Emser Tile LLC: Continuously Launching New Lines of Tile and Natural Stone

Emser Tile LLC (Emser), headquartered in Los Angeles, Calif., is the country’s largest privately held designer and marketer of tile and natural stone products. Founded in 1986, Emser boasts sales and service locations nationwide. The company also has a state-of-the-art distribution network to service customers’ tile and natural stone needs.

What sets Emser apart from its competitors, though, is not its size. The company has focused on a model of service, selection and value for customers. The team has dedicated itself to providing industry leading service and continuous new product development offerings. According to Bob Baldocchi, director of marketing and sales support, Emser offers a comprehensive selection of tile and natural stone with over 3,300 products and counting for interior or exterior needs. “We believe by offering our customers new products continuously throughout the year is one of the best ways we can support their business and drive growth,” says Baldocchi.

While Emser has been in business for nearly 45 years, the tile and natural stone division experienced tremendous growth over the last 15 years, boosting it industry-leader status. Emser’s growth was fueled by the addition of new products to its various lines and the expanded operations to reach nearly every corner of the country. Baldocchi explains that the company’s growth is built on a strong fundamentals and a solid business model.

“The company believes very strongly that growth needs to come from growth, so everything has been built from the ground up,” says Baldocchi. “It’s endemic growth fueled by success.” Because of the foundation laid from the company’s very beginnings, Emser has continued the tradition of being a stable entity even at times when the economy and the construction industry struggled.

National Company with Local Feel

Emser’s business model is designed to cater to the trade industry, and therefore the company does not sell retail out of its sales and service locations. Contractors and other trade professionals can visit any of the Emser locations to find products and solutions that fit the needs of the respective project.

The company’s distribution network allows Emser to service all of its customers’ needs, ensuring the team is capable of managing the logistics from the small local job to servicing major big-box retailers, as well as the large commercial projects in between. Emser’s service locations also provide a personalized experience for residential, retail, commercial and industrial builders alike. This balance of business allows prospective clients to find Emser products in both homes and hotels, as well as providing a level of sustainability to the business.

“If one segment within the industry struggles, another one often thrives and we are positioned to capitalize on these shifts in the business,” says Baldocchi.

Emser is also proud to have a strong community tie with all of the company’s locations. While Emser is a national company, Baldocchi details that each location is treated like a local small business. “We’ll be in a market like Wichita, Kan., for example,” says Baldocchi. “While this location operates like a local business to service the local trade community, it has all the benefits and support of a large national company. That’s been the key to our success: to involve ourselves with community as a local resource but have the strength of a national entity.”

Endless Options for the Next Wave of Growth

Emser’s website showcases the extensive collection the company offers. Products can be searched by categories, such as porcelain, ceramic, metal, glass, quarry, decorative accents and mosaics. “The website also offers new features to help streamline the process of product selection,” says Baldocchi.

A colors tab brings up a color wheel from which clients can select the color of the product they hope to find. For instance, clicking on gray will produce pages of tile options that feature shades of the color.

If that process still produces too many options, Emser has recently launched a Design Made Easy guide. Emser’s guide offers options to help make design ideas come together quickly and easily. Through this guide, the company classifies its products to fit certain needs. The coordinates program features seven looks with tile and natural stone to suitable for the given style. Similar lists have been generated for the company’s backsplash, linear and prefabricated countertops.

As a supplier for the construction industry, Emser was not exempt from the effects of economic hardship within the industry. The company saw shifts in the business mix and relied more heavily on segments other than new home construction, such as commercial and supporting retailers. “Even when things turned the business model was established so the business remained solid,” says Baldocchi.

The struggling economy provided an opportunity for the company to invest in infrastructure and product assortment by revamping Emser’s IT system and continuing to launch new products. “We launched more new products in last four years than we have in the history of the company,” says Baldocchi. “If business is difficult in the marketplace, we see it as our role is to keep developing new products. The feeling was eventually this will turn and we want to be positioned to be the company that capitalizes on the turn.”

The company has started to see more construction happening in the industry, which is indicative of an economic rebound. Emser Tile LLC is strategically placed for even greater success as the industry continues to rebuild.