New countertop business comes to Yakima

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A producer of custom-made marble and granite countertops announced plans to open a Yakima facility that will bring at least 25 new jobs to the area.

Italstone-U.S. plans to break ground for a 8,000-square-foot facility on 2301 Ahtanum Road by next month and be open for business by late summer, owner and president Gjino Ilias said during a news conference Friday.

The location and climate were major draws. "It's a central location for business growth and business opportunity, he said.

Italstone-U.S. is an offshoot from a family business that began in Italy more than 50 years ago. It imports marble and stone from quarries around the world. Ilias brought the business to the United States in 2003 with a facility in Hood River, Ore. Ilias' brother has a similar business in the Vancouver, British Columbia, area.

Wages for workers at the Hood River location average $30,000 a year and include benefits. Workers hired in Yakima will be trained at the existing location before the new facility, Ilias said.

Ilias' relationship with the Yakima Valley dates back to his first countertop job for a Terrace Heights couple in 2003. Over time, he did many jobs in the area and developed relationships with the business community through involvement in organizations such as the Central Washington Home Builders Association.

Italstone-U.S. has worked with New Vision, the county's private nonprofit economic development arm, for about six months to develop the new facility.

Yakima is a good fit for small- to medium-sized companies such as Italstone-U.S, said New Vision president Dave McFadden. With these companies, the area can offer sites and a labor force that meets their criteria.

And in the long run, attracting several of these types of companies may provide a sizable number of jobs. "I see a lot of potential for us to be attractive to these small-medium size production companies," he said. "And I emphasize there's a lot of upside potential."

Ilias hopes the new facility will provide local homeowners and builders with even better access to its services. "Right now, Central Washington builders or homeowners have to travel to the city to find marble and granite slabs," he said. "Our company will import from the quarry to Yakima. Now, it's in their backyard."