Ocean Tile, LLC, an NTCA Member since 2021, is a family-based business in Waimea, Hawai’i, begun 16 years ago by Monique DePonte and her husband Wallace.
The contractor tackles residential and commercial projects, specializing in luxury home remodels and new construction. The scope of work ranges from a small one-shower remodel to a full 3,000-sq.-ft., five-bathroom new-construction home. The team can skillfully handle either challenge.
DePonte’s company recently completed the ninth house for a luxury developer in the Mauna Lani area where homes sell for $4M-$6M. Part of the project was installing gauged porcelain tile panels (GPTP) in all five bathrooms in each of the last four houses of the series.
“We knew it was going to be a heavy lift (pun intended), so we took the team to Texas to get trained by the NTCA,” DePonte said. “The experience was invaluable. We started that project confidently, knowing that we were trained properly. We can in all honesty say that we are the only NTCA-trained contractor in Hawai’i in GPTP.”
The foundations of the business
Ten years ago, the couple—and the business—endured tragedy when Wallace’s brother passed away due to a jobsite injury.
“He was an artisan and true craftsman, and we honor him every day with our commitment to safety and our craft,” DePonte said. “We have plans to create a non-profit in his honor: an apprenticeship program, with an emphasis on safety.”
Galvanized by the incident, DePonte has committed to improvement professionally and personally. “I am constantly looking for training, technical and learning
opportunities for my team and myself in the industry and for myself as a business owner,” she said. “I take my role as business owner very seriously and want to provide the best for my employee team. I consider them family.”
DePonte, an NTCA Women in Tile member, prioritizes a healthy culture in her business, encompassing learning, accountability, and pride. The company mission statement is “Ocean Tile doesn’t just install tile. We build spaces families come home to and careers people are proud of, with craftsmanship that speaks for itself and a commitment that doesn’t quit.”
Ocean Tile, LLC is founded on four pillars: craftsmanship, integrity, growth, and ohana (family).
“Not many other small contracting businesses in my area are as ‘formal’ as we are in the sense of team development and structure,” she said. “In addition to all that, I am the only female-led/operated tile and stone contractor in my area, and one of few other woman-owned and operated businesses in the trades.”
She prides herself on her superior communication prowess. “These skills, combined with the skills and talents of our team, give us the upper hand and keep us busy with repeat customers: both homeowners and GCs,” DePonte said.
The NTCA advantage
What NTCA membership offers is right in line with DePonte’s goals for her company: training and networking.
“Being a part of the NTCA means I have the ability to learn, network, and grow with other tradesmen and women who take their craft as seriously as I do,” she said. “I like to nerd out on specs and details, and being in proximity of others who feel the same is awesome.
“Personally, I want to do what I can to elevate the trades and bring back craftsmanship to not only tile but all of the building industry,” she added.
DePonte is intent on signing up more contractors to NTCA to attract more NTCA programs in Hawai’i. “I see opportunity in every aspect of the NTCA,” she explained. “Technical learning and training, relationship building, personal and professional growth, and growth for our business.”
DePonte also is determined to give back to NTCA. Her contributions have been celebrated, and she is being voted in as a Regional Director for Hawai’i at Tile Solutions Plus this month.
“I am grateful to have been asked, and take this responsibility very seriously,” she said. “It pushes me to be a better installer and business owner. As time goes on, with more experience and training I hope to earn the title of local ‘expert’ in my field.”
To expand her company’s credentials, DePonte plans to take the Certified Tile Installer (CTI) exam next year, along with one of her installers. “We hope to spread awareness of the importance and value of having a CTI on board, and capitalize on that within the commercial market,” she said. “The homeowner market needs more education in order to see the value.”
Struggles
Because of the company’s island location, DePonte has access to a very small pool of journeymen installers, and those looking to relocate face a high cost of living and lack of housing. Ocean Tile continues to train within and advertise for top talent who believe in its culture and mission statement.
Cost of goods and scheduling are two other challenges. DePonte meets with customers early, clearly sets expectations for the timeline of the project, and helps to plan it all out in a way that meets both the contractor’s and client’s schedules.
“I put a lot of genuine time and effort in my customers and it shows in our referral network,” she said. “We sometimes face delays due to extreme weather, but we adjust, pivot, and make it work. We make sure to take care of our community that’s been affected, in addition to getting the work done for the customers.”
Looking to the future
DePonte said 2026 has been a “whirlwind” for Ocean Tile: traveling with the team to Coverings; lots of training, and many opportunities. The contractor finished a large luxury home project and will work with that developer on 19 more luxury homes, and custom homes for new GCs are in the works.
2027 is about Ocean Tile’s core team being trained and ready with systems and processes in place with which to integrate new hires, and to step forward into quality projects on the horizon and opportunities the NTCA network has provided. “We are ready to grow into the best tile company in my area,” she said.
The art of tile—and a business
Building—literally and figuratively—is DePonte’s greatest joy as a contractor. As an apprentice 20 years ago, her path was unclear, but as the art and creation of tile contracting unfolded, she was “smitten with the possibility that I could actually do this on my own one day. I love creating art through tile,” she said. “Then, when I became a business owner, I began to create and build something entirely new. A company. A culture. A future for myself, my family, and my team.”
Lesley Goddin has been writing and journaling since her first diary at age 11. Her journey has taken her through a career in publishing and publicity, landing her the editor position of TileLetter and its special publications in 2006. Her goal is to educate, inspire, recognize and encourage those in the tile industry -- especially the tile and stone contractor.
