Jeff Roesner – Artisan Wood Tile & Stone
Jeff Roesner, Owner of Artisan Wood Tile & Stone in Huntsville, Ala., (artisanwts.com) is all about putting the focus on customer needs, whether that has to do with commercial projects, residential renovations, or repairs.
“After working for floor covering stores we noticed the customer service was lacking,” Roesner said. “The decision was to abandon the high-volume, cookie-cutter flooring store model and focus on our customers’ needs.”
In business since 1998, Roesner’s former employer wanted to hire his sons, so he set Roesner up to go out on his own. “I’m flattered by what he saw in me,”
he said.
Another facet of Roesner’s philosophy is to learn – constantly. “Continuing education in our industry is largely ignored by tradesmen, which we take every advantage of,” he explained. “Networking, learning the newest methods, and getting certified in specialty fields like inspections keep us abreast of our competitors.” Some of the training programs he’s attended include: wedi Certification Workshop; Schluter Innovation Workshops; Suntouch Radiant Floor Heat Workshop; and Ardex Tile & Stone Installation Systems training.
Education is one of the reasons the company signed up with NTCA four years ago: “It was the next step in differentiating ourselves in the market,” Roesner said. “Recognizing the value of the NTCA with staying on top of training, and showing our customers that we prioritize education and innovation.”
But membership offered other advantages too. “Networking has been an unexpected plus,” he said. “After joining, we have been reached out to by out-of-state companies needing work done in our area. When repairing a local ceramic art installation, the artist insisted on our company, partially due to being an NTCA member. At a recent training we picked up some helpful tips on a project we were currently on.”
Always looking to up his game, Roesner attended the Artisans Revolution in Tile (A.R.T.) Training that focused on creating hand-shaped mosaics last summer in Milwaukee, sponsored by NTCA, LATICRETE and Daltile. One of the greatest aspects of the program was developing an artist’s eye in looking at his company’s work, “taking the leap from craftsman to an artisan,” he said. “Lee [Callewaert] and Joshua [Nordstrom] are terrific with showing the hands-on and technical aspects of using tile as art. And the other attendees brought their own experience and flair to the course. I speak or text with many of them every week now, an invaluable resource.”
This editor experienced his expertise firsthand, when the mosaic I was creating at the class was marred by Sharpie I used to mark the stone pieces. (Doh!) Roesner came to the rescue with an isopropyl alcohol + Magic Eraser combo that quickly and completely eradicated the problem – and taught me a valuable lesson!
Confident of the excellence he offers his clientele, Roesner took and passed his Certified Tile Installer exam on July 15, 2022, earning CTI #1794. The certification has helped set his business apart from other companies, since Artisan Wood Tile & Stone is the sole CTI in Huntsville and one of only three in the metro area. “I have customers that have requested us solely due to being certified,” he said. “Certifications like CTEF’s CTI are a large reason we are booked months out at any given time,” and 2025 shows no signs of slowing down.”
Knowledge, best practices and certification help Roesner combat the biggest challenge to his business: handymen that came out of the woodwork during Covid. He views them as “undertrained, unlicensed, uninsured, selling a bag of goods they aren’t qualified to deliver – giving contractors in general a bad name and making the public skittish, or accepting of substandard work.”
Roesner takes a personal, informative approach with his customers. “We try at every opportunity to educate our clients on the value of hiring qualified contractors, and especially ones that care enough to be up to date on industry standards.”
And while costs of Roesner’s supplies and materials are steadily rising, “We’ve adjusted to match in kind,” he says. “So far our customer base is content with paying for quality.”
For Roesner, his greatest sense of pride and accomplishment is “Working with my hands, for customers that have put their investments in my custody, and seeing either my vision – or my clients’ – come to life day by day.”
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.
