Stone Industry Honors Its Best
OBERLIN, Ohio – The Natural Stone Institute cited those going the extra mile for the industry with its annual awards during TISE in Las Vegas in late January.
Former Marble Institute of America (MIA) President David Castellucci was named 2017 Person of the Year, while longtime industry leader Kathy Spanier received the 2018 Women in Stone Pioneer Award.
David Unger of Dee Brown Inc. took home the 2017 Natural Stone Craftsman of the Year. And, with an eye to the future, Lucja Lawniczak of Illinois Granite & Marble (IGM) LTD participated in this year’s TISE as the 2017 Natural Stone Scholarship awardee.
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The Person of the Year honor for Castellucci, director of business development at Kenneth Castellucci & Associates in Lincoln, R.I., came as a surprise announcement at the Jan. 30 awards ceremony.
Castellucci served as MIA president in 2016 during the first year of the association’s joint venture with the Building Stone Institute (BSI). In the past two years, he has also served as chair of both the Board Nomination and Branding committees, as speaker at Coverings and TISE, and as an advisor to the MIA’s New England chapter.
He also participated in delegations to the Xiamen Stone Fair, Middle East Stone Show, Marmomac, Vitoria Stone Fair, and Carrara Marmotec, as well as chairing the 2017 Pinnacle Awards jury and working as a legislative delegate to Washington to assist with industry promotional efforts.
2017 BSI President Daniel Wood, who worked alongside Castellucci in the joint venture, said that, “David was there at every turn, leading and contributing. He was tireless in his encouragement of what we could become by joining forces.” 2017 MIA President Jon Lancto agreed, adding that “every time we needed help on a key initiative, David volunteered to assist and lead.”
2015 MIA President Dan Rea referred to Castellucci as a “road warrior,” referencing his willingness to represent the association at key industry events and trade shows.
“David loves the member engagement and has been instrumental in advancing several industry initiatives during his travels,” he added.
“David is a dedicated leader for the association and the industry,” said Jane Bennett, executive vice president of the institute. “No one has devoted more hours to key committees and initiatives. David made a difference and is a role model for how a key volunteer can support the association and its staff.”
In fitting form, Castellucci is still contributing. In March he will join several industry volunteers on a delegation to the IZMIR Fair (Marble 24) in Turkey. This will be the association’s first visit to the fair in several years.
Spanier, director of marketing for Coldspring in Cold Spring, Minn., has made a powerful impact on the natural-stone industry for more than a decade with her tireless efforts to position natural stone as a sustainable product within the building industry.
She also has been active in the Women in Stone initiative since its inception, and her vision and leadership were instrumental in creating the Women in Stone Mentorship Program.
Getting involved is not a new concept to Spanier. Over the course of her 35-year marketing career she continually assumed leadership roles in a number of industry associations.
Brenda Edwards, recipient of last year’s Pioneer Award, noted that Spanier “has chaired the Sustainability Committee for the NSC 373 standard and gone far beyond the call of duty for that. She has also chaired the mentorship program for Women in Stone—she’s absolutely wonderful.”
“Kathy has been a champion with sustainability efforts with stone and getting it positioned within all the green rating programs,” Wood said. “We truly could not be where we are with our NSC 3737 standard without Kathy and her efforts.”
Bennett agreed, adding that Spanier “She just took charge. That, in itself, is being a pioneer for the industry. Her leadership efforts were critical in advancing the NSC 373 standard.”
“It is a tremendous honor and privilege to receive this award,” Spanier said. “It’s an even greater honor to be placed in such a distinguished rank as last year’s honoree, Brenda Edwards, who has made a significant impact on the stone industry and Women in Stone.
“I would like to acknowledge the contributions and support given to me by my loving family, my remarkable friends in the stone industry, and my employer, Coldspring, that allowed me the opportunity to lead the efforts for the industry that led to this recognition.”
For Unger, plant manager at Dee Brown’s Garland, Texas, facility, his work with stone began more than 50 years ago, when he helped his father face a fireplace. A successful apprenticeship as a bricklayer led to restoration work and fireplaces made from fieldstones.
In 1999, Unger joined Dee Brown, Inc. as a foreman. He was quickly recruited for the fabrication plant, where he was at times the only person in the plant. As the company grew, he became the person to train new hires.
Unger and his team have produced stone for some of the finest residences in Dallas and provided backup support for such notable projects as AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, and the American Airlines Arena in Dallas. Unger attributes his own success to the good crew in the plant.
“Unger is one of the most underappreciated employees we have,” said Robert V. Barnes III, president of Dee Brown. “He’s always working in the background, unseen. To have him have the ability to be recognized in this way is very special. He exudes and exhibits qualities that would make my grandfather very proud.”
W. Tracy Webster, Director of Corporate Safety for Dee Brown, agreed: “He and his team make project managers and foremen look like champions by completing the fabrication in a timely manner and with the high quality that we have grown to expect.”
“I hope to pass on as much as possible what I have learned through my career,” Unger said. “It’s the responsibility of a tradesman/craftsman to train successors. They say you’re not a journeyman if you don’t share what you know. You’ll find that you’re never done learning, because you’ll learn from others, always.
“I enjoy and take pride in my work and feel blessed with the direction my life and career have taken. This isn’t my whole story—I’m not finished yet.”
Lawniczak, who works in showroom sales at IGM, first experienced the natural-stone industry while working as a video producer for a local stone fabricator. With a strong appreciation for arts and aesthetics, she was immediately taken by the beauty of stone and left that day in awe of the fabrication process.
“For the first time that day I got to see slabs of pure beauty being lifted and placed gently on a table, to allow for smooth cuts through Earth’s most durable material,” she said. “To me, the jingle of the saw sounded sweet, and the finished product, polished to perfection, seemed like the most-tangible of all rewards.”
She immediately began looking for a position in the field and joined Illinois Granite & Marble in 2016.
“Lucja is eager to learn and able to apply new skills and knowledge in terms of efficiency and creativity,” said IGM President Tom Waclawski. “We are honored to have her on our team and I believe that the natural stone industry will continue to bloom in the hands of such people.”
“I came to TISE with a list of questions,” said Lawniczak, who attended the event as part of her scholarship, “and although not all of them got answered, I found people who can point me in the right direction.
“This industry keeps me in awe of the generosity and accessibility of the field’s veterans. I felt welcomed, and although there was a factor of intimidation, my fears were short-lived.”
During the awards ceremony, the institute also honored Jim Hogan with the 2017 Migliore Award for Lifetime Achievement.
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