Pictured above L to R: Jack Vogel (CT founder), Sue Vogel, Steve Vogel (CT Executive Vice President), Jim Vogel (CT President) and presenting the silver plate, Ed Metcalf, LATICRETE President, North America Division.


LATICRETE, a manufacturer of systems for the installation of tile and stone, presented a silver plate to its long-time business partner Conestoga Tile to commemorate the wholesale distributor’s 50 years of excellence in the tile and stone industry on October 16. As one of two Diamond Level sponsors of “Tile Concepts 2008,” a tradeshow event held in conjunction with Conestoga Tile’s 50th Anniversary celebration at the Eisenhower Hotel and Conference Center in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, LATICRETE paid tribute to a fellow family-run business that was founded by Jack R. Vogel in Lancaster, PA in 1958.

More than 350 attendees gathered for the one-day event, which featured close to 60 exhibitor booths for retailers, designers and architects to view some of Conestoga Tile’s top supplier lines of tile, stone and allied products. LATICRETE held installation demonstrations and sponsored the fifth session of the day, which featured the NTCA/CTEF’s demonstration on ANSI standards when installing large format tiles.

“Conestoga Tile is an organization that exemplifies what distributors in our industry should be,” said Ed Metcalf, LATICRETE President, North America Division. “Conestoga hires and retains top talent, offers high quality product lines that are stocked in-depth, and is committed to superior customer service. They have highly efficient delivery systems, actively promote to the design and construction community, and provide real value to the tile contractor and installer. Their success over the past 50 years is based on ownership and employees acting together as one to assure these core values are upheld each and every day. We at LATICRETE are proud of our long and mutually beneficial association with Conestoga Tile and the Vogel family.”

In 2005, Conestoga Tile opened a 100,000-square-foot distribution center in Hanover, PA to increase its ability to stock material and deliver it on a timely basis to its four distribution service centers in Harrisburg, Linthicum, MD, Dulles, VA, and Troy, VA.

“What surprised me the most,” said Jim Vogel, President of Conestoga Tile, “is that at eight in the morning I had over 100 customers waiting outside to get started. We had over 250 people in attendance by 10 a.m. I figured it would come in waves throughout the day, but once they came they stayed. Some of our exhibitors said they had more qualified leads in that one day than they did over four days at Coverings.”