Cooperation Vs. Competition

Even though we are only at the end of October, November marks the time that most of us begin to think about the impending holiday season. This should be a period marked with thankfulness, joy and compassion for our friends, family and professional acquaintances, but it is often marred by stress, chaos, hustle and bustle.

While we understandably have competitors in business, the silver lining here is that this situation provides us with an opportunity to reflect on our personal and business relationships and analyze the level of competition in our lives.

Businesses, including countertop fabrication and related industries, are born of competition, and it is argued that this competition is what makes us stronger, pushes us to develop new, innovative products and provide the highest levels of customer service. Those who win the competition rise to the top, and those who fail eventually sputter out and die. While this is true to a certain extent, a new breed of consultants has put forth the proposition that all businesses require higher levels of cooperation than they do competition.

This line of thinking goes along with the business advice of finding your particular niche and sticking with it, and cooperating with businesses that are supposed to be your competitors is nothing new. Before making my way into the world of countertop fabrication, I worked closely with some of the most successful privately owned appliance dealers in the nation, and I noticed that most of them were willing to lend a hand to competitors in their markets when they found themselves in a sticky situation.

Of course, you can only provide so much help before it becomes a major detriment, but the business owners who practiced cooperation understood that one day they may also need a little help in providing their customers the best service possible. These cooperative businesses were never worried about losing sales or giving others a helping hand because they were all secure in their respective niche. They had successfully convinced their customers that their products and services are unique, and this is the true struggle that business owners must face.

As the year progresses, think about how you can cooperate with your competitors to the advantage of both businesses rather than setting out to crush them. In the long run, most companies find they are better off after engaging in cooperative efforts. Perhaps you are already working with your competitors on some level.

An Early Look at 2015 Kitchen Trends

Although we are still in the autumn of 2014, most of us are already looking at what 2015 has in store for us. Much of our business depends on being able to accurately predict the latest trends, and many people are already taking a shot at what will be popular for new and redesigned homes next year. You can see a lot of the new products at this great website for countertop information, but that is the now - what is the future?

When it comes to kitchens, several opinions are floating around news outlets and blogs, and countertops are not going unnoticed. According to HGTV’s 9 Hot Trends for Today’s Kitchens , homeowners are moving away from continuous counters that fit around the perimeter and instead prefer freestanding pieces and island countertops. This is because the kitchen is being seen less as a utilitarian room for cooking but more as another type of living space. In addition, many people are now in the market for artistic upgrades to make their kitchens unique, and recycled materials, such as those containing depression-era glass, are becoming popular.

HGTV goes on to name the Top Countertop Materials for the Kitchen. Granite makes the list for being timeless, durable and easy to clean while some modern kitchens now have stainless steel countertops because they are nonporous, do not have to be sealed and resist bacterial growth. Another countertop material that is gaining popularity, according to HGTV, is butcher block, which is said to add warmth and rustic elegance.

Although marble is often considered too soft for kitchens, it is beloved by bakers and adds an element of glamour. Another material that is gaining widespread popularity is concrete. These countertops are versatile and can be designed and dyed to complement any décor. Finally, quartz is the countertop material of choice for many because of its stain and scratch resistance and its uniform look.

An article published by LowesEmployees.com, Kitchen Trends or Kitchen Nightmares? Remodeling for 2015 covers remodeling trends for the coming year. Most kitchen remodels now include a change in countertops, and to corroborate HGTV, granite and quartz are the most popular choices. However, marble and tile countertops are close behind. In addition, countertops are increasingly being seen as an important element of the “kitchen triangle,” which is the busy space between the sink, range and refrigerator.

Another source of early kitchen trends for 2015 is Sharon’s Style Portfolio, the official blog of Sharon McCormick Design, LLC, in Durham, Conn. According to McCormick, the ultra-minimalist kitchen is starting to make waves. These so-called “invisible kitchens” were popularized by the Dutch Architectural firm known as i29 and show only a low profile countertop that is only a few centimeters thick, a faucet and a sink. All other fixtures and appliances are hidden behind sliding wall panels.

When it comes to countertops, McCormick proclaims that textured surfaces, such as leathered granite are gaining a foothold. She also asserts, like many of the others, that metal countertops, including stainless steel and copper are extremely popular. Last December, we ran a story about EOS Surfaces, distributed by Wilsonart, which is a copper-enhanced surfacing material that kills 99.9 percent of bacteria within two hours of exposure. This material is so popular that production is estimated to take more than a year to catch up with orders, and it has yet to be released for residential use.

Another trend recently reported by Realty Today, is the use of black and other dark colors in the kitchen. While this is not new for 2015, it seems to be catching on in the mainstream, especially with younger homeowners who are moving away from the old, sterile white of the parents and grandparents. In an interview with the Wall Street Journal on the subject, Maria Stapperfenne, president of the National Kitchen & Bath Association (NKBA), said, “People aren’t afraid of the dark.”

New York architect Richard Sammons of Fairfax & Sammons stated, “Dark materials create atmosphere. They are a corrective antidote to the antiseptic quality of the 20th-century white-enameled kitchen or the professional stainless steel kitchen so recently in vogue.”

While we do not profess to have the ability to see the future, we do take into consideration the attempts of all others. What do you believe 2015 has in store for the kitchen and countertop industry?