By Cari D. Boyce
Special to Realty/Builder Connection
When George Hill discusses his company, Marble Today Incorporated, he exudes enthusiasm and passion – and for good reason.
The company he co-owns with his wife, Angela, fabricates high-quality custom countertops from slabs of marble, granite and quartz. The key to the Hill’s business is the ability to turn a job around in record time, he says, and, high-tech equipment and faith in a higher power make it all possible.
After years in the marble business in South Florida, Hill, a member of the Northeast Florida Builders Association, made the move to St. Johns County. He opened Marble Today in St. Augustine five years ago in a warehouse with a forklift and a table saw. The showroom and the fabrication plant are located on County Road 210.
Hill’s wife, Angela, immigrated to this country more than nine years ago when they married. A native of Bogota, Columbia, she had attended three years of law school before she moved to the United States.
“Angela had to start from scratch,” Hill said. “She had to learn English and begin her education here. Although it was frustrating for her, she pursued a degree from the University of North Florida. Her degree in international business is a great asset to us since most of our product comes from Brazil, Turkey, Italy, Spain and India.”
Hill said Angela runs the plant, the installations and handles the accounting for the business.
The growth has resulted in the construction of a new fabrication plant, which will use patented, computer-operated granite fabrication equipment.
“There are very few companies in this country that operate this type of equipment,” Hill said. “They all guard their process. There is one company that will allow people to see the machinery in action — in Switzerland.”
The plant will be the size of a football field and will occupy a portion of a 3-acre lot south of Green Cove Springs on U.S. 17. The groundbreaking ceremony for the new plant was June 1 and it is expected to be in operation by the end of the year. The showroom will remain at its current location in St. Augustine.
“At capacity, the new plant will be capable of producing 20 to 25 kitchen counter tops per day,” Hill said. “For builders, this means a significant reduction in turn-around time. We will not sell anything we cannot deliver on time.”
News about Marble Today and the company’s reputation for filling custom countertop orders quickly has spread by word of mouth.
“We do not have a sales staff,” Hill said. “This enables us to keep our costs down and produce a better product at a competitive price.
“Soon, our clients will be able to track the progress of their jobs online. They will be able to view the specifics of their job from template creation to installation. Eventually, builders will be able to select the slab for their job online as well.”
One of the company’s first customers in this area was North Florida Builders.
“Howard White and Glenn Layton gave us an opportunity,” Hill said, “and we seized the opportunity because our goal is to be one of our clients’ top five subs.”
Hill’s philosophy is simple: “Remember where you came from and who brought you here.”