Inside Creative Granite + Design: Nearly 30 Years of Craft

Nearly 30 years ago, Creative Granite + Design (CG+D) had a relatively simple goal: complete five kitchens a week. With a small team working out of a 5,000-square-foot facility, each completed project represented another step forward for the growing Utah fabrication company.

Today, CG+D operates out of a 35,000-square-foot facility with roughly 50 to 60 employees and fabricates approximately 20 to 30 kitchens a day. The scale has changed dramatically since founder and owner Ricardo Pazos started the company in 1998, but the foundation remains rooted in craftsmanship and relationships.

“If you don’t have that relationship, you don’t have the full tools to get business going”

Pazos founded CG+D after working in the countertop industry and seeing an opportunity to build something of his own. What began as a small fabrication operation has grown alongside Utah’s building community, developing long-standing relationships with builders, homeowners and industry partners.

For Pazos, those relationships remain central nearly three decades later. “You can have the best place out there, the best price out there,” Pazos says. “But if you don’t have that relationship, you don’t have the full tools to get business going.”

While countertops remain a core part of CG+D’s work, the company’s capabilities extend well beyond the kitchen. CG+D fabricates and installs stone and engineered surfaces for new construction, remodels, commercial spaces and multifamily developments, working with a plethora of builders, homeowners and designers.

Applications range from kitchen and bathroom countertops to full-height backsplashes, fireplaces, showers, integrated sinks, outdoor spaces and custom architectural details. As the company has grown, its fabrication capabilities have evolved, allowing the team to take on increasingly detailed and custom applications while serving projects of different scales.

Material knowledge is an important part of that process. CG+D works with natural stone and engineered surfaces, including marble, quartzite, granite, quartz and porcelain. Each material has its own characteristics, from natural variation to durability, maintenance and fabrication requirements. With decades of experience, the team can help clients understand those differences and select materials suited to the design, application and way a space will be used.

“They put the idea out, we put the work in and we get this product together”

That knowledge becomes particularly important as projects grow more custom. Builders, homeowners and designers may arrive with a vision, but translating it into stone requires an understanding of both design intent and what is technically possible through fabrication. “They put the idea out, we put the work in and we get this product together,” Pazos says.

The way CG+D brings those ideas to life has changed dramatically. Investments in modern fabrication technology have increased the company’s speed, accuracy and capacity, allowing the team to take on projects at a much larger scale.

But technology is only part of the equation. Skilled fabrication remains essential, particularly with complex layouts, curves, specialty edges and other custom details. Combining advanced equipment with hands-on craftsmanship has allowed CG+D to expand its capabilities while building on nearly three decades of technical knowledge.

One project that demonstrated that range was CG+D’s work at Rio Tinto Stadium, now America First Field. The approximately eight-month project included stonework throughout the stadium, from more straightforward applications to detailed custom marble work within the club spaces. The scale and complexity required careful planning, precise fabrication and skilled installation. “This was a little bit challenging,” Pazos says, “but it was very satisfying to see the end work.”

Nearly three decades after opening its doors, CG+D continues to evolve. The company continues to serve builders and long-standing partners while expanding its work with homeowners, designers, commercial projects and multifamily developments.

With advanced fabrication technology and a team capable of increasingly complex custom work, the possibilities have grown considerably from those early days of five kitchens a week. What has remained consistent is an emphasis on relationships, craftsmanship and the knowledge required to carry a project from material selection through fabrication and installation. For Creative Granite + Design, nearly 30 years in business is a foundation for what the team can create next.

Read more interviews by Olivia Watts:
Flip Twogood: Discovering Landscapes on Film, One Roll at a Time
Black, Bold & Brilliant: A Space for Filmmakers

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