It is hard to believe that we are already at the halfway point of 2026. The first half of this year was busy for the Stone World team, as we attended many industry trade shows and events. And as we always say, our favorite part is getting out and about to talk with people. I have made quite a few new industry friends over the past several months and reconnected with ones I have known for some time. Through these meetings, I brought back so many new story ideas and content to share in the coming months.

A significant part of the industry events we attend include an educational component. This is a great way for us to stay on top of what current issues and topics are most relevant to fabricators. AI and how it can be beneficial to fabricators is definitely a conversation that is happening more frequently. We are fortunate to have industry expert Rich Katzmann offer his insight on the subject in a series of articles throughout this year. In this issue, he reveals five AI tools and ideas that would be useful for a stone countertop shop. It is worth the read.

Shop safety, in particular dust control, is also another important discussion being had among fabricators and other members of the stone industry. Our contributing writer Paul “Max” LePera shares his knowledge on how to implement a comprehensive dust control strategy in the feature “Dust Removal: What Fabricators Need to Know.”

We appreciate our contributing writers for their willingness to share their experience and knowledge with our audience. I also have to thank Glenda Henneboehle of Stone Fabricators for letting us feature the shop she runs as our Inside the Shop. I had the pleasure of getting to know Glenda on the 2025 SFA Italy Tour.

Read these stories and more in this edition of Stone World.