BBI Visits NSI's Lab
BB Industries was invited to Natural Stone Institute in Oberlin, OH to visit their service and testing Lab in mid-October, 2020. The NSI facility and the lab are all housed within the same building structure with a interesting history. The building was once the home of a local architect. At some point, there was a tree growing right through the middle of the building. The tree has long been removed. Later, the building was updated to include the lab on the lower level. That’s where all of the exciting stuff happens. For example, testing and stone destruction that’s submitted to some harsh environments and pressures.
BBI’s employees Mr. Jeff Dykstra, VP Sales & Marketing and Mr. Derek Brodka, Marketing Manager, were warmly welcomed by Mr. Jim Hieb, CEO and his entire staff. Through many different conversations, Jim talked about the NSI’s values, commitment to education and overall contributions to the stone industry. He was also able to point out some of the office spaces and training locations in the facility, as well as introduce his staff.
The lab is of modest size and ideal for testing purposes. For a stone lab, it is kept in a immaculate condition and it’s organized to follow a logical flow for testing purposes. There is a stone receiving area towards the back by the door, a few reinforced benches to hold all kinds of stone, and also all of the testing equipment needed for the Natural Stone Institute’s results certification. Some of the equipment measures the stone’s tensile strength, some measure stone’s ware, and other equipment tests the crushing pressures. All of the testing by NSI Lab is typically requested by the contractor of a project, that’s been drawn out by an architect. The costs for these services are very competitive and offer the contractor a higher level of understanding of the natural stone’s properties that he/she is working with. The Lab also does wet/dry testing, freeze and thaw testing, as well as shear testing.
BB Industries would like to thank Natural Stone Institute and especially Mr. Jim Hieb, CEO, for allowing our representatives to visit your facility.
The testing lab at the Natural Stone Institute’s HQ in Oberlin, OH remains open for business. For a full list of available testing and services, please visit www.naturalstoneinstitute.org/lab.
About 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 countries. The association offers a wide array of technical and training resources, professional development opportunities, regulatory advocacy, and networking events.
