By KIMBERLY RODGERS
Omega Mantels of Stone’s success is largely due to its ability to offer customers a wide variety of mantel designs.
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The Omega Mantels team (left to right): Leo Montagnese, Frank Decicco, Sue Festa and Henry Medeiros
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Omega Mantels of Stone began in 1981 as a manufacturer of mouldings for residential and commercial buildings in the greater Toronto area. In 1994, the company expanded beyond mouldings, developing its first cast-stone mantel, but still focusing on the local market.
Today, Omega has evolved to become a leading manufacturer of handcrafted fireplace mantels, ornamental plaster and cast-stone products, and its beautiful European-inspired designs are now offered throughout Canada and the United States. Co-owners Henry Medeiros and Leo Montagnese began distributing Omega products through North American hearth dealers in 2005.
An Innovative Product Line
Omega offers a range of classic mantels and mouldings in standard widths and heights (as well as in custom sizes) and in a variety of colors and finishes. The company’s mantel designs include some with modern, straight lines, along with more ornate pieces, to appeal to all tastes.
Unique to Omega is its seamless custom line of mantels. This innovative product gives homeowners a truly custom look for their hearths, unlike mass-produced pieces. The mantel can be built to fit the exact size requirements of the homeowner’s wall space. Seamless mantels elevate and enhance the character of any room—and the overall value of a home—with a built-in appearance.
“All our mantels—no matter how ornate they are—can be customized for any size requirement, and there will be no cuts in them. All the pieces are seamless,” Medeiros says. The ability and flexibility to customize are the keys to Omega’s success. “It’s as if we are a wood shop and can build almost anything, except it’s in stone,” he adds.
Omega not only customizes mantels to meet homeowners’ size requirements, but can also create any architectural style, to showcase individual tastes artfully. Many customers will send the company photos of mantels that they have seen on a trip or in a magazine, and Omega will recreate them. This can be accomplished due to a vast stock of moulds appealing to a wide range of tastes.
Omega’s latest innovation is its Steelmill collection. These unique mantels are created by pouring various liquid metals into a mould. Once the metal hardens, it creates a distinctive copper, pewter or stainless-steel accent that flows through the entire piece. To enhance a room’s decor, Omega also offers a range of upscale finishes, including a polished limestone product with veining.
All Omega mantels are made of lightweight cast stone and can be installed with relative ease (compared with other stone mantels) by the dealer or homeowner. The product is mounted simply, using a standard adhesive found at any home-improvement or hardware store. The total weight of any mantel (including the side legs, hearth and top) is approximately 200 pounds.
Dealer Relationships
Before he co-purchased Omega Mantels, Medeiros spent 15 years in the hearth industry, and he fully understands the many business challenges that dealers face. As a result, dealers are well supported through the company’s exclusivity program. Omega does not publish a suggested retail price for its products. Instead, it leaves retail pricing up to each individual dealer, who understands his or her own unique market.
Another major problem that retailers often face is damaged freight, especially for mantel pieces. Omega virtually eliminates shipment damage by offering supreme carrier service to all its dealers. All products leave the company’s dock in Canada by specialized carrier and are transported directly to the retailer’s store. There is no in-transit cross-docking of the shipment. In addition, Omega ships its pieces on double-wide pallets. This shipping method avoids box overhang, which often leads to damage.
In the unlikely event that a dealer should receive a damaged shipment from Omega, the company guarantees all freight. The time, money and hassle involved in filing a freight claim with a transport company are eliminated. Omega will cover all damage costs because the company believes that there should never be a problem with shipments. Since Omega began using this specialized service, there have been almost no reports of damage. “Our shipping method is not more expensive; it’s just done right the first time,” Medeiros says.
Spreading the Word
Medeiros believes that stone mantels will gain popularity as consumers learn more about the product’s capabilities. In contrast with wooden mantels, stone mantels are maintenance free and consist of a noncombustible material suitable for any hearth type. “As soon as people know that we can build a stone mantel in any size or style, they will come to us,” Medeiros says.
Omega’s overmantels (canopies), designed with an opening for a built-in flat-screen television or an aquarium, are gaining popularity among customers, as are stone range hoods. All these innovative designs (along with expert customer service and dealer support) are handled in-house with a team of long-term, dedicated employees at Omega’s headquarters near Toronto.
Omega’s vast range of products is gaining momentum. Currently, all mantels are manufactured at the company’s Canadian facility. By August 1, 2008, Omega will open its first U.S. plant (in Raleigh, N.C.), expanding to the new location to serve its customers better.
Although distribution began in the United States less than three years ago, the company has already made a strong showing; the first quarter of 2008 was the best in its history. No doubt, Omega’s innovative stone mantels will continue to be a success. “I cannot think of any other cast-stone company that offers our capabilities in size customization and stone finishes,” Medeiros says.
PHPR May/June 2008
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