Natural Stone Institute Holds Utah Study Tour

Words: Amy Oakley

Oberlin, OH, September 17, 2024—157 attendees from 48 member companies and 5 architectural firms attended the annual NSI Study Tour, which took place in Salt Lake City August 25-28, with an optional extension to Idaho on August 29. Highlights included an overview of the Utah State Capitol installation project with KEPCO+, tours and activities at Mountain Valley Stone, Delta Stone Products, Valley View Granite, and American Stone, and an evening at the Wolf Creek Ranch Center. The Idaho extension day included a tour of the Northern Stone Supply quarry and fabrication shop and the Star Stone fabrication shop, as well as a riverside dinner and evening activities hosted by past NSI president Greg Osterhout.

Clarissa Thomas, owner of American Stone commented: “We were thrilled to host the NSI tour group at two of our locations. It was an incredible opportunity to network with other members and make connections, share insights our company has had as we’ve adapted and grown, and learn about the latest industry trends from other companies around us. We mostly enjoyed getting to know members from across North America in the stone industry and making friends. We hope the tour members had fun and made memories while they were at our stops.”

In addition to these tours, attendees also enjoyed the presentation of the 2024 Tucker Design Awards, which honored eight design teams for their use of natural stone. The 2024 Bybee Prize was presented to Lee Becker (Hartman-Cox Architects) and 2024 Thor Lundh Quarrier Award was presented to Frank Hermans (Coldspring) during the ceremony. 

Attendees spoke positively of the event. Rob Donahue (Donatoni America) shared: “As a sponsor, the NSI Study Tour provided a great opportunity to network with quarriers, countertop fabricators, and architects in a less than formal environment. In addition to the educational portions of the event, the relationships built have already proven invaluable.” John Malyshko (Natural Stone Resources) agreed: “This study tour was off the charts—so well planned out. Our members and sponsors who opened up their time and companies have hearts of gold!”

Moving forward, NSI study tours will take place during the second week of September. This will allow members to plan in advance and keep this timeframe open. In 2025, NSI will visit the Athens, Georgia area. Future study tours are tentatively planned for Montana, Alabama, Vancouver BC, Vermont, and Oklahoma. NSI members should look for announcements with specific details on the 2025 study tour early next year. 

__________________________
About the Natural Stone Institute
The Natural Stone Institute is a trade association representing every aspect of the natural stone industry. The current membership exceeds 2,000 members in over 50 nations. The association offers a wide array of technical and training resources, professional development opportunities, regulatory advocacy, and networking events. Two prominent publications—the Dimension Stone Design Manual and Building Stone Magazine—raise awareness within the natural stone industry and in the design community for best practices and uses of natural stone. Learn more at www.naturalstoneinstitute.org.  
Britt Stokes, Acme Brick’s Director of Marketing, Retires.
August 2026

Fort Worth, Texas – After faithfully serving Acme Brick Company for 40 years, Britt has chosen to retire – although he will still be involved with Acme on various projects. Britt began his career with Acme as staff photographer and through dedicati

Industry News
Read More
Sainte-Cécile Cathedral
August 2026

Imagine being handed a set of plans calling for the largest brick cathedral in the world. Now imagine building it without modern cranes, engineered scaffolding, forklifts, power tools, or structural analysis software. That was the challenge facing medie

Cass Stern
Marvelous Masonry
Read More
Why SkillsUSA is the Keystone to MCAA’s Outreach
August 2026

When I stepped into the role of the MCAA’s first Director of Youth Outreach and Education, I knew we had a massive job ahead of us. I am a fourth-generation brick mason, and I have spent over two decades teaching the trade, from working with apprentices a

Robert Melgaard
Outreach Outlook
Read More
The First Paycheck
August 2026

Several years ago, Huntley Brothers hired a young apprentice. It was his first real job, and he had never had a paycheck before. Friday rolled around, and he got paid just like everyone else. Later that day, one of the guys told me something I have never

Kent Huntley
Chairman’s Message
Read More