Dal-Tile Turns 75
DALLAS – Dal-Tile Corporation is celebrating its 75th anniversary in 2022.
The company, now a division of Mohawk Industries, grew from a one-building operation in the postwar years to a worldwide manufacturer, processor and distributor of tile, natural stone and quart surfaces through 300 company-owned sales service centers, stone slab yards and design studios as well as through independent distributors and leading home center retailers nationwide
“It is incredible how much our company has grown since 1947 when Robert Brittingham founded The Dallas Ceramic Company in a small Quonset hut in Dallas,” said Matt Kahny, Dal-Tile president. “From that simple beginning, we have grown into the largest tile and countertop company in the world, manufacturing products that range from 1” mosaics to 11’-tall quartz slabs, and everything in between.”
The company grew from its home base in Dallas – it changed its name to Dal-Tile in 1980 – by manufacturing tile and acquiring companies such as Keystone Ridgeway in 1980, Edilgress USA in 1983, and American Olean Tile in 1995. It also entered into a joint venture with Italian tilemaker Emil Ceramica in 2002.
Dal-Tile also opened the first of its Sales Service Centers in 1955 in Tampa, Fla., expanding to more than 100 locations by 1987. It also moved into the natural-stone market with its first Tile and Stone Gallery in Dallas in 1999. The company went public on the New York Stock Exchange in 1996.
Flooring giant Mohawk Industries acquired Dal-Tile in 2002 in a cash, stock and debt-assumption deal valued at $1.8 billion. Mohawk also acquired Italian tilemaker Marazzi in 2013 for an estimated $1.5 billion in cash and stock and integrated Marazzi’s U.S. operations into Dal-Tile. (Marazzi also acquired Emilceramica, Dal-Tile’s earlier joint-venture partner, in 2017.)
Dal-Tile also moved into domestic production of quartz-surfaces at its Dickson, Tenn., factory in 2019.
“While so much has changed, we are proud to say that the fundamental values that made Dal-Tile great over the years have remained,” added Kahny. “Chief among these values is the spirit of our people — the loyalty, passion and commitment they have for Dal-Tile, our customers and each other. I am proud and humbled to help lead this amazing organization through its 75th year.”
Other Dal-Tile team members noted other company values contributing to the company’s success.
“Devotion,” said Chris Rogers, Southwest Florida sales service center manager. “To the customer, to our team members, to our families, to the industry, to our communities and to our future.”
“Family,” said Tena Boyd, senior manager, community and employee engagement. “When I joined four decades ago, I became part of a huge group of great people who cared about each other like family. We were a family then and we still are a family now.”
“Innovation,” said Mitch Iddings, San Francisco sales service center manager. “Our ability as a company to innovate, grow and respond to the changes in the industry has made us who we are. It is this spirit that has taken us from a family-owned business to a key part of a Fortune 500 Company and a multi-faceted industry leader.”
