| Do you believe professional economists who say the recession is over? | ||
| Yes, business is turning around. | 12% | |
| Yes, but things haven't gotten better yet. | 12% | |
| No, but I'm hopeful it will be soon. | 75% | |
| No, I can't see an end in sight. | 0% | |
| How do you forecast your business improvement for 2009? | ||
| Business will continue to get worse. | 25% | |
| Business will stay the same. | 12% | |
| Business will improve in the third quarter. | 38% | |
| Business will improve in 2010. | 25% | |
| What is your primary sales market? | ||
| Residential (New Homes) | 23% | |
| Residential (Remodeling) | 46%% | |
| Commercial | 19% | |
| Institutional | 2% | |
| Wholesale | 10% | |
| How often do you order surfacing material sheets/slabs? | ||
| Per Job | 50% | |
| Daily | 15% | |
| Weekly | 30% | |
| Monthly | 3% | |
| Quarterly | 2% | |
| Attending an industry tradeshow in 2009, what is most important to your business? | ||
| Networking | 31% | |
| Finding new materials/material suppliers | 25% | |
| Seminars | 13% | |
| Researching new suppliers for disposable items such as adhesives, sanding pads, tooling, etc. | 12% | |
| Researching investments in new machinery | 9% | |
| With 2009 approaching, how do you see 2008 wrapping up? | ||
| Business is way down | 44% | |
| Business is down a little | 27% | |
| Business is about the same | 17% | |
| Business is up a little | 8% | |
| Business is way up | 4% | |
| Not counting word-of-mouth, do you advertise your fabrication business? | ||
| Yes | 58% | |
| No | 26% | |
| No, but I have in the past | 13% | |
| No, but I am considering doing so | 6% | |
| Have you ever attended a Web-based seminar? | ||
| Yes | 41% | |
| No | 24% | |
| No, but I would consider doing so. | 35% | |
| Do you significantly influence the choice of sinks installed with your countertops? | ||
| Less than 50% of the time | 20% | |
| More than 50% of the time | 80% | |
| Has the radon/radiation controversy with regards to granite had an affect on your business? | ||
| Yes | 37% | |
| No | 47% | |
| Not yet, but I am expecting so | 16% | |
| Will you be attending StonExpo 2008 in Las Vegas in October? | ||
| Yes | 46% | |
| No | 27% | |
| Undecided | 27% | |
| What method do you use to handle your wastewater from stone/e-stone fabrication? | ||
| A recycling/filtration system | 58% | |
| A trough/collection pit | 25% | |
| Storm drain/sewer system | 13% | |
| Open dumping | 4% | |
| Do you offer, or have you considered offering concrete countertops? | ||
| No | 79% | |
| Yes | 21% | |
| With the first quarter of 2008 past, how has your business faired in comparison to last year? | ||
| A little slower than last year | 37% | |
| About the same as last year | 19% | |
| A little better than last year | 18% | |
| Much better than last year | 14% | |
| Very Poor | 12% | |
| In April will you be attending the Kitchen & Bath Industry Show (K/BIS) in Chicago? | ||
| No | 53% | |
| Yes | 38% | |
| Undecided | 9% | |
| Are you a member of a trade association? | ||
| Yes | 86% | |
| No | 14% | |
| What percentage of your incoming business is initiated through the Web? | ||
| Less than 5 percent | 36% | |
| 5 to 10 percent | 24% | |
| None, I do not have a Web site | 16% | |
| 10 to 25 percent | 12% | |
| More than 50 percent | 8% | |
| 25 to 50 percent | 4% | |
| Do you use some form of digital templating? | ||
| No | 55% | |
| Yes | 45% |
|
| Do you offer more than one material choice (solid surface, natural stone, quartz surfacing/e-stone, tile, etc.) to your customers? | ||
| Yes | 79% | |
| No | 21% |
|
| Do you have a CNC Machine in your shop? | ||
| No | 63% | |
| Yes | 37% |
|
| With 2008 approaching, how do you seen 2007 wrapping up? | ||
| Business is down a little | 27% | |
| Business is about the same | 23% | |
| Business is way down | 21% | |
| Business is way up | 15% | |
| Business is up a little | 14% | |
| Will you be attending StonExpo In Las Vegas in October? | ||
| Yes | 57% | |
| No | 34% |
|
| Undecided | 9% |
|
| Will you be attending the ISSFA Regional Meeting in September? | ||
| No | 43% | |
| Yes | 32% |
|
| Undecided | 25% |
|
| Do you have a showroom in your facility? | ||
| Yes | 68% | |
| No | 32% |
|
| Are you going to the AWFS woodworking expo in Las Vegas this year? | ||
| Yes | 34% | |
| No | 66% |
|
| How important are the green movement and environmentally friendly products to your business? | ||
| Not important at all. | 17% | |
| Not very important now, but will be in the future |
30% |
|
| Somewhat important | 26% |
|
| Very important | 27% |
|
| Are you going to Coverings in Chicago this year? | ||
| Yes | 13% | |
| No | 87% |
|
| Are you going to StonExpo East in Atlanta this year? | ||
| Yes | 19% | |
| No | 81% | |
| Will you be attending the upcoming Surface Fabrication & Design Expo in Orlando? | ||
| Yes | 58% | |
| No | 42% | |
| Generally speaking, how much influence do you have over what material is used for a given job? | ||
| Almost no influence, I sell what is asked for. |
5% | |
| Minor influence, I mostly sell what is asked for. |
14% | |
| Strong Influence, I urge customers to think about a particular material. |
59% | |
| Very strong influence, most customers buy the material I direct them to. |
22% | |
| With summer gone, how do you see business for the remainder of the year? | ||
| Very Strong | 21% | |
| Above Average | 38% | |
| Below Average | 33% | |
| Very Weak | 8% | |