Just because Louisville Tile is a fourth-generation, family-owned, successful tile distributor…doesn’t mean it has earned the right to take it easy. “The world has changed and continues to evolve rapidly. Rather than rest on our laurels, it was time to proactively re-think, re-invest and revitalize. Standing still only makes you a target to be run over,” stated Matthew Saltzman, CEO.
The Senior Management Team currently consists of seven seasoned Louisville Tile veterans, each of whom serves in a rotating functional role. One leader holds that position for three months. After that time winds down, another takes over the leadership spot. “I not only learned more about the business I’ve worked for the past three decades,” Tina Boyle, VP of Warehouse Operations and the initial Senior Management Team Leader stated. “I also was able to interact with other top LT employees, and in doing so, continue to not only learn more about our business and leadership… but also, become more tight-knit with my co-employees.”
The Senior Management Team has been tasked to come up with various ideas on a regular basis, and then present them to not only the Executive Team (which consists of top Louisville Tile management) but also, to any group or any individual in any part of the company. “The Senior Management Team’s priority is to learn about our business and develop ourselves and our colleagues as better leaders and employees,” emphatically stated Amanda Helen, Purchasing Manager and an 11-year Louisville Tile veteran. “We are now working on a new initiative that allows for any employee to submit their very own business plan, focusing on how areas they work within can be improved. The buzz has been tremendous,” Helen exclaimed.
Branch Team Support Manager Nick McLaughlin, who just reached his 8th anniversary working at Louisville Tile, is also a member of the Senior Management Team. “It’s been a healthy experience,” he stated. “Each person on our team has something different to offer relative to the tile industry. We really can learn from each other at our weekly meetings. And collectively, all of us feel as if we individually have more skin in the game.
“Launching the contests… and, opening them up to anyone in the company who ultimately wants to make a difference, has proven to be a great initiative. We’ve learned so much from our everyday staffers. And this includes ideas on how to save money, how to make the overall working experiences better, how to save time, and much more,” McLaughlin continued.
Of the seven members comprising the Senior Management Team, one is an actual fourth generation family member. Travis Wilcox, VP of National Sales, literally learned the business from the ground up. “Our Senior Management Team consists of department leaders… that all have been very busy,” stated Wilcox. “We are actively addressing centralized purchasing, implementing a new logistics model, advancing inventory policies and controls, developing an internal concierge branch support team, investing in new technologies and creating new employee engagement and retention initiatives. We’re making things happen… and having a great time in doing so!”
Matt Saltzman summed it all up, stating, “People are our greatest resource and here we had all this talent and knowledge just looking for a place to be engaged. With the Senior Management Team, we have empowered amazingly talented people to do what they do best. The Senior Management Team is built for speed and feedback. They push back on our initiatives when appropriate, create and push initiatives to the ELT for consideration, and truly partner with us to create a synergistic combustion engine that can take us where we want to go.”
