Welcome back to the Cutting Edge Install Podcast, brought to you by Omni Cubed — where innovation meets installation and everything in between.
In this episode, host Merv Campbell sits down with Brian Gambrell, a stone industry veteran with nearly 30 years of experience spanning sales, marketing, distribution, manufacturing, executive leadership, and now entrepreneurship with Pro Tool Haus.
Brian shares how he unexpectedly entered the stone industry as a 21-year-old and became the second employee at Braxton-Bragg during a time when granite countertops were only beginning to gain traction in the United States. What started as simply needing a job grew into a three-decade career that gave him a front-row seat to the evolution of stone fabrication.
The conversation explores the lessons Brian picked up along the way: from mentors who taught him the value of hard work and taking calculated risks to the importance of sharing knowledge with the next generation. Merv and Brian discuss why the stone industry's culture of collaboration is worth protecting and why experienced fabricators, business owners, and industry leaders have a responsibility to invest in the people coming behind them.
They also get into the realities of leadership, including making difficult decisions, developing employees, maintaining work-life balance, and learning how to build a company that can operate without everything depending on one person. Brian also shares the thinking behind his newest venture, Pro Tool Haus, and why he's focused on education, customer service, relationships, and carefully selecting tools that professionals can depend on. That leads into a larger discussion about price versus value, and why saving money on the wrong tool can cost a fabricator far more when quality, safety, or reliability is compromised.
In this episode, you'll hear them discuss:
- How Brian unexpectedly began a 30-year career in the stone industry
- What the early days of the modern stone fabrication industry looked like
- Why mentorship and knowledge sharing are critical for the next generation
- The importance of collaboration between fabricators and even competitors
- Lessons learned from sales, marketing, manufacturing, and executive leadership
- The difficult realities that come with leading a company
- Why leaders should train employees to succeed without them
- Finding a healthier balance between business and family
- Why Brian decided to launch Pro Tool House
- How professionals should evaluate quality, safety, support, and value when buying tools
- Why the cheapest tool can become the most expensive option when something goes wrong
- The importance of customer service and relationships in an increasingly automated world
From old-school business principles to the future of fabrication, this episode is packed with lessons from three decades in the industry. And a reminder that better tools, better training, and better relationships all contribute to a stronger trade.
Learn more about Omni Cubed: https://omnicubed.com/
Learn more about Pro Tool Haus: https://protoolhaus.com/
