Quarrier's New Showroom Meets Growing Demand for Granite
Granite Mountain Stone Design Opens in Fresno, CA

FRESNO, (Nov. 15, 2002) - Cold Spring Granite Company, which operates the Sierra White quarry in Raymond, Calif., and the Academy Black quarry outside of Clovis, Calif., reaches a new milestone in its more than 100-year history with the opening of its first California residential granite showroom, Granite Mountain Stone Design in Fresno, Calif. The 2,000-square-foot showroom is a one-of-its-kind in Fresno offering the public a firsthand opportunity to see the variety of interior and exterior applications possible in granite.

Cold Spring Granite Company has provided quality granite throughout the world, including for the construction of California's most distinguished buildings, such as the San Francisco Market Street's United Nations Plaza fountain, Capitol Building in Sacramento, Calif., City Hall in Los Angeles and San Francisco, Veterans War Memorial and the Opera House in San Francisco, 9-11 Memorial Pelco, Fresno, Calif., and Fresno Airport. Now Granite Mountain Stone Design, Cold Spring Granite Company's retail division, can provide the same quality workmanship in the home as found in popular California and international landmarks.

"The growing market of Fresno and the Valley make a perfect place to have our first California retail showroom," said John Packer, director of operations of Granite Mountain Stone Design. "Homes in the area are setting the trend of using creative granite applications. Granite countertops continue in popularity, but now homebuilders are seeking original granite creations to set their homes apart from the rest, including solid granite entryways and thick stone fireplaces with laser etched art work. Granite Mountain Stone Design is the source for visitors to dream the unique possibilities for their homes and make those dreams a reality."

The popularity of granite in homes is growing rapidly. Thirty-seven percent of homeowners who remodeled in 2001 chose granite for their countertops, a 14 percent increase from 1995, according to the National Kitchen & Bath Association. The rise in granite purchases for the home is due to many reasons including granite's natural beauty, multitude of color choices, unique textures, durable and easy maintenance and affordability, due to new technology making it less costly to cut and finish stone.

Customers also now have the convenience to choose their granite pieces in the comfort of an indoor showroom and view granite straight from quarries worldwide. Less than 50 miles from the quarry, Granite Mountain Stone Design provides granite in almost any thickness, finish, color or shape. Customers are no longer limited to picking granite in outdoor slab yards or being restricted to standard slab sizes or colors.

Granite Mountain Stone Design offers a granite buying experience unlike any other as a quarry, fabricator and installer, it provides a one-stop shopping convenience and a limited lifetime warranty on all installed countertops - very rare in the industry. Cold Spring Granite Company also has more than 30 quarries across North America for more granite options in colors and textures. This year, Granite Mountain Stone Design will open retail showrooms in Marble Falls and Dallas, Texas; Fresno, Calif.; and Albany, N.Y.

About Granite Mountain Stone Design

Granite Mountain Stone Design is a retail granite showroom selling a broad range of stone products for the home or small commercial use, including countertops, bathroom vanities, flooring, entryways and fireplaces. The company is a division of Cold Spring Granite Company. Cold Spring Granite Company, established in 1898 and headquartered in Cold Spring, Minn., is one of the largest granite manufacturers in North America offering a wide variety of granite colors and finishes for commercial and memorialization needs. Cold Spring Granite Company and Granite Mountain Stone Design employs about 90 employees at its California quarries and showroom. The showroom is located at 802 West Pinedale Avenue, Suite 102 (800-621-1982).