TLDR
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Under Sean Billing’s leadership, Carman Granite uses AI to serve customers with efficiency and empathy
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Labor is hard to find in rural Manitoba, so AI can fill some of the gap and free teams from time-consuming admin.
Carman Granite has been in business since 1922, when Joseph Billing took over Carman Memorial from his uncle. At that time, the stone arrived in boxcars, and the last section was carried by horse and sleigh. It was much easier to walk on snow and ice in winter than on rough roads in summer. The tools were hammers and chisels, and the customers were all from the surrounding area.
Over the years, tools have evolved to sandblasting, diamond etching, and lasers, and cranes and forklifts have replaced horses. “Each generation has done a great job of growing and making it a better, more modern, more viable business,” Billing says. He believes his great-grandfather would have been proud of how far Carman Granite has come. However, he could never have imagined what kind of situation Carman Granite would be in today. We are the oldest family-owned business in Carman, Manitoba, and have been using AI to serve the community we call home for over a century.
Old business, open mind
More and more clients are arriving at Carman Granite already with monument designs in hand that they have created themselves using AI. Billings doesn’t budge in the slightest. “They join ChatGPT, create their own designs, and go to meetings to create them,” he says. “Some of my colleagues don’t like this idea, but I do. If the design is right, we can create what they want. To me, that’s special.”
This openness has led Billing to build a small but growing stack of AI tools, each performing a specific job on both the artistic side of the business and the administrators behind it.
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Nano Banana – Monument Design
Billings and his team use this image generation tool to transform family wishes into monument designs. Clients may come to you to describe something their loved one is concerned about. Billing converts it into a custom image. Often it captures something that the client has not been able to put into words. What once took hours in Photoshop now takes minutes. -
Airtable – Admin and Workflow
If Nano Banana powers the artistry, Airtable is the operation behind it. “We have a great process, but it’s very labor-intensive on the administrative side,” Billing says. -
stock alert
The same system monitors inventory levels. If your inventory is running low, we’ll flag the shortage, suggest which supplier to order from, and draft an email. “Just approve and hit send,” says Billing. -
Gmail overview
“I get too many emails a day,” says Billing, who works for Google Platforms. With built-in summaries, you can now read a few bullet points and understand the contents of a long thread in seconds.
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The payoff has the biggest impact on client communication. Now that they are notified when a memorial is placed, families hear from Carman Granite right away, making a meaningful difference during an sensitive time. “They’re getting notifications sooner,” Billing said. “The way I’ve been doing it, if I get tied up, this could sit in a folder for a week.”
When it comes to claims, the case for using AI is simple. “What I can offer people today is 100 times better than what I was able to do a year ago, both in terms of artwork and management. Why do 35 minutes of work when you can do 5 minutes?”
Stay ahead of AI capabilities
Billing is the first to admit that he doesn’t try to keep track of every new tool. “I don’t know if we always know what’s going on,” he says of the AI trend. The pace has been relentless, and nanobananas are now considered the best imaging tool, “but that could change in a week,” he notes.
Two things can help you stay up to date with the latest features:
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AI consultant: Billing works with someone whose full-time job is building systems for companies like his. “He stays on top of everything and gives us great ideas and suggests direction,” Billing says. “He plans the next steps and tells us what the next piece will take off our plates.”
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industry seminar: His industry association, Canadian Monument Builders/Ontario Monument Builders, has been holding seminars for years, but lately the focus has been on technology, including a session on how AI can help businesses. Billing points out that this is a sign of a generational shift, as younger generations are taking charge and the desire for these tools is increasing across traditionally hands-on industries.
Parts that are not automated
Of all the AI Billings has employed, there’s one area he resists. His consultant showed him an automated phone answer that was so convincing that callers couldn’t tell they weren’t talking to a real person, but he wasn’t interested. “Especially in our industry, we’re not ready for that,” he says. “I think the personal touch is still needed.”
The same instinct applies to his staff. Billing still employs artists for jobs that require a human touch, and it’s clear that AI hasn’t reduced the need for staff. If anything, his constraint is finding workers. He currently has room to hire two more full-time employees, but he is unable to fill that role. From his perspective, AI is not replacing workers, but rather contributing to business efficiencies, so his team can spend their time doing the most meaningful work.
Over a century in one community, Billings has learned what makes a business survive: the personal connections behind the work. “We are the oldest family-owned business in our community. Our reputation is everything and we guard it very closely. That’s a big part of doing business in rural Manitoba.”
Billing’s daughter, the next generation, feels the same way. She is 20 years old and works in business with her father. Although she is proficient with AI, she prefers working with her hands. “She’s very old-school,” Billing says. This is a fitting continuity for a business that has always balanced tradition and progress.
Advice for reluctant managers
Billing candidly shares what has worked for him and offers practical advice for owners hesitant to integrate AI into their business.
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Start with a powerful process. AI strengthens good processes, but it doesn’t fix broken processes. “AI won’t help you if you don’t already have good processes in place,” Billing says. “But if you already have good processes and there is repetition in your business, AI can be very helpful in streamlining operations.
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Please use it to learn. Tools pay off when used regularly. “The more you use it, the better it gets,” Billing says. This is because the tool learns your patterns and becomes better at getting the tool to complete the task. He likens AI to learning a new language. The more you understand, the better the results.
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rely on experts. You don’t have to solve it alone. A good consultant will do the heavy lifting of selecting and connecting your tools, then show you the next opportunities so you can focus on running your business.
What’s next for Carman Granite?
Countertops represent 70% of your business and are a clear opportunity to achieve the same efficiency. Billing has intentionally held off on automating that part until he is confident the system is solid. “Countertops move at a much faster pace,” he says. “So we want to be ready when we make the switch.”
In the meantime, Billings and his team plan to continue automating office tasks and learning more about the artistic capabilities of AI tools. “AI is going to continue to play a big role here. I think my staff is tired of hearing that word, but we have to continue on this path because the efficiencies that come from AI are what we need in today’s market,” he says.
Many of Billing’s colleagues don’t want any part of AI. He sees hesitation as more of a fear of the unknown than anything else. “They don’t know how artificial intelligence can actually help them. They think, ‘We’ve always done it this way, so why change now?'” I’m not that guy. If we don’t use this in the next few years, I think we’ll fall far behind and have a hard time catching up. ”
Four generations later, our tools have changed beyond recognition, from chisels to lasers to AI, but our instincts remain the same. Each generation of Billings has found a way to move the business forward. This is no different.
AI is advancing rapidly, and when you’re managing customers, cash flow, and everything else, the pressure to implement it can feel overwhelming. Sometimes it’s best to start by learning from those who have already been there. that’s the idea behind AI behavior – A series highlighting Canadian small business owners who are leveraging AI in real, practical ways. Each story is a window into how fellow entrepreneurs made the leap, what they learned, and what it really means for their business.
