Frustration leads to rock-solid business idea
Capitol Granite & Marble was created on cornerstones that continue to serve the firm well
BY ANDREW PRICE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER
Aug 29, 2005
Paul Menninger, owner of Capitol Granite & Marble, says his business is a work in progress. The company, located at 1700 Oaklake Blvd. in Midlothian, is adding more square footage and employees. CLEMENT BRITT/TIMES-DISPATCH
Paul Menninger was renovating his home three years ago when he turned frustration with the process into a rapidly growing business.
In need of granite countertops, Menninger said he was dismayed with the quality of product available along with the lengthy turnaround times and iffy customer service.
As a result, Capitol Granite & Marble, a Midlothian-based custom stone fabricator and installation shop, was born in 2002.
Menninger cleaned out his savings account, he said, but with a firm based on countering the three crumbly pillars that drove him into business in the first place, the company has undergone steady growth.
Originally a 5,000-square-foot work environment, the now 14,000-square-foot facility will double in size. Currently at 45 employees, the company will add more workers to bring the total to 80. The additional square footage would also allow the company to double productivity to make another five or six kitchens per day, Menninger said.
He said he hopes to be fully functional in the new area by June.
"For three years, we've just been trying to manage growth to the choke point and alleviate it," Menninger said.
When a customer comes to Capitol Granite & Marble, he or she picks a slab from one of the hundreds on-site. Capitol workers then go to the house to get a template for the job and listen to customers describe what they want.
A forklift places the slab on a table, which is hydraulically tilted to place the slab in a position to be cut.
Capitol is fully automated, using computer-based machines to cut a countertop with precision accuracy that is hard to duplicate manually, Menninger said.
The process also allows countertops to be created more efficiently.
Before, Menninger said a job could take two to four weeks, the same work his company can do in a couple of days.
Currently, nine big machines and 46 employees take care of creating a countertop down to the finest detail.
Capitol Granite & Marble also is one of 85 companies nationwide with the rights to fabricate and distribute silestone, a man-made quartz-based engineered stone that emulates granite, Menninger said.
Menninger said most of his business comes from the Richmond area and that three-fourths of his business comes from builders or those looking to renovate the kitchen or bathroom.
Mike Harding, owner of the South Richmond-based Chesapeake Bay Cabinet Co., met Menninger at a homebuilders golf tournament about a year and a half to two years ago.
After discussing each others' business, the two struck up a business relationship that has lasted ever since.
"Pretty much everybody has the same product," Harding said. "But we feel that he just gave us good service in a timely manner, good quality work with competitive prices."
Menninger said he had no experience working with these stones before starting Capitol Granite & Marble.
He made up for that with a lifetime of working with his hands, thanks to a hobby as a woodworker along with engineering and sales skills from previous employment, he said.
"I've been working with my hands since I was in diapers," Menninger said.
A 1983 graduate of the United States Naval Academy, Menninger earned a bachelor of science degree in industrial engineering. After eight years in active duty, he spent a 10-year career with Nalco Chemicals.
During his tenure, he spent time working his way from a sales representative to engineering consultant to district manager.
As a consultant, he said he frequently advised in the ways of automation.
The last two years he spent as district manager were essential in learning the business aspect of operating Capitol Granite & Marble, he said.
A stone's throw to his next career, one might say.
Capitol Granite & Marble was created on cornerstones that continue to serve the firm well
BY ANDREW PRICE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER
Aug 29, 2005
Paul Menninger, owner of Capitol Granite & Marble, says his business is a work in progress. The company, located at 1700 Oaklake Blvd. in Midlothian, is adding more square footage and employees. CLEMENT BRITT/TIMES-DISPATCH
In need of granite countertops, Menninger said he was dismayed with the quality of product available along with the lengthy turnaround times and iffy customer service.
As a result, Capitol Granite & Marble, a Midlothian-based custom stone fabricator and installation shop, was born in 2002.
Menninger cleaned out his savings account, he said, but with a firm based on countering the three crumbly pillars that drove him into business in the first place, the company has undergone steady growth.
Should double productivity
Originally a 5,000-square-foot work environment, the now 14,000-square-foot facility will double in size. Currently at 45 employees, the company will add more workers to bring the total to 80. The additional square footage would also allow the company to double productivity to make another five or six kitchens per day, Menninger said.
He said he hopes to be fully functional in the new area by June.
"For three years, we've just been trying to manage growth to the choke point and alleviate it," Menninger said.
Cut with precision
When a customer comes to Capitol Granite & Marble, he or she picks a slab from one of the hundreds on-site. Capitol workers then go to the house to get a template for the job and listen to customers describe what they want.
A forklift places the slab on a table, which is hydraulically tilted to place the slab in a position to be cut.
Capitol is fully automated, using computer-based machines to cut a countertop with precision accuracy that is hard to duplicate manually, Menninger said.
The process also allows countertops to be created more efficiently.
Before, Menninger said a job could take two to four weeks, the same work his company can do in a couple of days.
Currently, nine big machines and 46 employees take care of creating a countertop down to the finest detail.
Capitol Granite & Marble also is one of 85 companies nationwide with the rights to fabricate and distribute silestone, a man-made quartz-based engineered stone that emulates granite, Menninger said.
Most clients are from area
Menninger said most of his business comes from the Richmond area and that three-fourths of his business comes from builders or those looking to renovate the kitchen or bathroom.
Mike Harding, owner of the South Richmond-based Chesapeake Bay Cabinet Co., met Menninger at a homebuilders golf tournament about a year and a half to two years ago.
After discussing each others' business, the two struck up a business relationship that has lasted ever since.
"Pretty much everybody has the same product," Harding said. "But we feel that he just gave us good service in a timely manner, good quality work with competitive prices."
Woodworking was a hobby
Menninger said he had no experience working with these stones before starting Capitol Granite & Marble.
He made up for that with a lifetime of working with his hands, thanks to a hobby as a woodworker along with engineering and sales skills from previous employment, he said.
"I've been working with my hands since I was in diapers," Menninger said.
A 1983 graduate of the United States Naval Academy, Menninger earned a bachelor of science degree in industrial engineering. After eight years in active duty, he spent a 10-year career with Nalco Chemicals.
Advised on automation
During his tenure, he spent time working his way from a sales representative to engineering consultant to district manager.
As a consultant, he said he frequently advised in the ways of automation.
The last two years he spent as district manager were essential in learning the business aspect of operating Capitol Granite & Marble, he said.
A stone's throw to his next career, one might say.
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