Ricciardi Marble and Granite

Experiencing Service the Wrong Way

In 1999, Brian Ricciardi started Ricciardi Marble and Granite with an old, left-to-right, manual bridge saw. The machine got the job done, but Brian had higher aspirations. He expanded by adding another bridge saw from an Italian company, and eventually made the leap to digital with the same Italian company… or tried to.

Brian describes it like this, “They just dropped it off and left. The installer was there for two hours and then left. We had no learning curve, no support.” Without the training and support they needed on the new equipment, they reverted to using their old, manual equipment and stick templates to be able to complete their jobs.

Partnering with Park

They were still using the manual bridge saws when Brian met Jeff Goodsell, a sales rep for Park Industries. Brian learned of Park Industries from some employees who had previously worked for another company. They had good things to say and recommended the USA manufacturer. Brian explains what attracted him to Park, “It was the customer service, the technicians, the problem solving, the technical support – all things I didn’t have with the Italian company. And what’s more, all of their claims were true! It’s been an incredible experience with Park. I will never buy a machine from another manufacturer!”

Going from the Italian company to Park Industries was like night and day for Brian. From having absolutely no support, he now had more than half a century’s worth of industry knowledge and insight guiding him and helping him make sound, business decisions. “Jeff is my sales rep, but he’s so much more than that. He’s more of a partner, and he provides such good counsel to help me grow in all aspects of my business.”

Boldly Forward

Going digital with Park was the opposite of his previous digital attempt. Brian shares, “Going digital with Park on my side was not difficult at all. Not with Park installers on site, training classes at Park’s facility, all of the support they provide – its the works.”

Two years ago, Brian bought a SABERjet™ CNC Sawjet and was thoroughly impressed with it, so impressed that he purchased a TITAN® CNC Router at Coverings the following April. Despite promising himself that he wouldn’t buy anything prior to attending the show, he admits, “I kept telling myself that I wasn’t going to buy anything at the Coverings show and, sure enough, I left with buying a TITAN®. My sales rep, Jeff, knew my shop, knew where we could put it, knew it would help me, and knew we were ready for the next step. He was absolutely right – the TITAN® has been unbelievable!”

In spring of 2020, Ricciardi Marble and Granite added the FASTBACK® II Edge Polisher to their shop.

Precision. Performance. Peace of Mind.

Since adding the SABERjet™ and TITAN®, Ricciardi has experienced significant gains in efficiency. Brian shares, “We were able to cut payroll in half. It was incredible. We also reduced the number of mistakes by improving our accuracy and consistency.” Danny Cruz, Ricciardi’s shop manager, echoes Brian’s comments adding, “I would totally recommend a SABERjet™ if someone is wanting to make the transition between an analogic and digital shop. It will reduce not just cost on payroll but increase the quality and facilitate materials savings too.”

This graph, showing percentage of recut since January 2019, illustrates Danny’s point perfectly.

Danny goes on to comment about their efficiency improvements since adding the two Park machines, “I worked with just the SABERjet™ for one year and it was great. When the TITAN® arrived, the whole shop changed. It seems like one machine is a continuation of the other, the flow is perfect. The efficiency growth in the shop is clear with the waste and project recuts dropping significantly.”

Service Standout

When asked what he likes about Park Industries, Brian’s list is long. “The service is unbelievable, they give me job security, there’s no phony-baloney, they do what they say they’re going to do, there’s never been a time that I’ve called there and not gotten someone on the phone. Any issues we run into are always fixed immediately, there’s technical support that goes right on the computers, just an A+ for service,” he says. Such a stark contrast to his beginnings with the Italian company.

Over the years, Brian has transformed his shop and greatly expanded his capabilities. He benefits from the trusted relationship with Jeff and the guidance and peace of mind that comes with that partnership. In all, Brian sums up the benefits by saying simply, “I really can’t speak highly enough about Park.”

PROJECTS BY RICCIARDI