Erik Trexel of Level Plane Tile and Stone in Portland, Ore., had a rocky start to his company, but he had a boatload of skills to parlay into establishing a successful tile setting business.
The economy didn’t give him a welcome reception in 2009. His tools were a truck, a tile saw, and a loan from his brother for his Construction Contractors Board (CCB) license, supercharged by his drive to create a career path for himself.
Aside from his tile prowess, Trexel brought a wide assortment of skills and experience to the table: more than a decade of involvement organizing events, creating art, teaching himself graphic design and marketing. He inherited creativity from his artist mom and an eye for detail from his perfectionist dad. Together with his Midwest work ethic—and a “healthy fear of failure”—he catapulted onto the path to “create something bigger than myself,” he explained.
He poured himself into every job, even as he built his presence. “I made business cards, built a website, and put ads in local publications,” he said. “I didn’t know a lot about tile or the industry, just what I was taught as an apprentice for five years, but I tried my best. I didn’t get very educated or aware of the industry until probably 2012 or so when I met William White of ARDEX who introduced me to some of the local tile players like Dirk Sullivan and Jason McDaniel.
“I think my earnest drive, honesty, and detailed work are what set me apart,” he added. “Once I started building a team, what set us apart was the culture. I’ve always had a talent for team building and networking.”
Today, Level Plane does high-end residential jobs, primarily working as a subcontractor to general contractors. The company’s work includes custom niches, miters, large format, some thin panels, mosaics, handmade tiles, zellige, and trendy designer tile. Level Plane also offers in-house design to its clients and a showroom for the designers with whom it works.
NTCA
Around five years in, Trexel joined NTCA. The encouragement of his new peers helped bolster his company. He considers Sullivan to be a mentor of sorts, and attending trade shows gave Trexel access to more tile superstars.
“I had phone calls with Brad Denny, who I finally got to meet in person at Tile Solutions Plus last year,” he said. “I have been to many trainings and networked with a lot of people. The NTCA has been very supportive in the growth of my company and my evolution as a tile installer to where my company is now.” Trexel recently became an NTCA Ambassador for his region.
Trexel has one Certified Tile Installer (CTI) on staff: Dennis Lynch (CTI #788). Trexel recently chose to be listed on the CTI website, and is pursuing certification for the rest of his team. He has hosted two CTI tests at Level Plane’s warehouse, and more are in the works—as are NTCA training programs.
Trexel takes his business to heart—for clients as well as employees. One of his biggest struggles has been “keeping everyone happy and maintaining an environment that retains quality installers and a vibrant staff,” he said.
“It’s something that has to be paid attention to and worked on every day,” he added. “Everyone has a choice to be a part of what we are doing, so I have to make it something special.”
He also wrestles with pricing, trying to balance staying competitive to keep his crews busy with being profitable to pay them well and keep the business healthy. And he’s worked to get good at scheduling, too. “Start dates are constantly changing, delays happen, and it’s a daily struggle,” he said.
That said, 2026 is shaping up as one of Trexel’s biggest years. Four years ago, he became a licensed manufacturing partner of RodKat (dba Pacific Foam Custom Shower Solutions). Three years ago, Trexel’s operations moved into a 10,000-sq.-ft. warehouse to build a new business model. This year, he opened a tile showroom and design studio alongside his tools and sundries store to work with GCs, tile installers, and the A&D community on design and procuring tile. Along with new staff and investment in new systems to stay organized and effective, this year the company has signed some of its largest contracts to date.
What lights Trexel up these days “is meeting and connecting with so many interesting and inspiring people, learning about how they live their lives and how they run their businesses,” he said. He delights in sharing stories and experiences, finding commonalities, and building long-term friendships and relationships.
“I also love seeing the tile industry evolve and innovate to solve problems, make tile easier and more profitable,” he said. “There are some truly bright people in the industry. It’s always been fascinating but has only gotten more so as I get deeper into it. I also enjoy the many facets of the tile industry that you can explore and expand your business into, such as manufacturing, retail and distribution, design, showrooms, and tile sales.”
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.
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