In the One-to-One column, NTCA Executive Director Bart Bettiga interviews industry leaders about pertinent topics.
I recently visited with Rodolfo Panisi, President and CEO of Florim USA, to discuss the company’s evolution, innovative product lines, and vision for the tile industry. Florim USA is part of the Florim Ceramica Group, which operates production sites in Modena and Mordano, Italy, and Clarksville, Tenn. Known worldwide for ceramic tile innovation and product excellence, the company was founded by Giovanni Lucchese in 1962 and entered the U.S. market as a manufacturer 25 years ago.
Can you walk us through your background and how you came to lead Florim USA?
I moved from Italy to the United States 25 years ago, and my first job was bringing beautiful Italian tile to the American market as part of a commercial company. I spent about 18 years with the Iris Group and was part of the startup of Stonepeak, where I eventually became CEO in 2008. I wanted to explore something new, so I moved into the countertop industry with Cambria. It was fascinating work, but when COVID hit, it brought me back to the tile industry. In 2020, I joined Florim USA, and since then, we’ve made significant investments in Clarksville to bring the facility to a state-of-the-art level.
Tell us about Florim’s parent company in Italy and how Florim USA came to be.
Florim Italy is one of the oldest companies in Italy. We just celebrated our 60-year anniversary, which is a significant milestone in the history of ceramic tile. The company has always been at the forefront of innovation, design, and sustainability—the three pillars that define Florim Ceramica. Our chairman, Lucchese, had a dream to produce tile here in the United States. In 2000, an opportunity came when a company called TileCera went up for sale, and Lucchese decided to invest in this facility and land in Clarksville, Tenn. That’s where the American dream started for us.
Clarksville is strategically important from a logistics standpoint, correct?
Absolutely. Historically, Tennessee has been home to most U.S. tile manufacturers because of the clay needed to make tile. Additionally, Clarksville is close to major Midwestern and Southern markets, which represent the bulk of our business. The East and West Coast markets are more challenging for U.S. manufacturers to reach.
Can you explain what the MILE®stone brand is and how it’s different from other products you manufacture?
MILE®stone is a B2B brand we developed specifically for independent distributors, with no intention of going directly to consumers. We created it with independent distributors in North America, including Canada, in mind. An important distinction is that anything branded Florim is made in Italy, while anything branded MILE®stone is made here in our U.S. facility. This transparency makes it very easy for our clients to understand what they’re getting. Beyond MILE®stone, we also do a lot of private label products for large clients who come to us with their own designs and specifications.
I know you’re passionate about porcelain tile panels and slabs. Tell me about your investment in Pre-Fab panels using Continua+ technology: what market opportunity do you see?
I was one of the first to introduce porcelain panels to the U.S. market back in 2011 and 2012. I’ve always believed that porcelain panels are a game changer for our industry. They allow us to do residential and commercial projects in a beautiful and unique way. The technology today is amazing. In Europe and Asia, the product has exploded, but here in the U.S., growth is slower. The challenge is finding contractors capable of doing the work properly.
Commercially, we have a good network of companies that can handle large panels, but residential work has been tougher. That’s why we brought Continua+ technology to our Tennessee facility—not only to produce larger panels but also to create entry-level panels that are cut to size, reducing the amount of cutting needed on the jobsite.
What sizes are you cutting these panels to?
We’re primarily cutting them to 32” x 96”. Many bathrooms have traditional 30” x 60” bathtubs in a niche, but when homeowners remodel, they often remove the bathtub and install a walk-in shower. Four of our 32” x 96” panels do the job perfectly. We’ve also increased the thickness to 1/4” instead of the standard 6mm, which gives contractors flexibility to use familiar, traditional tools. They don’t need to invest in specialized equipment.
So, these panels can be used on both floors and walls?
Correct. Because of the 1/4” thickness, the material works either way. We’ve also developed a 1/2” thick version in the same 32 ”x 96” size for vanities, exterior countertops, and laundry areas. We even offer pre-made edges, so there’s very little work needed on the jobsite. This makes the product much more contractor-friendly and eliminates the need for a separate fabricator.
What technological advancements are you seeing in terms of finishes and aesthetics?
We’ve invested heavily in the newest technologies from our Italian corporate headquarters. The most talked-about innovation right now is 3D glazing technology. Previously, texture came from molds and digital print was separate. Now, everything is digital—both texture and image. This allows us to coordinate design with texture in ways that create amazing products. It’s night and day compared to three years ago. This technology is especially important for our Continuum panels because you can create slate finishes, marble finishes, and contemporary looks with incredible realism.
Do you have R&D teams in Tennessee working on this, or are you leveraging expertise from Italy?
We have teams in Tennessee, but one key difference between Florim Italy and Florim USA is that we drive on U.S. design. We interact extensively with American designers and architectural firms. We breathe the U.S. market every day. While Italy develops products for worldwide markets—Germany, Asia, Italy, North America—we focus exclusively on North America. We’re proud to say our products are driven by U.S. design preferences and trends.
You’ve created a truly innovative concept—a Design Advisory Council. Tell us about that.
The idea came from asking why all these materials always need to be designed in Italy or Spain. Why don’t we give U.S. designers the ability to develop something and share their ideas? So, we called our clients, got them to nominate designers they work with, and brought eight to 10 designers here to our facility. We told them they had a blank canvas and asked, “What’s your dream tile?” We gave them some parameters, and after three months, they came back with full collections and catalogs. They presented to our distributors, who voted on their favorite. We committed to making that winning collection real and unveiled it at Coverings, our major industry show.
What about the exterior porcelain market? Are you producing 2cm pavers?
Yes, we began producing pavers about six years ago. Our primary size is 24” x 24”, but we also offer 24” x 48” and 12” x 48”. It is a growing market. COVID drew more attention to outdoor living spaces, and many homeowners began remodeling their backyards. That momentum has created a snowball effect: when people see attractive outdoor spaces in their neighborhoods, they want something similar. It is much like what happened with quartz countertops. Today, we dedicate part of our production to outdoor products, and that segment becomes more important every year.
As we head into the rest of 2026, what’s your outlook for Florim USA and the tile industry?
For U.S. manufacturers willing to invest and look for new markets, there’s always opportunity. The market is in a pause situation right now: new construction is slow, remodeling isn’t what it used to be, and the cost of living is making it difficult for families to finance renovations. But in 2008 to 2010, we started Stonepeak from scratch, and it rapidly became one of the best companies in the U.S. Being here in this market is the American dream—there are so many opportunities, and the tile industry is so young. I just see green. The future is smiling on us.
Bart Bettiga is the Executive Director of the National Tile Contractors Association. Bettiga is a member of the Board of Governors of Coverings, one the largest tradeshows in North America. He has over 30 years of experience in the tile and stone industry and has served as the NTCA Executive Director since 2002. He is a well known speaker and author on ceramic tile and natural stone distribution and installation. He oversees the financial operations of the NTCA, TileLetter and the Ceramic Tile Education Foundation.
