Midland Marble & Granite LLC: Where Modern Technology Meets Old-world Craftsmanship

Midland Marble & Granite LLC (MMG) has grown to become the largest retailer and installer of marble and granite in the Midwest due to the drive, ambition and dedication of its founders. Bryan Caton and his brother Mike started MMG in 1996; the brothers had worked as tile setters in Florida before hightailing it back to Kansas City to pursue an opportunity at the suggestion of a close high school friend. The initial opportunity didn’t pan out, but it did awaken an entrepreneurial spirit in the Catons that led to the founding of MMG and its establishment as a reliable and honest partner for all things marble and granite.

“We founded the company on the quality of work we provide and a complete approach to customer service,” says Bryan, cofounder and CEO of MMG. The company is based out of Lees Summit, Mo., where it maintains a small office, showroom and a state-of-the-art fabrication plant. MMG also operates showrooms in Overland Park, Kan., and Independence, Mo., as well as another showroom in Omaha, Neb.

Though Bryan considers MMG to be the fulfillment of his life’s work, the company continues to push itself to deliver the best possible value for customers. The acquisition of MMG’s state-of-the-art fabrication facilities has enabled the company to produce the caliber of marble and granite products that the MMG name is known for in a high enough volume to meet the needs of residential, institutional and commercial clients alike. MMG’s handiwork can be seen not only in some of the area’s most beautiful homes, but MMG products have also made it into the Sprint World Headquarters in Overland Park, Kan., as well as the Stowers Institute for Medical Research in Kansas City, Mo.

The Total Package

Customers can look to MMG for the total stone product package, as the company maintains an in-house team of design consultants and installation specialists to deliver bespoke stone products for every endeavor. MMG leverages its considerable buying power to bring the best quality natural and engineered stone products from around the world with no middlemen; this ensures products are priced to compete.

The company’s fabrication plant uses sophisticated CAD systems and CNC machines with diamond tooling to produce customized counter tops, bar tops and vanities with total precision. However even machines can’t compare to the eye of a skilled stonemason, so the MMG team has every product inspected and hand polished to total perfection.

As a full-service supplier, MMG allows customers to rest assured that the same company that designed and fabricated the product will be the same company installing the product, which is important considering every MMG installation comes with a standard lifetime installation warranty.

The Caton brothers’ entrepreneurial spirit have led the team to diversify over the years, folding in ancillary products to the MMG product line to better serve the company’s clientele. MMG eventually acquired two FlooringAmerica franchises, which became MMG’s Kansas City and Omaha locations. The acquisition expanded MMG’s focus into the realm of flooring solutions with a product range running the gamut from natural hardwood flooring to cost-effective laminate flooring products and carpeting, vinyl and tiling products in between.

Building a Strong Foundation

Expanding the product selection has helped the company maintain its foothold in the residential market throughout the economic downturn, but the MMG team wasn’t entirely unaffected. “We definitely had to downsize, but it helped us to focus on our current business and position ourselves to grow the commercial division in the next few years,” says Bryan.

MMG has been fortunate to complete work on at least one major Midwest landmark in the past few years. The MMG team completed work on the Hollywood Casino at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, Kan., in 2012. The project was estimated to cost over $60 million, but a second and much larger phase – which is rumored to include the construction of a luxury hotel, convention center and retail district – would bring the development’s grand total above $700 million.

Turner Construction Co. oversaw the construction of the project, and the project exceeded its set minimum for including minority-owned, women-owned and locally owned business by a long shot. The finally tally was just over 93 percent: 17 percent from minority-owned businesses, six percent from women-owned businesses and a whopping 86 percent from locally owned businesses, an achievement of which MMG is proud to have been a part.

“Consumer confidence is down, but it still feels like things are getting better,” muses Bryan. And the proof is evident in the Kansas City Economic Development Council, which managed to facilitate the construction of the 100,000-square foot Hollywood Casino as well as the construction of the 18,467-seat LIVESTRONG Sporting Park, which opened in 2011 and also boasts MMG’s handiwork.

MMG’s team’s experience has made the difference in recent years to clients in residential, commercial and institutional market sectors. As consumer confidence returns the company will be well positioned to put its experience to work for major construction projects and smaller-scale home remodeling projects alike, carrying on the Midland Marble & Granite LLC tradition of delivering unparalleled craftsmanship at an outstanding value.