“We Pity the Fool Who Doesn’t Sign Up”

Meet The Instone A-Team at the

Northeast Hardscape Expo

Need a stone? We got it! Supply issues? Not a problem when these guys are around!

They can get what you need fast as lightning.

It’s the Instone A-Team!

Members of the Instone A-Team will be at the Hardscape Expo.

Come stop by Booth 500 and meet them.

Get to know a little about them here:

Meet

Jake Alicandro

Jake is the Territory Sales Manager for New England, including Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. He’s been with Instone for four months. He says one of the best things about Instone is the customer service. “We’re a very personable company. I think a lot of people think bad about big corporations, but Instone is one of the best corporations around. The CEO and COO are very hands-on and very one-on-one with the customers.” Jake also loves to rave about the products to his clients, “The products are top-notch. I tell people, ‘They aren’t the best in Massachusetts, they aren’t the best in New England, they are the best in the world!'”

A typical day for Jake consists of going by the office to pick up new samples, then being on the road most of the time, visiting customers. He says what he loves about his job is being out and about and seeing customers face-to-face. “I don’t like being in the same office. I like being active and creating connections.”

Get to know Jake:

When Jake’s not working, he likes to: I watch an excessive amount of sports. My favorite sport is whatever season it is! When it’s nice outside, I’m a big golfer. I like to go on hikes.

Favorite color: Blue

Favorite food: Cheeseburger

Most amazing place traveled to: Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

Favorite band/ type of music: Classic rock, Red Hot Chili Peppers

Favorite beer: Corona

Pets: A cat and two dogs at my parent’s house

He collects: No collections

What he loves about where he lives: I live in Boston, and I think it has an elite sports environment. Us Mass-holes love our sports!

Secret skill: I’m a good impressionist of my peers.

Meet

Justin Alicandro

Justin is the VP of Natural Stone Products. He works nationwide getting natural stone established across the country. He also travels the world looking for the next products to establish in the United States. He says one of the biggest benefits of Instone is they offer a wide range of products and they’re easy to order on the website. “I like to find alternatives to popular stones, so when they’re not available, we always have something we can offer right away. I like bringing in new color ranges that had never been available before, like browns and tans.”

A typical day for Justin consists of visiting various regions, finding out what colors work in that region and finding stones to bring in for them. He says what he loves about his job is selling a product he loves. “I love natural stone, I’m very passionate about it and I have a job where I get to help pick out the stones and sell them. I’m selling something I love, so it’s a dream job.”

Get to know Justin:

When Justin’s not working, he likes to: I like to watch sports. I enjoy watching my kids grow up playing sports. I coach as many of the sports they play as I can. I enjoy being with my family, going on vacations, going out to eat. I love food. And I love my animals as much as my family. I love golf, being outside, being on the water, the ocean and lakes. I like to cook.

Favorite food: Italian

Favorite color: Green

Most amazing place traveled to: India

Favorite band/ type of music: Country, Toby Keith, Luke Combs, Luke Bryan

Favorite beer: Used to be IPA, now it’s Coors Light

Pets: Two golden retrievers 

He collects: I actually throw everything away! I do collect sports ticket stubs and the things my kids make for me.

What he loves about where he lives: I live in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts and it’s a great community. My grandfather lived there growing up, and it was always a dream to live there. I didn’t think it would be possible, but I got lucky and found a house 20 years ago and lived there ever since. It has an amazing school system and great people everywhere, there’s nothing bad about it.

Secret skill: I can predict what the next great natural stone is going to be. I stay one step ahead of the competition! And I can do 50 pushups at the drop of a hat!

 

Meet

Bob Baxter

Bob is a Territory Sales Manager covering southern New York, New Jersey, southeast Pennsylvania, Delaware and Maryland. He’s been with Instone for seven years and says one of the primary benefits of stone products is the aesthetic look it gives a home. “It gives people a sense of worth for their home or building. It’s the exclamation point on top of things.”

A day in the life for Bob consists of being out in the field, stopping at job sites, meeting with mason installers, builders, architects and designers and all the channels that either use or specify Instone’s products.

He loves to tell people, “I sell rocks!” with tongue firmly placed in cheek, but what he loves most about his job is his interaction with trades. “I grew up in this industry doing some form of building since I was 10 years old with my grandfather. I love interacting with the trades or educating people who don’t know about the products we have. There are so many unique differences between the products, whether it’s a natural material or manmade. I have 40 years of experience and I try to identify expectations. Then I can give recommendations on the products and the esthetics.”

Get to know Bob:

Favorite color: Blue

Favorite food: I’m a health and fitness guy, but I love pizza

Most amazing place traveled to: Ireland

Favorite band/type of music: Foo Fighters

Favorite beer: I don’t drink beer

Pets: Two dogs – A Labradoodle and American Bulldog

He collects: Legos

When Bob’s not working, he likes to: I like to spend time with my family. I build really challenging Legos. My hobby is work when I’m not working. I love to build things. During the pandemic shutdown, I built a massive pavilion with a fire pit in my backyard.

What he loves about where he lives: I live in New Jersey, and it’s great because we’re incredibly close to the ocean.

Secret skill: ping pong

Meet

Dan Pichan

Dan is the Vice President of Sales for Instone. He oversees territory managers, outside sales and inside sales customer service teams. He’s been with Instone for four years and says they truly live up to their motto of: we make it easy. “We’re a two step-distributor that specializes in the mason industry selling thin veneer stone both natural and manufactured. We sell only to dealers and then our contractors buy through the dealers. We’re all challenged with Covid these days but we’re respectful of how people want to meet now. I just enjoy being with people.”

A typical day in the life for Dan consists of working with the sales teams to provide support. He says what he loves about his job is working with his teams and his customers. “We have the best team out there.”

Get to know Dan:

Favorite color: Deep blue

Favorite food: Spicy Thai

Most amazing place traveled to: Thailand

Favorite band/ type of music: Classic rock, Aerosmith

Favorite beer: Bud Lite

Pets: A Golden Retriever named Norman, “The Dog of Leisure.”

He collects: Baseball hats

When Dan’s not working, he likes to: I enjoy my family life. I’ve been married 37 years and I have two boys. In the winter, as a family, we like to downhill ski. In the summer, we like to boat and water ski.

What he loves about where he lives: I live in Michigan, and I love all sports teams, I always have a Michigan hat handy, even though people like to tease me because they all stink. But I love them all!

Secret skill: I like to work with my hands. I do very good mason work. I find it very therapeutic. I recently made a plant stand for my office out of natural stone.

Stop by Booth 500 and meet our

Stone Superheroes – the Instone A-Team.

Maybe you have something in common?

They’ll be happy to show you our products and give you a free T-shirt!.