The Granite Grannies Pledge
-Strive for referrals by making sure that our customers are ecstatic over our service and workmanship.
-Recognize that our customers work hard for their money and honor their intentions to spend it wisely.
-Walk our customers through the process of selecting the right stone.
-Design the stone for their home, not replicate the plastic counter tops being replaced.
Hello! I’m Lori Hethmon, the owner and founder of Granite Grannies, Inc. I would love to share my story with you:
I grew up in a family of custom home builders. I learned about old-world craftsmanship from my father and uncles. After several years of selling high-end real estate in California, I began working for a small company that imported some of the world’s finest hand-embroidered linens. My work took me to some of America’s most beautiful homes. I was captivated by what I saw: Every single one of these homes had granite! Not one of them had used formica, quartz, or Corian.™ I decided that there had to be a way to purchase granite for my own home, but at an affordable price. Then I met “Granny,” a successful businesswoman from out West who taught me the secrets of buying stone overseas. With a friend, we set up shop in my old Maryland bank barn. Granite Grannies was born.
Granite Grannies has since become more than I ever dreamed. We now own a shop and warehouse in Upper Marlboro and have a wonderful staff of dedicated countertop experts and skilled stoneworkers. I am proud that our commitment to quality American workmanship continues to far exceed that of other granite companies.
Yet, our success is due to more than just our workmanship. Yes, it’s about the final product, but for us it’s also about the process. Granite Grannies specializes in one well-done kitchen, bath or custom application at a time. We are greatly concerned with meeting your personal design and lifestyle needs. From initial granite selection through the installation and finishing process we are in constant communication with you.
Lori Hethmon
Founder and Owner.Lori founded Granite Grannies out of her barn back in 2004. She grew up in a family of home builders and contractors. After graduating from the University of Wisconsin, she traveled the world extensively and brings this international experience to her design work. She also has a background in real estate and interior design. Lori and her husband have three kids and their historic home is their baby. Besides running her business, she enjoys horse riding with her daughter and snowboarding with her sons.
Kimi Himes
Kimi is our General Manager. Besides being one of the kindest people you could ever meet, Kimi is the glue that binds the shop together. She does everything: ordering stone, organizing efficient schedules for installs, and keeping an eye on what work that goes out when each week. On top of all that, she is great at helping customers find the granite that’s right for them. She has an excellent eye for color and pattern. We look to Kimi to find that elusive stone on the market place for a customer –if it’s out there, she’ll find it. When she’s not at work, Kimi loves spending time with her big family.
Hannah Hethmon
Hannah is all about design. Her love for color and design helps her guide our customers to the right stone for their home and lifestyle. She also takes the lead on marketing ideas and keeping Granite Grannies up to date. She enjoys dabbling in art and music when she’s not busy with classes at the University of Maryland, College Park. She’s crazy about stone, but can’t pass up leaving early for a game of ultimate frisbee.
Chuck Gott
Chuck is the Shop Foreman. It’s his responsibility to take each project smoothly through initial design to final installation. He has a superb understanding of his craft, and is always eager to learn more. His expertise is in design and making sure the details are as important as the big picture. In his free time, Chuck hunts, fishes, and coaches his son’s t-ball team. He also has a darling younger daughter.
Leo Brown
Leo is probably one of the best seam setters in the industry. He’s certainly valuable in the shop, but he’s also irreplaceable in the field, so we send him out on installs as often as possible. Leo is the lead singer in a rock band, and adds a good measure of “cool” to the shop. He and his wife have an adorable young daughter who’s always the star of the company picnic.
Juan Orozco
Juan is steady and patient in his work. He is extremely reliable in all aspects of the trade. Juan’s versatility means he excels at every aspect of granite fabrication and installation. We couldn’t do without him. In fact, whenever we are hiring we do keep cloning Juan among our options. He’s our music lover, and his ipod is always the first to be played while the guys are working. He and his wife have two beautiful daughters.
Yaden Orozco
Yaden is Juan’s younger brother. He’s our newest addition to the team. Juan is such a valuable part of the whole operation, so we are excited to have this stellar team of brothers around. Yaden is enthusiastic, courteous, and a superb polisher and installer. Our customers always have great things to say after Juan and Yaden finish a job.
Arben Maliqi
Arben is a dedicated and resourceful employee. He brings years of experience to our shop. He is a singularly hard working man whose commitment to completing each beautiful install flawlessly is invaluable to our company. He is always eager to find new ways of improving our productivity and efficiency so that we can compete in the market place without sacrificing quality or workmanship. Somehow, Arben always manages to be in a great mood. Born in Kosovo, Arben earned his citizenship working for the US military.
John Ipek
John is our old world talent. Born in Turkey, John and his wife lived in several European cities before he won the lottery to immigrate to the U.S. He’s brought us the advantage of Europe’s fine craftsmanship. His edge polishing gives our work the highest grade of shine. This careful work requires vigilant eyes and steady hands. He applies these same work skills to his hobby of making model boats. The details on his boats are quite amazing. He has a great sense of humor, and love making everyone here laugh.
Heidi Carroll
Heidi is more than just our trusted business manager: her commitment to a “pay as you go” policy keeps our small company financially solid. Having this kind of wisdom on staff means security and peace of mind. She manages every aspect of our finances with efficiency. Her greatest accomplishment is four well-raised children. Two of her three daughters are married, and her youngest son just embarked on a military career.
