth objectives by bundling services. In addition, he has revamped the supply chain to deliver enhanced value to Majestic’s clients.
“Scott Byers brings a wealth of knowledge from outside the stone working industry. His broad business perspective is what we need in a board position to help fabricators navigate the turbulent economic and political landscape.”
Keith Richbourg, Design Superstore
About Geoffrey Gran
Geoffrey Gran is a results-oriented professional with proactive, decisive problem-solving abilities. His strengths include communication and presentation skills, proven sales success, financial analysis, leadership qualities and analytical methodologies. Experienced in the management of changing environments, comprehends the relationship between technology and business advancement, and understands the importance of client satisfaction.
In July 2005, Gran, and his business partner Bill Heuer, started TCF (The Countertop Factory), a self-proclaimed sales and marketing company in Elmhurst, Ill., that provides countertops with best-in-class service. From its humble beginnings, TCF is currently one of the largest fabrication shops in the Midwest, employing more than 150 staff and producing over 650,000 sf of countertops per year.
Through Gran’s previous background in health care, including starting up a successful medical supply and equipment business, he has been able to take his classical business training and put those principles to use at his countertop fabrication company improving production efficiencies through lean manufacturing, intimately working with vendors and distributors and creating a company culture that truly values its employees, striving for best-in-class in everything they do.
Gran is very active in the countertop industry. He is a member of the following organizations: NSI, Rockheads Group, Artisan Group, ISFA and SFA. He also sits on the Home Depot service provider advisory council and the Wilsonart fabricator council.
Gran is also a co-founder in Fifth Gear Technologies, a company formed by fabricators, aiming to provide solutions for fabricators. Current products include SPEEDlabel, SPEEDdraw and a sales/marketing selling software.
“Geoffrey Gran has been on the cutting edge of production optimization and technology for years. His “can do” leadership style on the board is what we need to challenge the organization to achieve greater heights.”
Keith Richbourg, Design Superstore