KBB - March 2014 - 36

KBIS is Back!

KBIS SPECIAL SECTION

Not Your Typical SOTI
What really stood out
at this year's State of the
Industry Address was the fact
that it was being translated
from Spanish into English in
real time. Francisco "Paco"
Martinez-Cosentino, president
of the Cosentino Group,
delivered the address, which
discussed his and his company's success stories and offered key
factors businesses should consider.
Cosentino feels that research and innovation, marketing and a
commitment to the ongoing development of employees all help a
business thrive, and if any of those things are missing, a business is
unlikely to succeed. His parents taught him the importance of a strong

develop marble for cemeteries and countertops. When that wasn't
successful, he moved onto other ideas that would be.
Cosentino learned throughout his career that it is important to
develop products for more than one market, as he spent several

work ethic and how to face obstacles at a young age, which he feels
have made him into the successful entrepreneur he is today. After
working for his father's business, Cosentino eventually purchased his
own quarries and learned as he went along. He even became the
president of his regional entrepreneurial organization and began to

years trying to ﬁnd a niche for his Silestone product. He also said it is
important to be patient, and that when your competition tries to copy
you, it is important to continually be improving through innovation.
"Do things others are not," added Cosentino. "Take the time to visit
different places and study different cultures."

HGTV's Contributions to KBIS

HGTV and DIY held open auditions all three days of KBIS at the
NKBA Center Stage booth. The goal was to ﬁnd new people with
the right moxie to host their TV shows.

HGTV's "We Love Design"
promotion was a way for
attendees to share photos
of products they loved at
KBIS on Instagram. If they
used #lovedesign in the
caption, the photos were
printed out in the NKBA
booth, and favorites were
posted on HGTV.com.

36

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K BB

Left to Right: Valentin Tijeras Garcia, Damian Granados, Santiago
Alfonso Rodríguez, Eduardo Cosentino, Paco Cosentino, John Petrie,
Lorenzo Marquez. Photo Courtesy of Cosentino Group

KBtribechat Represented at KBIS
The community from Twitter's
KBtribechat got together at KBIS
twice. On day one the group
had a Progressive Special
Edition KBtribechat starting in
the Amerock Hardware booth
KBtribechat at the
where they met Eric Cohler and
Wellborn Cabinet booth.
got a ﬁrst-hand look at the new
AmerockNOW cabinet jewelry
collections and ﬁnishes. The group then made its way down the very busy KBIS
aisles, following a red umbrella to the Wellborn Cabinet booth. Designer Karen
Salyer gave her insights about her booth designs, showing cabinet offerings
for every room and exciting color options. The ﬁnal stop was across the hall
to Cambria USA where Ramsin Khachi wowed the group with his innovative
quartz fabrication techniques, uses and treatments, plus a ﬁnal surprise meet
and greet with Cheryl Tiegs.
On day two of KBIS, Formica Group hosted the regularly scheduled Wednesday
KBtribechat discussion, having the group convene in its booth to share in
person. KBIS product and technology ﬁnds, color trends, must-see booths and
show highlights were discussed.
KBtribechat connects kitchen and bath industry pros, and these two fun events
offered the chance to share KBIS news online and in person.

March 2014 / www.kbbonline.com / The Ofﬁcial Sponsor of KBIS www.kbis.com
http://www.HGTV.com http://www.kbbonline.com http://www.kbis.com
KBB - March 2014

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of KBB - March 2014
