Mark Huarte (CEO Arizona Tile), Marcio Muller (GM, Eliane) Mauro Couto (Sales Manager, Eliane)

Eliane North America, a world leader in the manufacturing of porcelain and ceramic tile, held its annual national distributors meeting this past November in Miami Beach, Florida.

The two-day event, which was hosted by Eliane president and CEO Edson Gaidzinski, Jr., was a virtual “who’s who” of the North American tile industry, as importers, distributors and top industry professionals gathered at the South Beach Marriott for a first glance at Eliane’s new product offerings for 2007.

“The timing of the show couldn’t have been better,” said Mark Huarte CEO of Arizona Tile. “The location was perfect, too, and we attend almost every year out of respect for our valued, long-term supplier. Eliane is launching some great new products for the US market, and it’s always a great opportunity to catch up with people that we have been doing business with for years.”

Tile professionals were able to view new Eliane product lines including Versatile, a multifaceted rectified porcelain series combining style and functionality, as well as nine other new products from Brazil’s leading ceramic tile manufacturer.

“Everyone at Eliane really listens to the distributors,” said David Koenig president of Case Supply. “They worked with the distributors to gather input on each new product in order to explore new merchandising options and capture a new market share in the US. The relaxed and informal setting of Miami Beach offered a great opportunity to meet with other distributors in the country.”

"Eliane is focused on how our program performs for our distributors,” said Marcio Muller, general manager of Eliane North America. “Their success is our success. Our annual distributor conference is an opportunity to discuss industry trends and discuss our mutual business goals for the future, as well as review the product trends in detail."

“It's always good to have an opportunity to speak with other importers and distributors,” said Stacey Mednick of East Coast Tile, the largest tile importer in the Northeast. “The meeting with the president (Edson) of Eliane was the highlight, just to get his input into the future.”

Eliane, recognized ceramic tile producers since 1960, employs approximately 2300 people globally and has a strong distribution network across North America. For more information, please contact Eliane Ceramic Tiles USA headquarters: 1500 Luna Road, Suite 106, Carrollton, TX, 75006, Phone: 972 481 7854 Fax: 972 481 7855 e-mail: info@elianeusa.com or visit www.elianeusa.com