Hidden Gems: Meet Florin Cristea of Granite Empire

Today we’d like to introduce you to Florin Cristea.

Hi Florin, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
I was working as a locksmith in Los Angeles. I complained to a friend every day about traffic, about how expensive life is there, and how unhappy I was. My friend told me “Just shut up, I’m tired of you complaining, come to Nashville for two weeks to check out the company I work for”. I came to Nashville and I never left. I started working as a template technician.

The owner of the company approached me one day and he said he is happy with my work ethic and that I was doing a very good job. He asked me if I wanted to move up, to try being a salesperson. I agreed I was doing a good job and I opened my first showroom in Mt. Juliet. Now, I have 2 showrooms and we are still growing.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It was a very difficult road, with many challenges. As a European who is used to the metric system, I would say one difficult thing was to adapt to the imperial system of measurements.

As you know, we’re big fans of the Granite Empire of Bellevue. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
We sell and install Granite, Quartz, Marble, and Quartzite countertops. We are a one-stop shop.

The customer chooses the material, we do the template, we fabricate and we install as well. We have full control over the process. If the cabinets are installed, mounted to the wall, and leveled, we are 2 weeks out, other companies are 4-5 weeks out.

We charge per square foot, other companies charge per slab. We offer great customer service, we use expensive and modern tools that allow us to do our job smoother and better. We are doing cabinets as well.

What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
Don’t daydream. Time is passing very fast, you cannot even blink.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://granitebv.com/