Do you remember what you were doing when the flood of 2010 hit New England? Do you even remember there was a flood? The folks at Quality Tile in West Warwick, Rhode Island certainly do.
“We lost everything,” says Veronica Gomes, Sales Manager for Quality Tile. “Our shop was covered in water. Our records, photographs – anything made of paper – were destroyed. We endured 8 ½ ft of flood water. If we can bounce back from that we can recover from anything.”
“Now that we are back to 100%,” Gomes continues, “we want to continuously update the showroom by adding a contemporary feel to the place. At the same time we are committed to providing the great service we offer and making improvements to the overall customer experience.”
From Tile To Stone
Established in 1989 by Bill Place as a tile installation company, Quality Tile got into stone fabrication in 1998. Today, the company still offers tile, but no longer installs. It also offers cabinetry and plumbing fixtures as part of its one-stop-shopping service. The customer base is almost exclusively retail residential supplemented by referrals from local designers and contractors. Quality Tile also advertises on television and participates in selected home shows. “We don’t do radio because stone is such a visual product. People need to see what it looks like.”
As a DuPont Certified StoneTech Professional, Quality Tile offers a 15-year warranty against food and beverage stains on granite, marble and quartzite where the DuPont sealer has been applied. “DuPont will even provide a backdated 5-year warranty,” Gomes explains, “as long as we go in, remove the existing sealer and apply the DuPont sealer using their method. You must be certified by DuPont to offer the warranty and do the process. The warranty covers only food and beverage stains – etching and watermarks are not covered.”
Quality Tile operates out of a 6,800 sq ft building that includes shop, office and showroom space. The company has 10 employees and serves a market area that includes Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Connecticut.
“We see a lot of fabricators come and go,” says Gomes. “They sell their products at such low prices, there is no way they can survive. We have done well by providing higher quality products and exceptional customer service. And we have always maintained our pricing. You can’t just lower your prices in order to get a job because, in the end, you are essentially writing the customer a check for the chance to do their kitchen. We focus on quality, service and our reputation for being responsible and dependable.”
The Quality Tile Formula For Success
1. Make your customer happy.
2. Don’t over-promise.
3. Run a legitimate shop.
4. Be there for your employees and they will be there for you.
5. Never cheapen your product or service.
Want to know more? At Moraware, we make software for countertop fabricators. CounterGo is countertop drawing and estimating software. JobTracker is scheduling software that helps you eliminate the time you waste looking for job folders. RemnantSwap is a free place to buy and sell granite remnants with fabricators near you.
