Slate: A new generation

Vermont Business Magazine, Dec 01, 2004 by Packer, Mary Jeanne

What can be new in an industry with a 160-year tradition and a finished product that wears out only after 100-200 years? "Lots," says Shawn Camara (33), President of the Slate Quarry Association and General Manager of Camara Slate in Fair Haven. "For starters, the industry has developed entire lines of new slate products that weren't in demand, or even manufactured, ten years ago. Then add new technologies, new markets, and new ways of communicating with customers; and there's plenty that's new!"

The region's slate industry is led by a whole new generation of owners and managers. Camara is one of four brothers working in a business their father, Dave Camara, started in 1965. The senior Camara is still the president of Camara Slate, but defers to Shawn on the company's new initiatives like introducing slate countertops and developing a corporate website.

Jon Hill (36) is co-owner of Poultney-based Greenstone Slate founded by his grandfather, Ernest Hill, before he was born. Jon's father, Richard Hill, still serves as operations manager. The younger Hill says, "Dad taught me the basics about running a business and I learned more at college. Now that I'm back at the quarry, I'm applying new management philosophies while utilizing new technologies."

New advances in manufacturing technology have enabled slate businesses to function more efficiently and fill orders quickly. Automatic roofing shingle trimmers help streamline operations and assure uniform products. Larger saws enable companies to cut finished products that go for structural applications such as wall cladding and countertops - and allow slate to compete more effectively with synthetic materials and other building stone.

New technology has also revolutionized installation, and affordability, of slate roofs. Hill's company partnered with an Australian developer to introduce the NulokTm Roofing System. According to Hill, "Nu-lokTm is a galvanized channel and batten system. It reduces the amount of slate needed for a roof and thereby reduces installation and freight costs."

Still, the industry is known for its traditional products and old-fashioned customer service. These values, along with the exceptional quality of locallyquarried slate, allow companies to compete with producers from Brazil and China.

The next generation meets tradition every day at Taran Brothers Slate Company in Poultney. Here, fourth generation quarrymen, Stephen Taran, Jr. (26), Jon Bishop (20), and Philip Taran (16) work with their father, Stephen Taran, in the business that their greatgrandfather, Joseph Taran, began in the 1940s. Steve is preparing his sons to lead the company into another century of quality workmanship, developing new applications, and serving a growing global customer base.

New markets for slate have only recently appeared in addition to traditional demands in constructing and renovating university and municipal buildings. It's only in the last 10-15 years that middle-class homeowners and their architects have been using stone, once considered a luxury, in residential construction. Now slate counter tops, flooring, patios, and wall treatments are more common. Camara thinks this has to do with a national trend for people to invest in their homes and to fill them with authentic, high quality products.

Historic structure renovation is also a growing market for the industry. Similar to homeowners' desire for top quality materials, renovators are also seeking traditional products to replace or complement those used in old buildings originally.

A new industry initiative, the Slate Discovery Center, is designed to train architects on how to specify and install slate. The Center's first workshop, funded by USDA Rural Development and supported by Poultney Downtown Revitalization Committee, was held in October. Twenty-two architects attended the first classes at Green Mountain College and Slate Valley Museum. Additional workshops are planned for spring 2005.