PAGE OCR A4 – January 2009 – The Ontario Construction Report
Masters of an old-world craft
York Marble brings stonework into the new century
tial. ”In the U.S., only 12 per residential division called
STAFF WRITER – The OCR Construction Report
cent of a building, on aver- York Fabrica. With the
Working with stone is not company is one of the lead- age, is dedicated to stone. In growing demand for stone
easy. Heavy stone blocks are ing names in the hard sur- Canada, it’s 24 per cent. In products in residential con-
cut to specific dimensions. face industry. Europe the number is 64 per struction, York Marble is
The surface is ground and His son, Bob, has cent, so we have lots of well positioned to continue
polished, then whatever the watched the industry change room to grow.” to expand this market.
end result — a floor, a coun- over the years and has seen York Marble is also one “There are exciting
tertop, a staircase — it needs how York Marble has kept of Ontario’s largest employ- things happening in the res-
to be installed. It’s an age- up with new technology, ers of stone mechanics. idential marketplace,”
old craft; for some it’s a keeping intact his father’s They have the most sought Pestrin said. “It’s only been
work of art. For the late legacy of offering high qual- after installers in the country the last 15 years that we’ve
Andy Bortolotti, founder of ity products and services. and are often called on to seen increased demand for
York Marble in Toronto, it “It’s a great trade,” Bor- work on projects outside of stone surfaces. Now there
was both. tolotti said. “Today there are Canada, usually by referral are more products available,
Though he was born in better products, with far With more than 50 years ble. “We empathize with ar- from an overseas supplier or more colours and better
Saskatchewan, Bortolotti more variety in materials of experience and over sev- chitects – they have to man- a satisfied customer. Re- pricing.”
was raised in the Friuli re- and finishes.” eral thousand projects, their age so much data for a lot of cently, a client living in the Starting with custom on-
gion of Italy, where he was In the 1950s, the young knowledge and expertise is product. We can help them Hamptons in New York site measurements, York
introduced to the elegant company laid the terrazzo deep and broad. Because of solve problems and offer wanted a particular type of Marble craftsmen are ex-
properties of stone during floors in many of Toronto’s that, it’s not unusual for de- them alternative options.” marble and went to Italy to perts in problem solving and
his apprenticeship. He subway stations. Today, the signers and builders to ap- Just as important for find it. The supplier there re- get fully involved with what
moved back to Canada company’s projects include proach York Marble to act as Pestrin is the availability ferred the customer to York each residential customer
while still a young man, some of Ontario’s finest consultants in the early factor. “Over the years we Marble, who received the wants to achieve. While
bringing with him the landmarks including the CN stages of a project. have forged tremendous re- contract. most residential installations
knowledge of this old-world Tower, Osgoode Hall, “We are often called lationships worldwide with Key to their ongoing suc- are in bathrooms and
craft, and honed his skills on Fallsview Casino, the North upon by architects and quarries and fabricators to cess is keeping up with the kitchens, with new tech-
local projects. It wasn’t long Toronto Railway Station and builders to help them with ensure that our clients get technological demands of nologies like radiant heating
before he founded York the new Terminal 1 at Pear design logistics,” said Glen the best quality product, de-- the industry. York Marble for floors, more customers
Marble in 1949. Today the son International Airport. Pestrin, CEO of York Mar- livered to their time lines. has a unique bar coding sys- are opting for stone surfaces
This gives us the edge over tem, which was developed as an alternative to tiles.
local suppliers who may not by Bob Bortolotti’s son Whether it’s a mall reno-
know for sure if there will Rick. Every fabricated piece vation, a kaleidoscope of
be enough product for a par- of stone is coded with all the terrazzo colours in hospital
ticular job.” fabrication information so it floors, or exterior cladding
Congratulations!
And it is truly a global can be tracked. If there’s of a corporate head office,
trade. Each continent has its ever a need to replace or re- York Marble continues to
own unique geological for- pair, the stone can be lead the industry. In fact,
We are proud to be associated with
mations, offering an un- matched exactly. fewer companies still install
York Marble Tile and Terrazzo Inc.
precedented palette of The processing system terrazzo. With over 500 ma-
colour and design. Because also tracks each project and terials to choose from, it’s
as you celebrate six decades of success. York Marble has an out-
generates all the paperwork important to have an experi-
standing reputation for busi- from production time lines enced fabrication team who
ness integrity, the company to budgeting. With upwards understand the nuances of
has developed one of the of 3,000 jobs each year, it each particular stone.
best networks of overseas keeps everyone in the com- The company’s 70,000
quarry owners. Many inter- munication loop. sq.-ft. space houses their
national suppliers look to “This helps us keep in corporate office, warehouse
York Marble to help them touch with costs on all of space, a large fabrication
introduce new products to our jobs, all the time,” shop with state-of-the-art
the North American market. Pestrin added. “And it’s eas- equipment and an assembly
Pestrin says the hard sur- ier to co-ordinate and sched- area. They’ve increased
face market in Canada has ule contractors.” their use of “green” technol-
tremendous growth poten- York Marble also has a ogy with a filtration system
that recycles the water they
use. In addition, an air filtra-
tion system has been in-
stalled to reduce dust.
For 60 years, York Mar-
ble has masterfully melded
old-world craftsmanship
with new world technology,
bringing it to your doorstep.
84 Passmore Avenue, Toronto, ON M1V 4S9
They are well on their way
to another 60 years of suc-
Tel: (416) 291-7576 Fax: (416) 291-4868
cess.
For more information
visit www.yorkmarble.com
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