CHICAGO, June 16, 2008--Italian stone and tile manufacturer GranitiFiandre has announced an initiative to broaden its services to its US commercial customer base by opening GranitiFiandre Resource Centers throughout the US. The resource centers will function as dynamic solutionsoriented hubs offering clients the product, technology, expertise, and literature required to make ideal surfacing decisions.

“ Jeanne Nichols, vice president for our US operations, will lead this initiative for us in the US,” said Graziano Verdi, president & CEO of GranitiFiandre Group. “We are confident Jeanne has the vision, experience, and leadership required to execute and accomplish this exciting resource center development,” he adds.

GranitiFiandre Resource Centers will be located in Boston, Los Angeles, and San Francisco where the company has existing showrooms, as well as in Chicago, Dallas, Phoenix, Denver, and Las Vegas where new facilities will open in 2008. Each center will have a swatch wall where GranitiFiandre’s broad spectrum of porcelain tiles will be sampled along with full mosaic accompaniments.

“Since GranitiFiandre’s product line encompasses collections for use in the building envelope, lobbies, offices, and residences, our resource centers will provide space to display and sample the complete product range to commercial and high-end residential architects and designers,” said Jeanne Nichols, vice president—sales and marketing for GranitiFiandre in the United States. Each center will be staffed by industry professionals who can provide technical product details and BIM assistance. Comprehensive product samples and literature in a virtual as well as a “hands-on” format will be available, allowing for full cosmetic and practical exploration of the company’s product offerings.

GranitiFiandre Resource Centers were fully functional in Boston, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Chicago as of April 1, 2008. The Dallas center is slated to open Summer 2008 with others following throughout early Fall.

About GranitiFiandre

Founded in 1961 in Castellarano, Italy, GranitiFiandre has for decades supplied global customers with the highest quality selection of fine architectural surfacing products. With international facilities in Italy, Germany and the United States, as well as a global distribution network, GranitiFiandre is equipped to address product needs for an array of architectural and design situations. The company’s United States operations are managed through Trans Ceramica with American headquarters based in the Chicago area.

Dedication to a healthy and safe environment is an important part of GranitiFiandre’s history, and the company proudly continues the tradition of environmental leadership at its United States facility. Significant investments in materials usage efficiency, air quality protection, water resource management and energy efficiency are the hallmarks of GranitiFiandre’s corporate stewardship.

For more information, visit granitifiandreusa.com.