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15 Interesting Facts about L.E. Smith’s Laminate Countertops

  Laminate countertops are tough. In fact, Consumer Reports noted that laminate countertops are a “long lasting material.” Laminate Countertops can take the heat, and stay in the kitchen! Laminate countertops have the same heat resistance as Quartz. Laminate countertops are inexpensive in comparison to other surfaces. That makes them easy to change and replace if your kitchen needs a facelift, or a change of color. Laminate Countertops are more stain resistant than granite and several other solid surfaces, so spill away! Laminate Countertops can be installed by DIY homeowners, unlike heavier surfaces like Granite or Quartz. Tooling required is…

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Can a Solid Surface Countertop be repaired?

You bet!  No matter what brand of Solid Surface involved, whether it is Corian®, Hi-Macs®, Staron®, or any other  popular brand of solid surface countertop, it can be repaired if it is miscut, scratched, or even gouged.  Interested in  seeing how? Watch our “Drill & Fill” Video  Once you’re done, if you’d like to learn more about how L.E. Smith can help you with your next solid surface project, let us know here!  

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Another Kaizen success for the L.E. Smith team!

On Monday March, 16th a group of 9 L.E. Smith associates spent the day tackling the total material utilization process from beginning to end.  They reviewed material opportunities across manufacturing categories including laminate countertops and solid surface countertops. The goal of the Kaizen event was to find “waste” within our processes that we could correct to better align our material expenses with our sales revenue.  The team began the day with a “Gemba Walk” through the facility, spending a couple hours observing current processes and asking questions to understand why we do things the way that we do.  After this…

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Straddling the Manufacturer/Distributor Line in today’s...

Craig Francisco, COO of The L.E. Smith Company and NBMDA board member, shares his insight into the Manufacturer/Distributor relationship in this recent article by the NBMDA Channel Connection.  Read the Full Article Here

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White Hot

This week, temperatures tip-toeing around 50 degrees caused snow accumulation to finally melt away, and yet, we  can’t seem to get away from the color white.  It seems to be everywhere.  Have you noticed?  White kitchen  cabinets, white quartz countertops, and even the infamous white and gold dress (or black and blue depending on  your POV) are flooding the lookbooks of Houzz, the pins of Pinterest, and the feeds of Social Media sites  Facebook and Instagram.  We’re also seeing the white trend fill our trucks as new white countertops are being  shipped out daily to be installed in both residential kitchens and…

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Francisco appointed to 2015 NBMDA Board of Directors

Craig Francisco has been appointed to the board of The North American Building Material Distribution Association (NBMDA) effective January 29, 2015.  Craig is the current Chief Operating Officer for The L.E. Smith Company, located in Bryan, OH.  Craig joined L.E. Smith in 2008 after spending 12 years in the financial industry.   He joined Formica for a brief stint as their Director of North American Distribution before returning to L. E. Smith in May of 2013 as the key executive tasked with taking the business to the next level in rapidly changing economic and industry conditions.  Craig attended Bowling Green State…

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The L.E. Smith Company adds New Quartz Options to VanitEase™ line...

BRYAN, OH, February 10, 2015- The L.E. Smith Company has added 12 New Quartz colors to their VanitEase™ line of affordable and beautiful bathroom vanities.  These recent additions bring the number of colors in the VanitEase™ program to 24 in total, with the remaining 12 colors composed of Natural Granite options. The VanitEase™ line of bathroom vanities is unique within the Residential and Commercial Construction industry in that it is not limited to sizes that only fit Standard or Stock Size cabinets.  VanitEase™ bathroom vanities are highly customizable, and yet available with quick lead times- Nine options shipping in just…

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What happens at KBIS….

Last week, we attended the 2015 KBIS (Kitchen & Bath Industry Show) and IBS (International Builders Show) in Las Vegas, Nevada.  With approximately 2,000 brands exhibiting, and 75,000 attendees, it was the largest Construction Week event in recent years, and an exciting place to be.  In years past, the talk of the show has been trends in color and/or materials, but this year technology took the lead in terms of trend strength.  Showers, thermostats, toilets, and even coffee pots were exhibited and controlled by Smart phones, and the “Best of Show” award was given to a technology based product.  The…

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Craig Francisco to speak at KBIS 2015

Craig Francisco, COO, of The L.E. Smith Company will be speaking at this year’s KBIS Voices from the Industry event in Las Vegas, NV. Craig’s topic, Improve Your Culture and Bottom Line: Kaizen Implementation Success Formula will be held in the Las Vegas Convention Center, room N223 at 4:30pm on January 21, 2015.  Craig’s seminar is aimed at helping employers to not only keep their associates engaged in this fast paced, ever changing landscape, but to also increase productivity and decrease waste.  Craig has had a great deal of experience in implementing a Kaizen based culture, most notably during his tenure…

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