Crossville, Tenn.—Domestic porcelain tile manufacturer Crossville celebrates its 30th anniversary today, May 5. Founded in 1986, the company is U.S.-owned and operated, with headquarters and manufacturing facilities located here. As a wholly owned subsidiary of Curran Group—a privately held holding company renowned for its core values of family, respect, partnership, integrity, and improvement—Crossville benefits from exceptional support and infrastructure that has made its 30 years of success possible.
In addition to being the first tile manufacturer in Tennessee, the company has been the forerunner in many innovations, achieving an impressive list of industry firsts in its three decades in business:
▪ first to produce large-format tile on site
▪ first to manufacture tile with certified recycled content
▪ first to develop the ability to recycle fired porcelain, resulting in creation of the Tile Take-Back Program and recycling partnership with Toto USA
▪ first to achieve certification of its waste recycling programs
▪ first to achieve the Tile Council of North America’s Green Squared certification for all of its U.S.-produced tile lines
▪ first to distribute a complete line of large-format, thin porcelain panels (Laminam by Crossville)
▪ first to become a net consumer of waste
Tim Curran, co-president of the Curran Group and a constant leader for the Crossville organization, reflected on what has brought the company to such a notable milestone. “Simply put, our success is all attributable to the people who do the work at Crossville,” he said. “Whether that is a visionary like Svend Hovmand who first envisioned Crossville and later became its president; a lifetime tile maker like John Smith who brought stability to our manufacturing and also later served as the company’s president; or any of the hundreds of wonderful employees who have made our company at home in Crossville, Tenn., none of our success happens without the contributions of many hard-working individuals of the highest character.”
In looking back at the three decades, Curran cited key phases in Crossville’s growth, noting the pivotal aspects of each:
The company’s “infancy”
“Crossville successfully recruited an initial team that built the first-of-its-kind tile manufacturing facility in the U.S., organized a very successful sales and marketing team and introduced a new product category: porcelain tile. All of these were accomplished in a few short years while generating a profit.”
The company’s “youth”
“Crossville emerged from being a novelty in the middle of Tennessee to a recognized leader in the tile industry with a reputation and presence that spread around the world. Capacity and complexity both continued to grow as porcelain tile became a mainstream product category.”
The company’s “young adulthood”
“Porcelain has become a major part of the tile industry. Products have become incredibly sophisticated with sizes and shapes virtually unlimited. The level of competition has increased both from burgeoning production in China and other parts of Asia, as well as an explosion of production facilities in the U.S., particularly Tennessee.”
In approaching “adulthood,” Curran said, “Crossville has branched into distribution and has continued to develop its proprietary logistics programs. This is where we are today—about to hit our stride as an ‘adult.’ I think we have demonstrated to the industry that we are good at what we do—making and selling tile—and that we conduct ourselves with the highest morals and a good heart.”
He explained these standards are the foundation of the company’s aspiration for the future. “There is still a long runway ahead for Crossville.”