C-114 Part 4: Case StudiesIn 2006 Luck Stone sold 27 million tons of aggre-
gate yielding a market share of roughly 30% in Virginia.
In 2009 Luck Stone’s sales fell to 11.7 million tons of
aggregate yielding a market share of roughly 23% in
Virginia. The market for aggregate in Virginia has not
yet returned to the lofty levels of 2006. In 2014 Luck
Stone sold 12.9 million tons of aggregate in Virginia and
had a 40% market share in this region. Even with the sig-
nificant decrease in aggregate sales, Luck Stone remains
the most profitable business unit of Luck Companies
and contributes more than 80% of total enterprise net
sales and profits. In 2014 Luck stone was the 15th larg-
est producer of construction aggregate in the United
States. Luck Stone’s largest competitors and the largest
producers of construction aggregate in the United States
are Vulcan Materials and Martin Marietta, respectively.
Vulcan Materials and Martin Marietta both operate
with an overall cost leadership business strategy, while
Luck Stone utilizes a business strategy based on supe-
rior customer service and logistical excellence. In 2014
Vulcan Materials produced 11.8 million tons of aggregate
in Virginia while Martin Marietta Materials produced
3.2 million tons of aggregate in Virginia that same year.Luck Stone Center
In 1976, Luck Stone opened its first retail showroom for
architectural stone adjacent to its corporate offices. The
retail showroom concept was widely praised as being
unique in the stone industry. The official name of this
business unit was the Architectural Stone Division of
Luck Stone. In 1993, Mark Fernandes became V.P. of the
Architectural Stone Division. When Charlie Luck was
appointed CEO in 1995, he directed Mark Fernandes to
develop a five-year strategic plan that focused on expan-
sion. By the end of the 1990s, the Architectural Stone
Division was operating six Architectural Stone Centers.