Stone People: All in the Surfaces

By K. Schipper

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Who says only new companies can be innovative? Certainly not Charles “Chuck” O’Koon, owner and chief executive officer of Cardinal Kitchens and Commercial Surfaces.

O’Koon has just added a new product – textured granite countertops – and formed a new division, Cardinal Concepts, to get the word out to the design community about what he sees as an important addition to his company’s broad array of offerings.

Both O’Koon and Cardinal Kitchens have come a long way since he bought a small laminate shop in 1971. However, being innovative – or, as he puts it, “taking a few gambles” – is always a company byword.

Click photo to enlargeSeveral years ago, that innovation led to being the first shop to introduce quartz products to his market which, in turn, took Cardinal into the stone-fabrication business. Today, as the company approaches its 42nd year, O’Koon says there’s no reason to do things in the same old way.

THE POWER OF PERCEPTION

If there’s one concern O’Koon might have about his business (or at least some of his clientele), it’s their perception of his company. Too many people, especially designers, misconstrue what Cardinal Kitchens sells.

“We thought we needed to change that perception, leaving Cardinal Kitchens in place for people who know who we are,” he says. “But, for the people who don’t know who we are, we want to change that perception, and that’s why we put Cardinal Concepts in place. In addition, Cardinal Concepts is a division specializing in meeting the needs of designers and architects.”

O’Koon should know. Although he employs a six-person sales staff, he’s been out calling on a few accounts himself to introduce the textured granite, which is created through the use of a SIRIO polishing machine from Charlotte, N.C.-based GMM USA Inc.Click photo to enlarge

“The initial tools on the polishing head flick out the softer material in the stone from between the harder material and that creates a dimension,” he explains. “Then, you put the polishing pads on and bring the luster back up.”

One of the critical pieces of the process is in getting the best finish for each job. O’Koon says some of it is the personal taste of the customer, but too much shine can leave the stone looking like plastic or as if it’s been shellacked.

Because Cardinal Concepts is ramping up the introduction of slabs uniformly finished to honed, brushed-dry, brushed-wet and river-washed textures, O’Koon says he doesn’t yet have a good sense of how popular the material will be, but he’s confident.

“We’re seeing a lot of interest in it,” O’Koon says. “We’re not seeing a lot of people pulling the trigger yet and making a decision, probably because it’s so new. However, it’s slowly gaining acceptance.”

He adds that part of its appeal with designers is that it isn’t something everyone has – yet. Texture is an attribute revealing itself in many forms of design from flooring to fabric; as natural stone it’s attractive for a wide range of applications from outdoor kitchens to buyers who may choose to use both textured and polished versions of the same stone in a kitchen or bath.

For the first time, O’Koon has also hired a marketing team to get the word out on Cardinal Concepts; one of the first things the company did was send out sample pieces of the new finish. With a market area that encompasses all of Kentucky, as well as Indianapolis and Evansville, Ind., plus Dayton, Ohio and Cincinnati, the mailing list grew to some 250 potential clients.

Cardinal Kitchens also offers recycled materials, including IceStone® and Cosentino’s ECO™, but because of their higher cost and added maintenance, O’Koon calls them niche products appealing to the environmentally conscious.