Natural Stone Council Introduces New Branding Initiative

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Jennifer Kardian

Stefanie Jones Public Relations Inc.

678-352-3652

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Natural Stone Council Introduces New Branding Initiative

Campaign Designed to Promote Quality and Benefits of Genuine Stone

Hollis, New Hampshire. January 9, 2007 –The Natural Stone Council (NSC), a collaborative organization representing the stone industry’s business and trade associations, today announced the launch of their new branding program. Differentiating natural stone products from competitors has been a long-standing priority for the NSC. The goal of the branding strategy is to promote the value and unique benefits of genuine stone and educate the design, construction, and consumer communities on what makes nature’s own building material special.

The multi-faceted program, created in partnership with McKee Wallwork Cleveland, an Albuquerque-based advertising agency, is comprised of a newly designed “Genuine Stone” logo inspired by ancient coins, the development of an NSC website to centralize and disseminate the best information on natural stone that the industry has to offer, and three eye-catching print advertisements suggesting that natural stone is “As genuine as you.”

“The NSC’s top priority is to be proactive in positioning natural stone as a high quality product in the category of construction materials,” said Mark Fernandes, president of the NSC. “Our ‘Genuine Stone’ program will generate an awareness among builders and consumers that the benefits of natural stone, such as durability, make it an excellent building choice.”

Each component is designed to support the idea that every piece of natural stone is a one-of-a-kind work of art. The majority of the campaign components will be complete in spring 2007.

About The Natural Stone Council

Formed in 2003, The Natural Stone Council represents the collective interests of natural stone product manufacturers and suppliers. The organization strives to promote the value and unique benefits of real natural stone and to design and implement solutions to address the misconceptions about stone versus other competitive products. The NSC’s primary goal is to raise the level of awareness and education of natural stone in North America. For more information about the NSC, please contact Duke Pointer, Executive Director, at .