A third-generation stone-care expert, Lenny Pellegrino spent 15 years building Pellegrino Marble Company, a stone care and restoration business in San Diego, and is the mind behind Granite Gold. Over the years, he heard the same question over and over again. “What can I use to care for my natural stone surfaces?” Initially, after learning his customers used typical household cleaners that actually damage natural stone, Lenny mixed a special blend of products that his customers could use, but as the requests became more frequent, he began experimenting with formulas. Beginning in 2000, Lenny spent nearly two years perfecting his product until he had created the best formula to clean and protect all natural stone surfaces.

Lenny’s products were a hit with his customers, so much so that he reached out to his cousin, Lenny Sciarrino (the other Lenny!), in 2004 to help with marketing and sales. Lenny S. had spent 15 years with his family’s operation, European Natural Stone Company, as their chief operations officer, and he was the perfect partner for Granite Gold. The two Lennys worked tirelessly over their first year to promote Granite Gold in their hometown of San Diego. From trade shows, and in-store demonstrations to sales presentations, the Lennys rolled up their sleeves and hit the ground running to promote their new products (Granite Gold Daily Cleaner, Granite Gold Sealer, Granite Gold Polish and Granite Gold Floor & Tile Cleaner). After securing local distribution and gaining a significant following, the Lennys began looking for opportunities outside of San Diego and embarked on a grassroots tour giving demonstrations in a variety of stores throughout the U.S. In less than two years, Granite Gold started appearing on store shelves coast to coast.

The passion of the Lennys was a hit – consumers like you started asking their local retailers for Granite Gold, calling and e-mailing the Lennys for information on where to buy Granite Gold and even asking for advice on caring for their stone surfaces.

In 2006, Scott Martin, former senior vice president of sales for the WD-40 Company, was brought on board to help the Lennys take Granite Gold to the next level. With Scott’s strong work ethic and the Lennys’ willingness to take on bigger challenges, Granite Gold successfully secured distribution in every state and in more than 4,000 stores by the end of 2007. Granite Gold has even gone international through Costco Club Stores of the United Kingdom. What’s more, Granite Gold is the No. 1 stone care product in U.S. grocery stores – thanks to you!

Not a bad feat from two Lennys who had an idea based on what consumers were asking for, and, yes, everyone really does call them Lenny S. and Lenny P.