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A Legacy of Creativity and Leadership By J. Tracy Hermann  Seen at right: Designed by Mark DeMille, installed by Gene Palazuelos. Material: Mocha Travertine carved and sculpted. The home of Mr. & Mrs. Wadsworth at Toscana Country Club.
Photography by Kyle Martin
SPECIAL ADVERTISING FEATURE His office is functional, yet modest: filing cabinets, art supplies, sketches strewn across a granite-topped desk, and photos of friends, customers and family. On one wall hangs an artist whose work includes a bronze sculpture that adorns the Reagan Library — his father, Leslie B. DeMille, on another, the famed director of such films as Sunset Boulevard, The Squaw Man, and The Ten Commandments, Cecil B. DeMille. “We’re related,” says Mark DeMille, founder, owner, and lead designer of DeMille Marble and Granite, Palm Desert. “Cecil was a distant cousin of mine some generations back. But we are definitely related.” Regardless of the thickness of the bloodline, the connection to each man is enough to inspire this DeMille, an artisan in his own right, to greater things, and to serve as a reminder of the legacy and heritage of a family endowed with a knack for leadership and a strong creative force. Now in his 28th year in the business, Mark has become a man who is not only inspired by greatness, but one who inspires greatness in others. Just ask his wife Michele. “It’s because he loves what he does,” asserts the number-crunching CPA who sold her own company to come to work as controller for the family business. “Mark gets up every day and gets in here before anyone else — every day — because he loves it so much.” What’s not to love? In the nearly three decades that DeMille Marble and Granite has been serving customers at the corner of Cook and 42 Streets in Palm Desert, the company has grown from a relatively small operation to a successful venture occupying nearly a third of an acre and upwards of 10,000 square feet of facility space. Although Mark acknowledges the dynamite location has helped the company grow, he attributes most of the success to DeMille’s large inventory of slab product — the largest of any contractor in the Coachella Valley — and the company’s renowned expertise. “Not only do we have one of the broadest product lines of marble, travertine and granite,” says Mark, “we specialize in all aspects of the project, from consultation and design, to fabrication, installation and education.” Why education? “Well, we’re committed to helping the customer understand what’s involved in maintaining the product,” which Mark admits is very little. “It’s more about what NOT to do than what TO do.” Such attention to detail and follow-up is just one reason that General Manager Gene Palazuelos was initially drawn to company. “The attention to detail, the customer service, the emphasis on quality, are all things that set DeMille way apart,” says Palazuelos, who’s been with the company for six years. “I’ve worked for other companies in the trade and DeMille is the only to cater to the customer to such a degree.” The company’s philosophy of catering to customer needs was one catalyst behind the launching of DeMille Marble and Granite’s Restoration division, specializing in the restoration of granite, marble, travertine and limestone. Mark says that such need has in recent years spawned an industry of its own. “Restoration has become a necessity for any contractor or anybody that's in the business,” Mark acknowledges. “Here at DeMille Marble and Granite, we can bring the original life and luster back to the stone at a portion of the cost of replacement. “We want our clients to know that it isn’t difficult to maintain their natural stones and with a little knowledge they can give their stone longevity.” Directing the Restoration arm of the business is yet another DeMille who was so inspired by his own father’s work that he joined the family business, Mark’s son, Cameron. The 25-year-old is one of five youngsters in Mark and Michele’s household. “I think we’ve pretty much supported Palm Desert High School,” Mark recalls with a laugh. “Whether it’s providing one of our trucks for a parade float or supporting any one of a number of events that the kids have been involved in, PDHS has been a big part of our lives.” Nevertheless, the school hasn’t been the only local recipient of Mark’s unwavering generosity. Over the years DeMille Marble and Granite has contributed to a variety of community projects including the Lost Airman’s Memorial on display at the Palm Springs International Airport, The Holocaust Memorial at the Palm Desert Civic Center Park and the majestic stone statue of the Bighorn Sheep located on the city corner near the DeMille showroom. Such involvement is a source of pride that Mark carries with him in both his personal and professional lives. “Here at DeMille we pride ourselves on doing the job on time, doing it for the price we have quoted to the client and doing the job right” Mark affirms. “It’s my… no, it’s our standard and our creed.” DeMille Marble and Granite Inc.
42-005 Cook Street, Unit #300, Palm Desert, CA 92211
(760) 341-7525 More Information - Websites, Maps and Directions
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