Florida Custom Marble has served the Jacksonville area for 45 years. Established in 1973, Florida Custom Marble has been locally owned and operated by Harlan and Patty Bost since 1997. From a renovation project to a multimillion dollar development, the company has a reputation of proven leadership within the industry and a consistent record of delivering the products and services it offers.
Bill Garrison, who has been NEFBA’s executive officer less than a year, appreciates Bost’s leadership on the executive committee.
“Harlan has been a great help to me over the past several months,” Garrison said. “I had been a member and also the chair of the Clay Builders Council, but taking the association EO role required the patience and guidance of other committee members. Harlan’s strength is in his ability to communicate clearly and intelligently because he listens and understands. He is also one of the association’s most dedicated advocates.”
Florida Custom Marble works exclusively with the professional trade community.
In 2016, responding to the need of builders for a one-stop solution, the company added cabinets to its product lines. It offers Crystal, Quality, Merillat and KraftMaid brands.
Florida Custom Marble is the first and only granite fabricator in Northeast Florida to attain accreditation from the Natural Stone Institute. NSI accreditation means it meets the industry’s highest standards for natural stone fabricators.
Harlan Bost said his company’s ties with the building industry have been significantly enhanced through its involvement with NEFBA. Bost has been a member since 1998, and he has served on the executive committee, the association’s governing body, as a vice president for four years. He served on the board of directors five years before his appointment to the committee, and he has returned to the board.
Bost knows a good deal when he sees it. He joined NEFBA the year he bought the business and realized quickly the benefits of membership.
“We work with builders,” Bost said, “and anything that is good for builders is good for our business. I also appreciate the educational components that have helped us a great deal in our operations and in increasing our efficiencies.”
Bost said he found motivation to contribute to the ALL IN! campaign in how his years on the executive committee educated him about the expenses associated with the operations of a non-profit organization.
“I was amazed to learn that so much of the membership dues actually goes to the state homebuilders and the national homebuilders organizations,” he said. “There’s not much left for the local offices. Sponsorships and fundraisers are critical to our ability to produce events, advocate for the industry and take care of the day-to-day operations of the business end of NEFBA. To the credit of the staff, they are creative and efficient not only in cutting costs, but in finding new ways to create revenue.”
Bost said the new location and new facilities will benefit current members and attract new ones.
“The Southpoint area provides easier access just by its proximity to the interstate and Butler Boulevard,” he said. “The building will be high-tech, state-of-the-art workspaces for staff and functional staff operations. Builders Care and the Apprenticeship Program will have more space and most of NEFBA’s functions will be there. We will have space for public use, which will increase our exposure and service to the community.”
As a businessman, he appreciates the campaign’s goal of providing NEFBA with a new headquarters without incurring significant debt.
“This is an opportunity for me to give back to an association that has done so much for me,” Bost said. “The last thing we wanted to see was a heavy burden of debt, and this campaign will go a long way in minimizing our debt. I wanted to do what I could to help.”
Bost also acknowledges NEFBA member LG Hausys for a materials donation of $6,250.
“Our contribution was increased in value by LG Hausys’ generous donation of materials,” Bost said. “We value our relationship with LG Hausys and appreciate their contribution to the project.”