- 2006 – 2008Ventimiglia, ItalyFirst job in a marble workshop: starting at the bottom and learning the trade on the floor.
- 2009 – 2013Principality of MonacoSkilled stoneworker in one of the most demanding markets in the world, where a square metre costs more than anywhere else.
- 2014 – 2019Doha, QatarSix years as production and installation supervisor, running sites across the Middle East.
- 2020 – 2022Arma di Taggia, ItalySite manager and production manager, carrying both the site and the workshop.
- 2023 – todayStoneMentor Srl foundedRegistered office in Bergamo, workshop in Volargne, in the Verona marble district: my own business, after almost twenty years on the floor.
From wood to marble, from Italy to Qatar: my story
There and back between Italy and Qatar: the origins
At school I was never a brilliant student. I started working with wood as an apprentice carpenter, and that is where I discovered my passion for manual work: things came easily to me, and I was a bit of a hothead, so working with my hands channelled my energy.
My father's death left a deep mark on my youth. Around that time I moved into marble, at a small, young company that still had few clear ideas of its own. The owner, who is no longer with us and to whom I am still very grateful, taught me the basics of the trade.
In Monte Carlo an important chapter began: complex, prestigious building sites. From there came the opportunity to work in the Emirates, where I could grow and measure myself against the highest level of the trade: I found myself running the site at the Emir of Qatar's summer residence.
Back in Italy, I had one more brief stint as an employee. When the time was right, I made the leap: I started my own business, with the help of the foreign partners I had built relationships with back in Qatar.
How I work
I work with an advanced technical approach, where manual skill and digital skill come together at every stage of the process. Being a marble worker is hard work that few young people still want to do, and those who do often still do it "the old way". I am a digital native: I started handling digital tools early, and I have brought technology into every stage of the work, from concept and design through to the finished piece.
What I don't do
I don't work reactively. I work proactively. Talking with the client from the very first approach is essential: the overused "I just do what I'm told" has no place in how I work. On complex sites, where many different people were involved, I have often had to fix damage caused by exactly that mindset, including in unusual settings like yachts or non-standard work.
Mission
I look after what my clients and partners need, helping turn their ideas into finished work.
With passion, creativity and precision, I help them become better informed and more confident in their choices, exploring new ways to innovate in the working of marble and stone.
Three values sit at the centre of the work:
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01
Care
For the material and for the person commissioning it. Work done properly shows even where nobody will ever look.
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02
Creativity
Finding the way to build what the client has in mind, even when the brief arrives as a rough sketch or a photograph.
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03
Precision
Measurements taken on site, deadlines met, no surprises at installation. It is the least glamorous part of the craft and the one that decides whether a project succeeds.
Vision
To become the global reference for innovation and creativity in the world of marble, inspiring the exploration of new horizons.
Stefano Trudu
