Company News – Louisville Tile

Tina Boyle Promoted to Chief Operating Officer

Louisville Tile — Tue, 14 Nov 2023 14:00:33 +0000

Louisville Tile is proud to share that we have promoted Tina Boyle to the position of Chief Operating Officer.

Tina embarked on her career journey 32 years ago, where she began as a receptionist within our Cameo Marble Division. Over the years, her tenure at Louisville Tile has seen her take on a wide range of roles, including accounts payable/receivable clerk, showroom designer, contractor liaison, customer service specialist, I.T. technician, acquisitions project manager and vice president of warehouse operations. Her path led to the appointment to the position of chief operating officer.

As Tina steps into her new role she will assume a multifaceted position, responsible for overseeing branch operations, I.T. and logistics, ensuring the company’s commitment to serving their customers. “One of my main priorities/goals will be streamlining the customer experience,” exclaimed Boyle. “I plan to have conversations with our team members, from the warehouse and sales to building maintenance and showroom designers, and everyone in between … regarding ‘what are we missing? How we can enhance the entire experience so that clients want to do business with us!’ ”

“Tina has been a member of the Louisville Tile Family for over three decades,” explained Crosby Hall, executive VP of corporate resources. “She has consistently risen to the occasion of every new project she’s been handed, turning them into remarkable successes. Her love for learning and her willingness to tackle challenges head-on, paired with her extensive experience in the company, will serve her well as she takes on this new role.”

Dub Newell promoted to CEO of Louisville Tile

Louisville Tile — Thu, 19 Oct 2023 18:29:11 +0000

Louisville Tile Distributors, Inc. announced that Walter “Dub” Newell has been appointed to the position of CEO. Dub’s experience includes owning and operating his own home health business, public accounting, consulting and serving as the Treasurer at the University of Louisville. Most recently, Newell was the CFO of Louisville Tile.

Newell has plans for this fourth-generation, family-owned company. “I’m honored to take on this new position,” Newell stated. “Louisville Tile has gone through a tremendous growth spurt these last three years adding branches in new markets, key personnel, and product offerings. I must say we’re all proud of what has been accomplished in such a short amount of time.”

Newell went on to say that he has always been drawn to family-owned businesses like Louisville Tile. “We have a unique opportunity to engage with our suppliers and customers as part of our extended family. It’s really something few left in the industry can offer that we believe is a competitive advantage for us and our customers. We believe with a renewed customer focus, expanded footprint and innovative product offerings we can take our company to new heights.”

Currently, Louisville Tile has 17 branches located in 9 states: Ky., Ind., Ill., Tenn., Ohio, Iowa, Wis., Minn. and Mich.

Louisville Tile Hosts Management Conference

Louisville Tile — Wed, 11 Oct 2023 16:07:43 +0000

Louisville, Ky.—The annual Louisville Tile Distributors conference, held here at the historic Galt House Hotel, brought together over 100 Louisville Tile team members from its 14 locations for a week of events.

Themed “Execute,” the gathering continued the company’s steadfast commitment to developing leadership, embracing innovation and evolving best practices. The presentations, breakouts and team activities aimed to put these principles into action as LTD prepares for 2024.

The conference kicked off with opening remarks from the company’s interim chief executive officer and chief financial officer, Walter “Dub” Newell, recently named Louisville Business First’s “Best in Finance” honoree. Newell extended a warm welcome to new team members, who have recently joined as part of the American Olean Midwest acquisition.

A major highlight was a presentation by the Wilcox Family, owners of Louisville Tile. For this, leadership, including Reed Wilcox, Crosby (Wilcox) Hall and Travis Wilcox, underscored the company’s deep-rooted family values and culture. They shared stories dating back to 1955, spotlighting senior team members who have been with the company for decades.

“Sharing our values is crucial, as they define our company’s culture, foster a sense of ‘belonging and purpose’ among employees and drive our success,” Hall, executive VP of corporate resources, said. “The Wilcox family is 110% dedicated to making our employees, customers, and their families our priority.”

The event featured recognition awards for Louisville Tile members, including engraved Louisville Slugger baseball bats for Salesperson of the Year, Branch of the Year and other awards.

Another bright spot in the conference was a panel discussion with a diverse group of local clients, including an architect, designer, commercial contractor and family-owned retailer. The panel answered questions ranging from how to meet their service expectations to the benefits of working with independent distributors.

Through this carefully orchestrated program of targeted presentations, interactive workshops and collaborative sessions, all participants gained invaluable knowledge and honed their skills to execute at the highest levels.

Louisville Tile Honored as a 2023 Best Places to Work in Kentucky Award Recipient for the 8th Consecutive Year

Louisville Tile — Fri, 23 Jun 2023 18:06:57 +0000

The Best Places to Work in Kentucky awards program, conducted by the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce and the Kentucky Society for Human Resource Management (KYSHRM), recognizes companies that have demonstrated a commitment to creating a positive and productive work environment for their employees. The program evaluates various factors, including employee engagement, satisfaction, professional growth opportunities, and overall company culture.

Louisville Tile is honored to have secured the 11th spot in the medium category (companies with 150-499 employees), reaffirming its dedication to its valued workforce. This recognition is a testament to the company’s commitment to providing a supportive and empowering environment where employees can thrive both personally and professionally.

Crosby Hall, Executive Vice President of Corporate Resources at Louisville Tile, expressed her excitement about this exceptional achievement. She said, “We are incredibly proud and humbled to be named a Best Places to Work in Kentucky award recipient for the eighth consecutive year. It’s confirmation that the company culture we’ve been so intentional to communicate, cultivate, and protect is resonating with our employees.”

Louisville Tile firmly believes that a happy and engaged workforce is the key to success, and this award reinforces the company’s commitment to creating an environment that promotes employee empowerment, collaboration, and personal development. The company’s success is driven by the passion, innovation, and expertise of its talented team.

Louisville Tile Hosts Regional Conferences for Sales and Branch Managers

Louisville Tile — Tue, 13 Jun 2023 18:25:00 +0000

Louisville Tile Distributors recently hosted two conferences and trade shows for its sales and branch managers, held in Nashville, Tennessee, and Indianapolis, Indiana. With the theme, “Elevated Execution,” the events were designed to engage, inspire, and empower Louisville’s sales and branch management teams, while fostering connections with vendors.

The program included presentations, workshops and collaborative sessions to help sales and branch leadership teams to enhance skills, share insights, and hone their abilities to execute at the highest level.

“True success in serving our customers starts by empowering our employees,” said Brian Combs, senior vice president of strategy at Louisville Tile. “Through prioritizing their growth and development, we establish a solid groundwork for delivering exceptional service and fostering enduring relationships. Our recent meetings truly exemplified this philosophy, and the overwhelming feedback and motivation that followed were truly remarkable.”

On the final day of each conference, Louisville Tile hosted a trade show, giving participating vendors a platform to showcase their latest products, innovations, and solutions. The trade show facilitated meaningful conversations, enabling teams to forge stronger partnerships, explore new business opportunities, and gain valuable insights into industry trends.

Louisville Tile Announces Two Winners of Employee Innovation Program

Louisville Tile — Sun, 23 Apr 2023 18:15:36 +0000

Louisville Tile has democratized the process of business innovation with the creation of their Employee Innovation Program. The program gives a voice to employees at all levels of the company and demonstrates that Louisville Tile always works to uplift its employees

The program asks employees at all levels to submit ways to improve some feature of the business, from the customer experience to the business processes. The winning ideas and the finalists all receive a cash prize. Then, finalists and winners all work with a member of the senior management team to implement their suggestions throughout the company. The last two winners came from the warehouse team, and their ideas have vastly improved Louisville Tile’s business efficiencies.

“We know that our employees have brilliant ideas that can make our business better. We also know that some employees are hesitant to share their thoughts, so we decided to create an easy way for employees to submit ideas,” said Crosby Hall, EVP corporate resources. “Once an employee’s idea is selected to be a finalist or winner, the employee is then paired with a member of the senior management team and an analyst to help the employee develop the idea’s merit and ROI. Working with senior leadership to implement the ideas gives employees a way to learn leadership, presentation, and project management skills and to get recognition for how they shape the company.”

The program’s 2022 winner was Donald Resendez, warehouse manager, who submitted the idea for a new process that allowed branch managers to review stock levels and inventory ﬂags, examine vendor consistency with stock shipments, and review trackable expiration data. Once implemented, Donald’s plan reduced inventory loss from expired products and created several new efficiency procedures.

In 2023, winner Brandon Bingham’s proposal streamlined the order pickup process by utilizing visible magnets to indicate what order the customer was picking up. Warehouse Associates can now quickly identify exactly which vehicle matches which order, increasing their speed, accuracy, and professionalism.

“People are always our greatest resource. Our Employee Innovation Program offers our staff members another way to really get involved and it gives one more way to recognize all the brilliant people working at this company,” Hall said.

A Look at the Evolution of Ceramic Tile for Commercial Projects

Louisville Tile — Mon, 23 May 2022 19:44:49 +0000

Legacies

View the full issue of Commercial Construction & Renovation HERE

According to some historians, the earliest usage of decorative tile dated back to the Egyptians, roughly6,000 years ago. Soon afterward, there is a belief that similar products also were produced by the Babylonians and Assyrians. Of course, we have ample proof that the Romans and Greeks also chose decorative tiles. You will find examples of beautiful tile work in their ancient floors, wall murals and other applications from a long time ago.

There is no doubting that ceramic tile has been around for eons—and this includes for commercial construction projects.

Why? Travis Wilcox, VP of National Accounts at Louisville Tile, one of America’s oldest and most successful distributors of ceramic tile, says it is because certain tiles are best for certain commercial plans. And make no mistake about it—porcelain tiles are the absolute best for commercial applications.

“The porcelain material should be called the ‘Swiss Army knife of tiles,’” Wilcox says. “To begin with, porcelain tiles have 0.5% water absorption rate. That is really an advantage over traditional ceramics, because porcelain is an appropriate product for both indoor and outdoor applications. In the tile world, engineers really knocked this product out of the park. And it’s a smart decision, too. Why limit your products to only indoor applications when they are engineered to perform outdoors, as well?”

Wilcox says it is imperative that the buyer/specifier know about installation and eventual maintenance. For the installation aspect, you need a good and totally flat substrate. You may want leveling clips, and if the tile is rectified, you’ll then have all the ingredients for a superior installation and finished product. “Porcelain is pretty much maintenance-free—a ‘pick it and stick it’ kind of product. Depending on the application, there may be cleaning required on a regular basis. That really depends entirely on the environment where the application must perform—and what it must endure to prove performance.”

The buyer/specifier must know about tile being a long-term investment. Plus, tile does not go bad. Here’s the best example that Wilcox can think of. In 79 AD, a volcano in Italy (Vesuvius) erupted, and ash from that eruption covered the entire city of Pompeii. In 1748, Pompeii was rediscovered and when the archeological team started removing the ash, they found undisturbed beautiful mosaic tile floors.

“Tile is designed to last a lifetime,” Wilcox says. “And to reflect a deliberate personal design choice. Make it unique, make it yours and enjoy it as long as you wish.”

From his vantage point, Dan Clark says gauged porcelain thin tile panels are one of the more innovative products over the past 20 years in the commercial construction market. Clark, Northern Regional Sales Director of Louisville Tile, says the unique product category pulls the best traits out of both slab and tile. Couple that with installation techniques not unlike regular tile setting processes, and you have a product category that is a win-win for all involved.

As of today, some panels stand as tall as 12 feet, with thicknesses that range from 1/8 inch (3 mm) to 3/4 inch (20 mm). “Some unique characteristics these large format gauged porcelain tile panels bring are first, their large size, which eliminates the amount of grout joints with which one must contend,” Clark says. “These panels are now available in different finishes, such as textured, honed or polished. And another characteristic I like is their ability to book match the panels from one to the other, which continues the appearance of natural stone.

On the other hand, Clark believes its most important characteristic is that it can be installed right over a previous installation, saving on demolition cost and time. That knowledgeable contractors can install porcelain panels horizontally and vertically helps provide the same finished look on any plane. In addition, it is UV-safe and will not break down on exterior applications the way a natural stone might.

“What makes tile really stand out is how it can be used in several different wall applications due to its light weight,” Clark says. “It does not present the load on a building wall that does quartz, granite and marble. Also, it is great for residential installs, shower walls for instance, for which one can eliminate grout joints in a typical ‘wet setting.’’’

Are thin gauged, large porcelain panels here to stay?

Clark believes so, stating it could be a missed opportunity if a commercial installer does not embrace porcelain panels. As more and more of this material gets specified, he says it ultimately will become a must-do. “This reminds me of when natural stone fabricators were hesitant to start cutting quartz surfaces, and they delayed getting certified as long as possible. Today, that is second nature to all of them. I understand there is an upfront cost for the equipment investment. But, it is small enough that it could be absorbed in the first install. With single coat application setting products, (such as Bostik’s Bosti-Set) the process of panel installation is more and more simple. I believe it is more a change in mindset than technique.”

As we forge ahead, it looks as if tile will continue to be a player in construction solutions. With the ceramic tile industry far from being stagnant, when it comes to new, even more fashionable and higher-performance product intros, who knows what will be next.

Written by Ron Treister

Ron Treister is a marketing communications specialist. For three decades, he has worked with major accounts in the

commercial construction sector. He can be reached at rontreister@gmail.com.

Louisville Tile Recognized as Large Family Business of the Year Honoree

Louisville Tile — Tue, 12 Apr 2022 18:28:10 +0000

Louisville Business First, in partnership with the University of Louisville Family Business Center, is announcing its third class of Family Business Awards honorees.

The program recognizes outstanding achievements in family-owned businesses and shares stories of the region’s most successful firms.

Honorees will be featured in print and online in LBF May 20 and at an in-person event at the Olmsted on May 24. The featured speaker is Jack Hillerich, chairman, Hillerich & Bradsby Co. — maker of Louisville Slugger Bats. More event details are soon-to-come.

Additional details on the Family Business Awards & Excellence Awards presented by UofL College of Business event will be released soon.

Here are the 2022 honorees by category:

Large Business of the Year

This award is for a company with 151 or more full-time employees that demonstrates excellence in strategic planning, employee and leadership development, community involvement and an inclusive healthy culture.

Al J Schneider Co.

HomeCraft Gutter Protection

Louisville Tile Distributors

MAC Construction

Rogers Group Inc.

Read the full article and see a full list of nominees at Louisville Business First.

Named One of Kentucky’s Top Places to Work

Louisville Tile — Tue, 22 Mar 2022 13:35:36 +0000

Louisville Tile has been named one of the best places to work in Kentucky by Workforce Research Group. Louisville Tile was chosen as a medium size company winner (150-499 employees), and the award was based on an assessment of the company’s worker policies and procedures and the results of an internal employee survey. Categories are based upon the number of U.S. employees, and only Kentucky employees are surveyed.

“This is the seventh year in a row we’ve been selected, and we’re obviously honored,” stated Crosby Hall, executive vice president of corporate resources, Louisville Tile, who is a third-generation owner of the firm. “It’s always been our belief to treat our employees as family. We want our co-workers to look forward to coming to work every day.”

Among the initiatives put in place in 2021 was a firm-wide minimum wage of $20 an hour, establishment of an internal training program (Louisville Tile University), and an internal promotion program that resulted in over 15 internal advancements.

2021 Fast 50: Louisville Tile Distributors

Louisville Tile — Wed, 09 Mar 2022 13:55:53 +0000

What is your company’s biggest accomplishment during the past year?

he company is very proud of our employees and how they responded to the increased demands they faced during the global pandemic. The company has been able to do more with less in many cases all while maintaining exceptional quality.

What’s the company’s next big goal?

We are pushing to meet or exceed $100 million in revenues by 2023.

What is your biggest challenge with rapid growth?

The biggest challenge with growth is managing legacy systems and processes that are not able to manage the increased throughput.