February 2012

Sunday, February 26, 2012

Charlton business grows as demand for home renovation supplies increases.
Alecx Santos, co-owner of All Granite & Marble Inc. in Charlton, stands in front of his company’s two new buildings, a showroom, left, and a processing plant. (T&G Staff/PAUL KAPTEYN)

CHARLTON —  Brazilian immigrant Alecx Santos has come a long way from waiting tables at the IHOP restaurant in Shrewsbury, his first job when he came to the United States as a teenager 20 years ago.

He and his wife, Alcine, have seen their granite countertop company, All Granite & Marble Inc. at 379 Worcester Road, grow into a thriving business, with $3.8 million in annual sales. All Granite & Marble imports, cuts to order, finishes and installs natural and engineered stone for residential and commercial spaces.

Mr. Santos attributes the rapid doubling of sales to building a strong sales force, focusing on customer service and investing in technology. He said when he bought the business in 2007, the market for home sales was weakening, but the demand for renovation supplies, such as the granite kitchen countertops that are his core business, was expanding.