Slippery Rock Gazette

Michele Farry

Humblestone

Continuing on in my business development series begun in the February 2017 Slippery Rock Gazette, in this article we will look more closely for the application of the business strategies we have been examining. We can see this in action with companies like Nemo Tile and Stone who have demonstrated successful historical developmental paths. 

While you’re reading this profile, I encourage you to apply your own business strategies to a few of these aspects on how businesses find harmony working together with their customers and industry professionals by informing each other. It is this information that produces the new trends and marketing approaches that are satisfying, sustainable and most profitable.  

As I mentioned in June’s Slippery Rock Gazette, it is possible for companies to overlap in the marketplace as a trendsetter and a push/pull company. Nemo Tile and Stone is a great example of this. My own company, Humblestone, has been working with Nemo Tile and Stone for over 10 years, and as installers we found them to be supportive, innovative and very engaging. 

Nemo Tile and Stone was established in 1921, in Jamaica, Queens, New York, and is now in its third generation of family ownership.

Above: Four popular varieties of Think Thin stone panels, from the factory in Italy: from left, Graffito, Carrara, Calcutta and Statuario.

Above: A one cm Think Thin stone Carrara panel is considerably lighter and easier to transport and install, and fabricates and polishes just the same as standard two or three cm slabs.

Above: Statuario Marble Think Thin Panels used to create a luxurious space, with a fraction of the structural requirement needed with 2 or 3cm slabs. Cost and ease of installation are also very attractive incentives to offer customers this trend in kitchen and bath design.

Above: How easy is thin stone to move? Two men demonstrate the reduced effort required to move a Think Thin Carrara panel, in the factory warehouse in Italy.

Since Nemo’s modest beginnings in Jamaica, Queens, in 1921, Nemo Tile and Stone has offered an unmatched breadth of product. For over three decades they have supplied and served contractors and neighborhood homeowners with all their floor and wall tile needs. Walk through the “Tile Vault” at Nemo and you’ll find a plethora of unique vintage 4x4 tiles that were quite on trend during this time. Since its earliest years, Nemo has grown as a fixture in Manhattan architecture, and now throughout the world. From hotels, restaurants, and lobbies, to company headquarters, entertainment complexes, and transportation hubs, Nemo always meets the demand for beautiful, high-performance surface materials.

I enjoyed speaking with successful entrepreneur and business owner Matthew Karlin, President and CEO of Nemo Tile and Stone based in New York City. Karlin and his family are third generation Nemo owners. In 2002, Matthew, son of Bert and grandson of Jerry, kept the family tradition going when he decided to join Nemo. Matthew saw his father and grandfather as  sources of inspiration and a wealth of business insights that could not be learned in any classroom. For 12 years, he worked under Bert’s leadership while testing out his own vision in areas such as launching architecture and design sales, transforming the showrooms and expanding the Nemo territory.

Taking a look at Nemo’s history and dedication to the tile and stone marketplace and as a leading manufacturer of trend-setting products, I wanted to know what really sets Nemo Tile and Stone apart, and asked how closely they work with installers and designers. Importantly, in addition to being a major retailer, how does Nemo utilize its market position and understand what motivates their consumer behavior? 

I asked Matthew these questions: “How does Nemo Tile and Stone utilize its market position as a trend-setting product designer and manufacturer? How does Nemo learn from its marketing strategies and consumer behavior? Do you gain knowledge from the feedback in the field by working closely with installers? I believe Nemo is set apart in a category of its own seeing as you educate and carry a large variety of installation trade materials and products. How does that help you in the marketplace?”

Matthew responded, “Nemo Tile and Stone takes installer opinions and experiences into great consideration when introducing new products to the market. I think because we hold our clients’ opinions in such high regard, they genuinely appreciate when we offer something new and innovative.  

“For example, this past fall we launched ‘Think Thin Stone,’ which is an innovative way to use stone panels in half the thickness of regular slabs. This product is becoming revolutionary because it saves installers time to install, as it is lighter, and saves more money, as it is less material. Without our installer’s suggestions, we wouldn’t have been able to achieve such a product.  

“We look at all segments of our target audience when selecting new products, which range from retail, to installers, to dealers.  With that, when we find products that make sense for our entire landscape, the product stands apart from the rest, as it is not just based on one position in the market.”

After speaking with Matthew, I reached out to Chris Caputo, Manager of Distribution Sales, New England Region for Nemo. I asked Chris, “How do you develop marketing strategy as a field/ territory sales expert in New England for Nemo, marketing new products? Do you have any advice for the tradesmen or retailers you support on how to retail and promote new products to their clients on the ground level in?”

Chris said, “It has been very exciting to have the opportunity to bring Nemo Tile and Stone to the New England Market.  Nemo is already well established and respected in the A&D community. We are capitalizing on this foundation and we are expanding to installer and dealer markets. The product offering is extensive and beautiful. We offer selections which are truly exotic, and we also provide products that are dependably practical. Every tile presented is competitively priced and is of superior quality.

“In regard to developing marketing strategy we always recommend use of our displays, which are a primary tool. We can customize offerings from portable folders to large-scale vignettes. Nemo has created marketing that suits any location, aesthetic, or size.  

“We endeavor to present only the finest products and installation methods, utilizing the most advanced technology available. Dealers and installers will benefit from our continuing product education. Nemo strives to partner with our dealers and to support them in any way possible.”

I found Nemo to be excellent at overlapping and supporting the industry growth and sustainability with its new classic products, new innovations, and forward thinking in supporting the foundation of the local retailers and installers. Next month’s article will discuss feedback from the consumer’s perspective on what questions, concerns and skepticism they have about new products and trends; why they choose to do business with certain companies that carry and promote them over others; effective marketing techniques; how costs and trends come together as being attainable to the mass market, and much more. Have a great month! 

Michele Farry co-owns Humblestone and is passionate about entrepreneurship and small business growth. Michele has received awards for her work with profit-based and non-profit charity organizations