About Us - Haussmann Natural Stone

Haussmann Founders

Our History

Haussmann Natural Stone was established in 2006 by Francisco Loera, Jean-Yves Renaud, and Mike Sousa. The three founders had previously worked together for many years at the subsidiary of a French quarry where they gained great expertise in producing and supplying French limestone. They expanded upon their knowledge of French material to include other limestones from around the world and thus the company’s wide range of products began to take shape.

Today Haussmann Natural Stone is a leading limestone supplier in North America, showcasing over 40 different stones available in stock and nearly endless possibilities for custom projects. One of the company’s significant strengths lies in the understanding and execution of extensive cut-to-size projects for both high-end residential and commercial clientele. High profile projects include work for Apple, Santa Clara University, and Stanford University.

Our Inspiration

We are often asked about the origin of our company’s name. It dates back to June 22, 1853 when Baron Haussmann was commissioned by Napoleon III to modernize Paris which was, at the time, a medieval city. Haussmann’s most pressing challenge was to widen avenues and establish multiple railway stations around the city to improve traffic circulation.

Once he started, however, Haussmann realized this would be an enormous and complex undertaking. Paris needed to be renovated and updated while maintaining its celebrated building designs. With this in mind, Haussmann went to work and transformed over 60 percent of the city’s buildings all while staying loyal to their inspiration. Today, those structures are known as having “Haussmannian style” architecture.

Today’s architects and designers are faced with a similar task (though on a much smaller scale) of incorporating natural stone into modern architecture. Our company is inspired by Baron Haussmann because like him, we seek to integrate traditional materials into contemporary standards of design.

Jean Renaud