Since its inception in 1987, Artistic Tile has been a market leader, producing designs that define the direction of the tile industry. Under the leadership of founder Nancy Epstein, the company has grown to include eight Artistic Tile showrooms across the country, a diverse network of partner showrooms, a rapidly growing e-commerce presence, a finely curated slab gallery, and a 125,000 sq. ft. state-of-the-art headquarters. Despite the coronavirus pandemic, the company is enjoying strong growth in all sectors of the business.
Nancy Epstein, Founder and Chairman of the Board, has announced plans to take a step back from day-to-day responsibilities to spend more time with her grandchildren, and to champion the causes she is profoundly committed to: Kaplan JCC on the Palisades, Birthright Israel Foundation, Impact Se and AIPAC. Nancy looks forward to returning to traveling, drawing inspiration from around the world to influence Artistic Tile’s designs.
To meet the quickly evolving demands of the growing business, Artistic Tile is pleased to announce the following appointments as officers of the corporation:
Joshua Levinson has been appointed CEO. Josh has been an integral part of Artistic Tile since joining the company in 1996. With a hands-on approach, he has overseen the company’s expansion from the infancy of its distribution business and from a single retail storefront into a leading fine tile and stone import, distribution, and retail company. With over 25 years of experience, Josh looks forward to leading the business into its next phase.
Lauren Cherkas has been appointed President & Chief Sales Officer. Lauren began her career at Artistic Tile while still in college, beginning in the wholesale division. For the last 16 years Lauren has served as the company’s President of Retail. Lauren’s deep commitment to delivering Artistic Tile’s promise to the company’s clients and years of leadership in sales make her a natural choice to oversee the company’s future expansion.
Michael Epstein has been appointed President and Chief Marketing Officer. Prior to joining Artistic Tile in 2014, Michael Epstein had an extensive career in politics and civil service, most recently as an appointee to the White House in the Obama Administration. For the last seven years, Michael has grown the Marketing and Information Technology divisions to meet the needs of an ever-evolving landscape. As President and Chief Marketing Officer, Michael will use his sharp aesthetics, attention to detail, and technological know-how to continue bridging the IT-Marketing gap to ensure that Artistic Tile remains a nimble leader and innovator in the design space.
Zachary Epstein has been appointed President and Chief Product Officer. At a young age, Zach developed an affinity for natural stone and historic tile applications while traveling with the world with Nancy. While still in high school, he began working at Artistic Tile and officially joined the company after receiving his degree in Business Administration. As President and Chief Product Officer, Zach will employ his love of tile and stone to enhance the company’s distinctive designs and curated stone slab offerings.
Nancy Epstein will remain involved in the business, particularly in product design, and is proud of the team and looking forward to seeing the continued expansion of the brand under their direction. “I have enjoyed watching the next generation take over,” she said. “Artistic Tile has grown to the point where it is a large enough business that it no longer depends on me. The next generation is just as passionate and involved. The future will continue to build upon what I’ve worked so hard to establish.”
Prior to and during the pandemic, the company made key strategic decisions to benefit the expansion of the business. Artistic Tile is nearing completion on an 18-month long project to migrate the company to a new enterprise business system, and has restructured the organization to streamline operations across all touchpoints. One of the major highlights of that migration included the launch of a new e-commerce site in early 2021, designed for optimal user experience with the enhanced benefits for product discovery and inspiration.
As Artistic Tile looks forward, the emphasis on innovation and expansion continues. In July, the company will launch Made in America, A Tailored To collection of proprietary designs made entirely in-house by its team of skilled mosaic and waterjet artisans. This summer, the newest Artistic Tile showroom will debut in Nashville, Tennessee at the Nashville Design Collective. Along with an extensive selection of tile designs,the location will include the company’s first satellite slab gallery. Collaborations with high caliber talent that bring fresh insight are to be announced in the coming year.
