News

Client Spotlight: Graye's Granite

Breton USA had the opportunity to interview Chris Gray, owner of Graye's Granite and a brand new Breton Genya bridge saw. Chris talks about his story in the stone industry, his new advanced cnc equipment, and Graye's Granite growth expectations as well as the future of the stone industry.

Graye's Granite Story

When did you get into the stone industry and why?

I started my stone journey in April 2001 with no experience in the construction field. I was originally working at Walmart in the Layaway department and I wanted something to challenge my work ethic and intellect. Every day comes to a different challenge in the stone industry and that’s what appealed to me the most, it was exactly what I needed in my life. One thing I would like the people to know is my clients are very special to me, they make me feel as though I am a rock star even though they are the star of the show.

What are Graye’s Granite most popular fabrication applications?

I am the only fabricator to own a granite business in our region, as well as, the only black-owned granite shop. My company is also the only company in our region to provide repairs. Graye’s Granite Inc. is the home of the fabricators, I feel blessed to own something so pure and dear to my heart. My grandmother, Ms. Willie Mae Simmons, always told me to have faith in what you believe in and the rest is history. 20 years later I am living in her testimony, and I am beyond grateful.

What are your favorite stone applications and projects?

Producing custom projects with my client’s trust, being able to handle big production projects in a timely manner, and working with the youth in my non-profit organization to help shape and mold the future generation. The stone industry is a dying trade and my goal is to spread the love and knowledge of the craft to the youth. The best part of what I do is our client’s smile and satisfaction.

What do you consider to be Graye’s Granite strong suite?

Some of my best work is our ability to seam match, as well as, create waterfalls and miters. We have also picked up creating headstones for those who need/want a more affordable and decorative piece for their deceased loved ones.

Breton CNC Machinery

Why did you decide to automate your business with a CNC and invest in Breton machinery?

I decided I needed a CNC machine four years ago because of the demand from my community. I have conducted 4 years of consistent research of all of the top-rated CNC machines, Breton had the most advanced features and was always happy to answer any questions I had.

Some of the top features that caught my eye were vein matching capability, storing stone inventory, and engraving. I also checked upon the weight of the machines to compare the vibration it may give off when fabricating. My final choice was Genya with an extra spindle because it would result in less wear and tear on the main spindle.

Breton’s patience and care with me were by far the best from start to finish, the care for their clients and potential clients is what moved me to invest with Breton. I cannot thank everyone over at Breton enough for answering all my questions and sending me an updated quote after quote over the past 4 years until I was sure of my final choice.

How does your Breton CNC machine assist your fabrication shop’s operations?

The benefit of having complete control of my stone inventory within my machine really sold me on the model. Having slab inventory at the push of a button is a game-changer you just can’t ignore.

Another detail that sold me was having the capability of being able to have detail vein matching. Vein matching will save us so much time on laying out where to place the perfect seam for each project with confidence. There will be no more second-guessing and re-examining just to make sure we have the perfect placement, we can set the seam with more ease. I can also send my client’s 3-D images of their project before I begin fabrication, which will give my client’s a closer involvement in their project.

The benefit that appealed to me the most would be the efficient and fast convenience of the cutting process. No more tying up the saw on a manual cut, moving towards a digital output would improve production a great deal. Breton Genya does the fabrication of sink cutouts, edge polishing, and project cuts, which is a blessing because we can now eliminate fabricating sinks and edges by hand.

The Genya will also be able to load my digital templates for fabrication. Thus, leading to me no longer have to utilize physical templates. Time is everything, the more time we have, the more we can produce a higher demand.

How has your experience with Breton been so far?

My favorite part about working with Breton is their eagerness to answer any questions I had, their patience while I conducted my research, and their informative meetings to explain every feature of the products I was interested in.

The experience I had with Breton through the quoting and selling process was perfect, I couldn’t have asked for a better experience. I thank Breton for helping me through my process.

I would recommend Breton equipment to all my fabricators looking to evolve to the next step. Breton has a sense of care and pride in their product and customer service that you just can’t find anywhere else.

The Stone Industry's Future

How do you envision Graye’s Granite growing in the future?

My growth plan is to be fully digital with the ability to embrace a higher production within a push of a button. To service my community even more is always the goal for Graye’s Granite Inc. I would say initiatives Breton can help me achieve is being able to produce more quality projects at higher efficiency with more ease.

What are the biggest challenges on the horizon for the stone industry?

The biggest challenge on the horizon of our industry is having a higher demand without the preparation to take on the new demand. We must always adapt to change and growth and be prepared to take the next steps to continue to provide for others.

Client Spotlight: Graye's Granite

Contact