Australia
In 2008 brothers Chris and Craig Howard took their passion for building and design and ordered a single container of natural stone pavers with a vision to supply innovative products that would enhance people's lives outside. The result is Artisan Exterior.
Artisan Exterior (formerly Artisan Stone) was founded on a wealth of experience in the pool and landscape industry. It all started with Chris, a qualified pool builder, being constantly frustrated by the lack of range and reliability in the supply of pool copings and pavers in Australia. This sparked an interest in researching natural stone pavers and tiles, their origins, and the import and warehousing process revolving around these natural materials.
In 2008 Chris approached his brother Craig, who was studying financial planning (without much interest) and asked if he'd be interested in the prospect of importing and distributing pavers and tiles together. Craig, who had always had a passion for design and an interest in marketing, was immediately drawn to the idea as well as the possibility of traveling and sourcing products from all over the globe. With two mobile displays on the back of utes and a container of stock to their name, the brothers began networking in the pool industry and servicing a small number of clients.
Chris focussed on sales, product development and admin while Craig operated their small warehouse, unloading containers and packing product between site appointments with the growing clientele. To put it simply, if there was a job to be done, one of the two was doing it. In 2009 they welcomed to the dynamic duo their biggest supporter and father Tony and together they began focussing on increasing stock levels to reduce lead times, provide better service and expand their available range.
