For a homeowner seeking the perfect countertop to complete his or her dream kitchen, there are plenty of companies to choose from in a crowded marketplace. Marco Duran, owner of Atlas Marble & Granite, is not only unafraid of the competition—he actually welcomes it.

Duran has succeeded in the industry for almost 30 years by not backing down from challenges and constantly striving to improve. Whereas other business owners might grow complacent, he is always searching for new products and better ways to serve his customers.

House & Home spoke to Duran about the benefits to such an approach and trends he is seeing in stone fabrication.

What role does technology play in your company?
In today’s society we depend on electronic devices more than ever before, so it makes sense that we should bring technology into what we do. We pride ourselves on being able to do visual renderings that we can easily communicate through email. In our industry, most fabricators do not do that, so it’s an advantage we have in being a lot more visual and relatable. We use laser technology and software to create a file that can immediately be exported to all parties on a project, no matter where they are. That way, nobody is in the blind and we can have a discussion immediately.

Is granite still an in-demand product for kitchen countertops and islands?
Granite has sort of peaked; it’s still a popular product, but in our business model we’ve always prided ourselves on exploring what’s next out there. We’re always at the forefront of our industry trying to embrace and work with new products and whatever is trending. Our data tells us that granite has fallen by about 50 percent. It’s still being used, but not as widely.

What kind of materials is your luxury clientele looking for?
They’re going for new products and the trendiest materials, such as porcelain and sintered glass. With porcelain, what they’re trying to do is pay homage to marble by creating these beautiful prints on a porcelain product. It basically imitates, and in my view surpasses what you would see with real marble. People who love the look of marble and can afford the higher price of porcelain are going with porcelain because it puts an end to the maintenance issues you have with marble. Products like porcelain, glass and quartzite are what more affluent people are trending toward.

How do your customers begin the process of choosing their materials?
A lot of people visit our website to see what’s new and trending, and then they come to our showroom to get started. They come here understanding that we have a design center showroom and they’re expecting to see new things. We’re stocked with at least six to eight different products, and within that we have six to 10 brands per product. For example, we have over 18 products in quartz and we have six to eight in porcelain.

Do you think your vast experience in the industry separates you from your competitors?
Absolutely. Being in this business for so long, evolving with the industry and not being stuck in our ways has helped us diversify and not be complacent. The experience factor gives us a confidence rating that is almost synonymous with our name. There are a lot of companies out there that are very young, and they play their cards safely and work with the easiest materials. To me, that means you’re not following the trends.

How do you stay on top of what’s hot in the industry?
Every year at the trade shows you’ll always find me or someone from our company, finding out firsthand what’s new, what’s hot, what’s not and what’s out. Our showroom is the result of making the effort to know what products are viable. Our shop also does the vetting for all of the products, which is important. Our vendors know we’re going to put the products to the test, so they either skip us or have the real deal when they visit us. There are many product manufacturers who endorse our company for fabrication, because we’ve gone through the process, we’re certified and we’ve already worked with the product, whereas other people haven’t.

Atlas Marble & Granite
44 Fadem Road, Springfield | 225 West Commercial Ave., Moonachie | (973) 491-5454 | NewJerseyStone.com

Published (and copyrighted) in House & Home, Volume 20, Issue 4 (October 2019). 
For more info on House & Home magazine, click here. 
To subscribe to House & Home magazine, click here. 
To advertise in House & Home magazine, call 610-272-3120.