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Connecticut-based tile retailer recognizes Portobello for product innovation, service excellence, availability, and outstanding partnership.

Baxter, TN – [Insert Date] – Tile America has named Portobello its 2025 Supplier of the Year, recognizing the company for its exceptional product design, responsive support, customer service, and continued commitment to helping Tile America serve its customers and trade partners across Connecticut.

The award was presented by Brian Knies, President of Tile America, to Mike Ward, Vice President of Sales at Portobello, during a visit to Portobello’s U.S. headquarters and primary manufacturing facility in Baxter, Tennessee.

Each year, Tile America employees vote for Supplier of the Year based on key criteria that directly impact the company’s ability to support homeowners, design professionals, builders, contractors, and tile installers. These criteria include high-quality and innovative products, responsive field support and product training, exceptional customer service, effective sales promotions and marketing, strong product availability, and on-time delivery.

“Portobello has been an exceptional partner to Tile America, distinguished by innovative product design, outstanding service, and a true commitment to our mutual success,” said Brian Knies, President of Tile America. “From their field representatives to their customer-focused team at the Tennessee factory, every level of the organization has demonstrated responsiveness, professionalism, and a dedication to supporting our business.”

Tile America has been particularly impressed with Portobello’s product design, which has resonated strongly with customers and proven highly successful in the Connecticut market. The recognition reflects Portobello’s commitment to excellence and the strong partnership the company has built with Tile America.

“Great supplier partnerships make a meaningful difference in how we serve our customers,” added Knies. “Portobello continues to deliver beautiful, innovative tile collections backed by the service, training, and availability our teams rely on.”

From left to right: Mike Ward, Vice President of Sales at Portobello; César Gomes Júnior, CEO of Portobello Gruppo; John DeBaun, Regional Sales Manager at Portobello; Brian Knies, President of Tile America; Louise Knies, Financial Officer at Tile America; and João Oliveira, CEO of Portobello America.

Media Contact:
Jill Querker
Marketing Manager
Tile America
[email protected]

About Tile America
Founded in 1963, Tile America is a Connecticut-based, family-owned tile retailer and direct importer with seven showroom locations throughout the state. Known for curated product collections, experienced Design Consultants, inspiring showroom environments, and knowledgeable trade support, Tile America serves homeowners, tile contractors, builders, remodelers, architects, and designers across Connecticut and nearby markets. Tile America is committed to helping customers make confident tile selections through better products, better guidance, and a better showroom experience. Where Inspiration Surfaces.

About Portobello
Portobello is a leading tile manufacturer known for innovative design, high-quality ceramic and porcelain tile products, and a commitment to serving residential and commercial markets. With U.S. operations based in Baxter, Tennessee, Portobello America supports customers with domestic manufacturing capabilities, product innovation, and a customer-focused approach to service and partnership.

American-Made Tile Designed to Move Projects Forward

At Tile America, the brands we represent are selected with purpose. Beautiful design is essential, but a successful partnership must deliver more: dependable quality, responsive service, strong availability and products that help our customers bring exceptional spaces to life.

That is why we partner with Portobello America.

Portobello America combines the design perspective of a global ceramic-surface leader with American-led product development and advanced domestic manufacturing. Its state-of-the-art facility in Baxter, Tennessee, includes more than 900,000 square feet of manufacturing space, allowing the company to produce collections designed specifically for the needs of the North American market.

Global Design Perspective. Made in the USA.

Portobello America brings together international design intelligence and the practical advantages of American manufacturing.

For architects, designers, builders and homeowners, domestic production can provide meaningful project benefits. Portobello’s Tennessee operation was designed to support greater manufacturing flexibility, broad product variety and more efficient service across North America. Its strategic location can also help reduce transportation distances, delivery times and associated costs.

The result is a product offering that gives designers access to sophisticated surfaces while providing Tile America with the responsiveness and availability needed to support projects closer to home.

Design That Goes Beyond Imitation

The strength of Portobello’s portfolio lies in its ability to translate natural materials, architecture, art and cultural influences into porcelain surfaces with a distinct point of view.

Rather than simply reproducing stone, concrete or handmade tile, Portobello develops collections that interpret these materials through texture, scale, color and movement.

Performance for Real-World Projects

A beautiful surface must also perform.

Portobello America’s collections are developed for durability, ease of maintenance and use across both residential and commercial environments. Its Tennessee manufacturing and warehousing capabilities support a broad range of formats and product styles, along with the inventory infrastructure needed to serve projects at scale. The Baxter warehouse alone can hold more than 12 million square feet of inventory.

That combination of design, technical performance and operational capacity gives Tile America confidence when recommending Portobello for projects ranging from a distinctive residential bath to hospitality, multifamily and large commercial interiors.

A More Responsible Approach to Manufacturing

Portobello America is also working to connect product performance with greater environmental transparency.

Products manufactured at the Baxter facility are supported by Environmental Product Declarations, providing verified lifecycle-based environmental information. Portobello reports that these products can contain up to 62% pre-consumer recycled content, helping architects and designers evaluate materials against project sustainability objectives without compromising the durability expected from porcelain tile.

For the design community, this documentation is increasingly valuable. It makes it easier to understand how a material is produced and to make informed specifications based on both aesthetic and environmental criteria.

Why the Partnership Matters

At Tile America, a supplier relationship ultimately matters because of how it improves the experience for our customers.

Portobello supports our teams with innovative products, responsive field representation, product education, customer service and dependable availability. Their collections have resonated strongly with our customers because they offer something we continually look for: surfaces that feel fresh and design-forward while remaining practical to specify, source and install.

This is the standard behind our exclusive brand partnerships. We seek manufacturers that complement Tile America’s product expertise and local service with exceptional design, manufacturing capabilities and a shared commitment to helping projects succeed.

Tile America’s 2025 Supplier of the Year

Portobello’s commitment to product innovation, service excellence, availability and partnership led Tile America employees to name the company our 2025 Supplier of the Year.

The award recognizes more than an impressive product portfolio. It reflects the responsiveness, professionalism and support Portobello provides throughout its organization—from its field representatives to the team at its Tennessee manufacturing facility.

As Tile America President Brian Knies explained, Portobello continues to deliver beautiful, innovative collections backed by the service, training and availability our teams rely on.

We are proud to begin our exclusive brand series with a partner that represents what we value most: inspired design, American manufacturing and a shared commitment to serving our customers exceptionally well.

Explore Portobello America at Tile America and connect with our Architectural & Design team for samples, specifications and project support.