GRAVETTE -- Representatives from a rural Gravette company are busy preparing for a trip to one of the most prestigious shows in the world.
Dream Fab, LLC, located on Hidden Acres Road southeast of town, manufactures seamless countertops and tabletops made of 14 gauge steel. The company is headed for the National Restaurant Association's exhibition in Chicago, Ill., where it will showcase its products by displaying several of its tabletops.
The Impervicote countertop was created about 15 years ago by Cam Klassen, a fabricator from Gentry who designed the product for use in his own home. It is coated with a powder coating that is designed for durability. When neighbors and friends saw his countertops, they asked him to make them something similar and soon he began to manufacture them commercially.
Mary Snook, of Gravette, bought the company from Klassen in 2007 and acquired a patent on the product in 2012. She is assisted by Pat Green, her general manager.
The steel in the Impervicote countertops and tabletops is made from 30 percent recycled materials, and the product is 100 percent recyclable so the products are definitely environmentally friendly. No solvents are used in the manufacturing process so there are no vapors or fumes. Even the glass used in the new Blast Master cleaning process is 100 percent recycled glass from old beverage bottles and the process is completely dustless.
The powder coating on the Impervicote products creates a nonporous surface that is resistant to stains and does not absorb bacteria. Therefore, several have been installed in doctors' offices and assisted-living centers. The surfaces are scratch resistant and heat resistant. Hot pots and pans can be placed directly on the countertops and they disperse the heat so that when they are moved a person can place his hand on the surface and feel very little heat. The products can be cleaned with basic soap and water, which makes them essentially maintenance free.
Impervicote products are available in 24 colors. All work is custom crafted and a person can completely redesign a kitchen or any other room with a counter surface in it. Cabinet knobs and drawer pulls, outlet covers and even the range hood can be made to match the countertops with the same color powder coating. In a bathroom, metal mirror frames and toilet paper holders can be made to coordinate with the countertops. Door frames and window frames in the Dream Fab showroom are covered with the durable coating.
Impervicote countertops and islands can be used indoors or out so they are ideal for the person who loves to barbecue and wants an outdoor kitchen. Some countertops are available with recessed, removable cutting boards made by an area cabinet manufacturer. Customers have a choice of three edge styles.
Dream Fab products are perfect for both new construction and remodel jobs. Installation is quick and easy as they can be installed directly over the existing surface. The countertops and tabletops are very durable as the powder coating is sprayed on with an electrically-charged gun and then baked in a large oven where it is cured at approximately 400 degrees.
Dream Fab employees will come to a home, measure a countertop, make a template and return to their shop to make the product. Countertop delivery and installation is normally available within a 100-mile radius of Gravette, however, they have been installed as far away as Cabot and Hot Springs Village. Tabletops, on the other hand, can be shipped anywhere and have been sent to New Jersey, Florida and New Mexico. Working with a restaurant design firm, they have recently been placed in the dining room and banquet room at the Marines' Memorial Club and Hotel in San Francisco, Calif. In the surrounding area, they are used in restaurants in Tulsa, Okla., and Rogers.
Dream Fab has recently started providing a new service, custom glass blasting of large and small objects through the new Blast Master subsidiary. Blast Master will strip and clean up lawn furniture, car parts, antiques, farm and construction equipment. Blast Master uses a dustless blasting method that uses crushed and cleaned bottle glass mixed with water and will remove paint, rust, mold, mildew and graffiti from steel, iron, wood, concrete, stone and fiberglass. The process is mobile as well, so it can be brought to location for large projects. Blast Master is also providing complete powder coating service for large and small pieces. Blast Master's direct number is 479-752-3100.
The trip to display Impervicote tabletops in Chicago is also a new venture. Although Dream Fab has exhibited its products for several years at home shows in Tulsa, Grove, Joplin, Fort Smith, Springdale and The Women's Living Expo in Rogers, this is really a first try at the "big time." The Chicago show will have about 2,100 exhibitors from all 50 states and over 100 countries. Sixty thousand food-service professionals searching for new ideas are expected to attend. The show will be held May 15-19 at McCormick Place in Chicago.
Dream Fab currently employs up to eight people but, if business increases as hoped, the company has plans to hire additional workers soon. Dream Fab is a member of the Women's Business Enterprise National Council, the Home Builder's Association and the Better Business Bureau.
Customers interested in learning more about the Impervicote products can drop by the showroom at 10110 Hidden Acres Road, just off Mount Olive Road. Showroom hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, but it will also open evenings and weekends by appointment. The phone number for Dream Fab and Impervicote is 479-752-3100.
General News on 05/06/2015