Fabricator Profile: KB Surfaces

04The story of how Tracey Beck came to be co-owner of a countertop fabrication business is one of the more remarkable ones in the industry. Early on, she began a career routing calls for large companies as a mobile services representative, but quit  to raise her children. Her husband’s family business, KB Laminates, had just been bought out by Baer Supply, so they decided to begin a new endeavor: to open the first medical spa in the state of Rhode Island.

Soon after opening one of the first medical spas on the East Coast, others followed, opening competing establishments, and after five years, that business was purchased by an area doctor. However, on the same day the spa sold, Tracey’s husband Brian bought a stone company that was up for sale at an auction.

Because Brian was still working under contract with Baer Supply, Tracey was the only one available to oversee the daily operations of the stone company. She started out believing that she was only going to cover sales and marketing for the new business, but with her husband so busy, she ended up running the entire show. Because of her limited experience with the industry, Tracey recognizes that t`s run a bit differently than other fabrication shops.

Tracey runs KB Surfaces with a focus on sales, marketing and customer service. She pays a lot of attention to the financials in order to make the business as successful as possible. When it comes to the customers, she believes that nothing is more important, and all employees are trained to put themselves in positions as customers to understand how best they can be served. The ultimate goals are to take care of problems quickly and effectively and to build long-term relationships, but to do that, Tracey likes to understand who they are. “We choose our customers very carefully,” she said.

As of 2012, about 60 percent of the company’s business was wholesale with the other 40 percent going to the commercial market. The 10 full-time employees working for KB Surfaces, which was the only certified Cambria fabricator in the state, complete around 20 installations per week. The business is located in the same building as Atlas Fabrication, a solid surface shop owned by Brian’s brother Ken, who is also co-owner of KB Surfaces.

However, the business dynamic of KB Surfaces has been set to change. The Becks have been building a system that will allow the company to run itself with the help of outside sales reps and handing more over to the employees.

Read more of this Fabricator Profile here: KB Surfaces