MIA Safety Group Gets New Chief

CLEVELAND — Jonathan Mitnick takes the chair to head up the Marble Institute of America’s Safety Committee.

Jonathan MitnickMitnick, vice president of CCS Stone Inc, and managing partner of Marble Devices USA, takes over from current chair Jim Nikolopoulos,
director of operations at Walker Zanger, who will remain active on the committee following a two year stint as chairman.

Ted Skaff of GranQuartz/Pearl Abrasive Co. will serve as vice-chair.

A charter member of the committee, Mitnick finds his new role both challenging and disconcerting.

“I’ve seen and heard of too many fatalities or near-misses that, when examined, could have been avoided had better operating procedures been
in place,” he said. “I feel this committee is helping to fill the need by developing and publishing best practices for the stone industry.”

Skaff added, “We have safety experts from 22 North American and multi-national companies sitting at the table. We are competitors in the
marketplace, but in these meetings, we work together for the safety and health of the people in the entire industry.”

“The Safety Committee is a highly dedicated group of volunteers encompassing the distributor, equipment and risk management sectors of the
stone industry,” Nikolopoulos noted. “Over the last several years, we have identified issues and provided seriously needed safety solutions
for our industry.”

Committee accomplishments over the past year include a “Health & Safety in the Stone Business” manual revised for Ontario (also available in
Canadian French), a new Slab Clamp Safety video, and monthly toolbox talks/safety meeting agendas.

For more information on these and other safety related items, please go here.