CROSSVILLE – Domestic porcelain tile manufacturer Crossville Inc. celebrated its 30th anniversary Thursday. Founded in 1986, the company is U.S.-owned and operated, with headquarters and manufacturing facilities in Crossville.
Crossville Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Curran Group, a privately held holding company. Tim Curran, co-president of the Curran Group and a constant leader for the Crossville organization, recently reflected on the what has brought the company to such a notable milestone.
“I think we have demonstrated to the industry that we are good at what we do – making and selling tile.”
“Simply put, our success is all attributable to the people who do the work at Crossville,” Curran said. “None of our success happens without the contributions of many hard working individuals of the highest character.”
In addition to being the first tile manufacturer in Tennessee, the company has been the forerunner in many innovations, achieving an impressive list of industry “firsts” in its three decades in business.
- first to produce large format tile on site
- first to manufacture tile with certified recycled content
- first to develop the ability to recycle fired porcelain, resulting in creation of the Tile Take-Back® Program and recycling partnership with TOTO USA
- first to achieve certification of its waste recycling programs
- first to achieve TCNA’s Green Squared certification for all of its U.S.-produced tile lines
- first to distribute a complete line of large format, thin porcelain panels (Laminam by Crossville)
- first to become a net consumer of waste
In looking back at three decades, Curran noted key phases in Crossville’s growth:
First, the company’s “infancy.” “Crossville successfully recruited an initial team that built the first of its kind tile manufacturing facility in the U.S., organized a very successful sales and marketing team, and introduced a new product category: porcelain tile,” he said. “All of these were accomplished in a few short years while generating a profit.”
Second, the company’s “youth.”
“Crossville emerged from being a novelty in the middle of Tennessee to a recognized leader in the tile industry with a reputation and presence that spread around the world,” Curran added. “Capacity and complexity both continued to grow as porcelain tile became a mainstream product category.”
And, lastly, the company’s “young adulthood.”
“Porcelain has become a major part of the tile industry,” he said. “Products have become incredibly sophisticated with sizes and shapes virtually unlimited. The level of competition has increased both from burgeoning production in China and other parts of Asia, as well as an explosion of production facilities in the U.S., in particular Tennessee.
“Crossville has branched into distribution and has continued to develop its proprietary logistics programs,” he added. “This is where we are today – about to hit our stride as an ‘adult.’ I think we have demonstrated to the industry that we are good at what we do – making and selling tile – and that we conduct ourselves with the highest morals and a good heart.
“There is still a long runway ahead,” he said.
