We are proud to announce the official launch of the Florida Tile Commercial Division. As stressed by Mr. Mussini and the board of directors of Florida Tile, the development of the US commercial market is a strategic initiative to gain market share and ensure the flexibility and stability of our company through diversification. Currently Florida Tile enjoys only a small share of the estimated 750 million Sqft/ year US commercial tile market. The objective of the Commercial Division is to grow sales in this sector to generate 20% of Florida Tile’s product revenue coming from commercial sales.
Continuing the evolution of Florida Tile, the Commercial Division is yet another example of our commitment to our employees and our customers. With the unprecedented updates to our product portfolio the Commercial Division will rely heavily on the new technical production capabilities of our domestic manufacturing facility. Combined with the Florida Tile CARES initiative for environmental responsibility and our GREENGUARD certifications, Florida Tile now has a complete package to present to commercial specifiers. To stay competitive however we will continue to develop new lines that are both aesthetically and technically appealing to the market.
The structure of the Commercial Division will be composed of five sales specialists, split between independent distributors and Florida Tile showrooms. Branch commercial sales specialists will report to their regional manager and the independent commercial specialists will report to Doug Hayes, Director of Business Development. Each specialist will be charged with engaging the local A&D community in order to increase visibility and generate leads. Their tools will include updated merchandising, a redesigned website, an increased trade show presence, targeted advertising and several lead generating and project locating services.
In addition to these commercial sales specialists, FT has a created a sales position to attack the National Account market segment. This position will be responsible for increasing Florida Tile’s sales to National Accounts throughout the United States supporting both our branch operations and our independent distributors. The National Account Sales representative will report to Doug Hayes.
These positions throughout the country have already begun to be filled by qualified professionals eager to bring Florida Tile into a new era of growth. We offer them a warm welcome to our organization and wish them luck.
