Stone People: Blume’s Solid Surface Products

Dottie Blume says the whole idea of getting better and sharing the techniques of the trade is something that’s driven her husband for years. She notes that Gus Blume initially helped design the specifications for the solid-surface industry, and he currently serves on the board of Artisan Stone Products.

Blume’s Solid Surface Products also offers continuing education to its dealers, and it’s a Marble Institute of America (MIA) certified fabricator.

Click photo for gallery“We’re really proud we’re an MIA fabricator,” says Dottie Blume. “It was a very tough process, but there was a lot of benefit to the company and helped educate all of us.”

It’s education that the Blumes are happy to share with others.

“We sell to other fabricators and if one needs help, we have no trouble in sharing what we know,” she says. “We don’t feel they’re really our competitors and not sharing information doesn’t make us more successful. Those things that make us successful lie with our vendors and our employees.”

VERSED IN VERSATILITY

Blume’s currently employs a staff of 27, down from a high of 42 before the recession set in. One of the current goals is to get their employee number back closer to that high.

That number includes two or three installation crews, depending on the need. An important aspect of the company’s employee philosophy is that everyone is cross-trained. The installers and the crew in the shop can work with all the materials Blume’s offers, and the office staff is all versed on inside sales.

Click photo for gallery“All of our fabricators came from the solid-surface side, and we trained them into the stone side,” Dottie Blume says, adding that the cross-training does more than keep the work flowing smoothly.

“It’s always good to step into somebody else’s shoes for a while; you get to see their side of the picture,” she explains. “This way they’re more aware of other people’s jobs and get to view a bigger picture of the whole operation and how it’s run. If they’re contained in one area, they only worry about what they’re doing and don’t realize what they do can affect everybody else in the operation.”

Handling each order in a timely fashion is an important part of the Blume’s experience. The person or company selling the job develops the initial quote; if the buyer accept, the order is then sent on to the Blume’s staff.

“Once we receive the order, we make contact either with the end consumer or with the dealer or contractor, depending on how they like us to deal with them,” Blume explains. “That’s when we ask when they expect us to be there, and give us a time frame. If they’re ready for us, we put them on the schedule.”

Once the templating is completed, the job is reviewed and it may even be re-quoted. Blume says the first steps in the process may take anywhere from five to seven days, with an equal amount of time allowed for fabrication and installation.