Oberlin, OH, December 8, 2021—The Natural Stone Institute will welcome three individuals to its board of directors in January 2022:
North American Installer
Sam Arcot, Rugo Stone, LLC
Sam is the Special Projects Manager at Rugo Stone in Lorton, VA. With over 22 years of experience, Sam began his career in the Indian stone industry at the age of 17 as an entrepreneur. Sam is also an MBA graduate and has a strong background in Sales, Marketing, and Business Development. Having joined Rugo Stone in 2010, Sam has spearheaded the company’s marketing initiatives to promote natural stone products and to strategically diversify operations to target niche markets which require a combination of highly skilled/experienced workforce as well as the latest technology in stone fabrication. Sam was the recipient of the Natural Stone Institute’s Natural Stone Scholarship in 2013 and has volunteered for many NSI delegation trips and Stone Summits. Sam is also currently a mentor in the Women in Stone Mentorship Program.
North American Quarrier
Darrell Petit, Stony Creek Quarry
Darrell Petit has worked in all capacities of the Stony Creek Quarry since 1990. He has led the team on many projects including: The Statue of Liberty Museum, The Smithsonian Cooper Hewitt National Design Museum, Columbia University, the Second Division Memorial in President’s Park, DC, and 550 Madison in New York City. An internationally renowned sculptor, he has worked with quarries around the world—such as Lundhs in Norway—to complete monumental sculptures including those for the Chubu Museum and Cultural Center in Japan, for the Yale University Peabody Museum, for the Four Seasons One Dalton Boston and for the Egyptian Ministry of Culture. Darrell has been a member of the NSF Joint Committee on Dimensional Stone to develop the ANSI/NSC 373 sustainability assessment for natural dimension stone and currently volunteers as a mentor for the Women in Stone Mentorship Program. He was an early adopter of the Natural Stone Institute’s testing lab and currently volunteers on the association’s sustainability committee.
Associate Member
Filippo Emanuel, TENAX USA
Filippo Emanuel is the founder and CEO of TENAX USA LLC. After 14 years spent in the Italian Navy both as a jet pilot and as a captain of a ship, Filippo moved to the US in 1998 to develop the market for TENAX S.p.A, the leading Italian manufacturer of consumable products for the stone industry. In 2000 he founded TENAX USA LLC and became its general manager. Since then, the company has grown exponentially, making the INC 5000 List of fastest growing companies in the US 5 times in less than 8 years. From 2012 to 2016 Filippo was also in charge of TENAX do BRASIL, acquiring an enormous amount of experience in the stone industry both from the manufacturing point of view and of the fabrication side of the business. Filippo has supported the association’s safety committee and multiple networking events. He has also provided equipment resources for the association’s testing lab.
Arcot, Petit, and Emanuel will be formally welcomed to the board during the first meeting of 2022 at TISE in February. The Natural Stone Institute would also like to thank their five outgoing board members: Herwig Callewier (Beltrami Natural Stone), Leonardo De Tatagiba (Granitos Zucchi), Mariavittoria Grassi (Grassi Pietre), Marcella Prado (Laticrete), and Robert Zavagno (Cleveland Marble Mosaic) will conclude their board service at the January 2022 board meeting.
About the Natural Stone Institute
The Natural Stone Institute is a trade association representing every aspect of the natural stone industry. The current membership exceeds 2,000 members in over 50 nations. The association offers a wide array of technical and training resources, professional development opportunities, regulatory advocacy, and networking events. Two prominent publications—the Dimension Stone Design Manual and Building Stone Magazine—raise awareness within the natural stone industry and in the design community for best practices and uses of natural stone. Learn more at www.naturalstoneinstitute.org.
