Marble Institute of America: Press Room

MIA LAUNCHES ACCREDITATION PROGRAM; BEGINS ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS

CLEVELAND, OH, March 5, 2007—The Marble Institute of America announced today that it is now accepting applications for its new accreditation program. The program, which was in the planning stages for more than two years, is expected to draw hundreds of applicants as they take advantage of an independent program that will eventually allow them to use a coveted MIA accreditation seal in their marketing.

"Accreditation will be available to all fabrication/installation companies within the natural stone industry, not just MIA members," said Scott Lardner, MIA Past President and Chairman of its Accreditation Commission.

Three forms of accreditation are available: Natural Stone Fabricator, Commercial A Contractor and Commercial B Contractor. Lardner said, "The MIA intends to explore expanding the program to other sectors of the natural stone industry upon successful implementation of the first three."

"A great deal of time and effort has been spent ensuring that this accreditation program is the real deal," said Tony Malisani, member of the Accreditation Appeals Committee. "The MIA accreditation seal will not be a rubber stamp: rather, it will lend instant credibility to firms that earn it."

The process of becoming accredited consists of three equally-weighted phases. Phase one requires the completion of a lengthy application which will ensure that the company is in compliance with the ten standards of accreditation as laid out by the MIA Accreditation Task Force. The second phase is a two hundred question multiple choice examination, testing the applicant's knowledge and application of material usage, installation, fabrication, restoration, care and maintenance, administration, legal/contracts and jobsite and shop safety. The third phase is a comprehensive site visit, which will include a facility review, document review, and one or more installation visits.

Accredited natural stone fabricators consist of residential-oriented companies that have successfully completed two hundred projects in a minimum of three years, amongst other requirements.

Commercial accreditation is broken into two categories. Commercial A is for companies doing large commercial work, while, Commercial B is for firms that handle smaller scale commercial stone installations such as hotel lobbies, bank lobbies and low-rise interior/exterior cladding.

To request an application go to www.marble-institute.com/accreditation, scroll to the bottom of the page and click: Application Request Form.

About the Marble Institute of America
For over 60 years the Marble Institute of America (MIA) has been the world's leading information resource and advocate for the natural dimension stone industry. MIA members include marble, granite, limestone, sandstone, and other natural stone producers and quarriers, fabricators, installers, distributors, and contractors around the world.