History of Elliott Stone Company

After founding the Elliott Stone Company in 1957, Dave Elliott and his wife, Judy, have served as leaders in the limestone business, sharing their vision for continuous improvements in the technology and techniques of quarrying, milling and production.

For his efforts, Dave was selected in 1987 by a panel of industry veterans to receive Stone World magazine’s inaugural “Technological Achievement Award” for being the most innovative quarrier in North America. In 1988, Indiana Governor Robert Orr presented him with the Sagamore of the Wabash, the highest honor given to a “Hoosier.”

In 1953, the Elliotts got their start in the limestone business after opening Elliott Masonry Contracting and, in 1956, became partners in Meredith Stone Co., fabricators of Indiana Limestone.

In order to have more control over the quality of limestone they received, the Elliotts began leasing quarries and extracting their own stone. In 1969, they purchased their first quarry. Since those early days, the Elliott Stone Company has grown to become one of the leading quarry and production companies in the United States with 1,000 acres located in Lawrence and Monroe counties.

Although the first limestone was quarried in the United States in 1827, there had been little innovation over the years. Always a visionary, Dave continuously sought new technologies and processing techniques. At that time, Europe was considerably more advanced in quarrying, so the couple made several trips to bring state-of-the-art equipment back to Indiana. In order to increase productivity and save money, Dave was never satisfied and looked for ways to improve on the existing technology. While most companies were still using a traditional quarry saw, Dave made changes using slab saws with diamond belts and water that are now standard in the business.

He also envisioned quarrying underground in order to protect the farmlands overhead and ensure year-round production. In 1984, the Elliotts made a trip to the famed Carrara marble quarries in Italy where they acquired a saw that could cut horizontally and vertically. Not happy with its production capabilities, Dave started from scratch and designed and patented a saw that rotated and maneuvered for greater ease and functionality. Now computerized, the saw cuts limestone underground 24 hours a day, year-round.

According to his wife, Judy, “Dave was more in the business of change than the stone business.”

Although Dave passed away in 2009, the Elliott Stone Company continues to lead the industry in technology and technique. With a new mill on site, quarrying and production equipment are continually evolving to cut down on time and handling and always ensure customer needs are met.