Meet Tile Outlets' Don Aronin and Warren Lampert!

Tile Outlets of America takes seriously its commitment to helping customers transform their house into their dream home.

It's able to do so because of the commitment Don Aronin and Warren Lampert, Tile Outlets' management team, have made to people and product.

Meet Don Aronin and Warren Lampert!

We recently caught up with Don and Warren to learn more.

TOA: Don and Warren, what are your current roles and responsibilities at Tile Outlets of America?

Don: Although my title is President and CEO and Warren is Executive Vice President and CFO, in practice we work in partnership with each other. It has worked well over the years due to the mutual respect and trust we have for each other along with the fact that there is little overlap in our strengths and skill sets.

[Note - as of April 2018, Warren has become President and CFO of Tile Outlets of America.]

Warren: I tend to focus on the financial, administrative and IT sides of the business while Don focuses on the operational and strategic sides of the business. We collaborate on advertising, and I collaborate on the selection of new product with Kate Spencer and Michele Hoover, Vice President, Store Operations. Don handles reorders of product.

TOA: Don, how did you and Warren meet?

Don: When my former partner and I started Tile Outlets in 2002, I insisted that we hire a strong financial person with a retail background. An investment banker friend of mine had consulted with a former employer of Warren’s and recommended Warren to me. We subsequently met for lunch and seemed to connect.

Warren then met with my then partner, but he still had a final hurdle to clear – a meeting with my sister. My sister was the CFO for an American Express subsidiary at the time and she is an incredibly bright and astute woman. 

She also doesn't suffer fools very well so I knew it would take a lot to impress her. Warren passed that litmus test with flying colors!

TOA: How have your roles evolved since 2002?

Don: Our roles have evolved both out of necessity and as part of the natural progression of any long-time partnership where two individuals become more familiar and comfortable with each other.

At the beginning, Warren focused on the financial and administrative sides of the business, I focused on the operational side of the business, and my former partner focused on purchasing and store merchandising.

When my former partner left the business, I assumed greater responsibility for product reorders and store merchandising and Warren assumed primary responsibility for selection of new product lines. We are fortunate that he has a great eye for color and design. I don't. We have always solicited input from store personnel on contemplated buys so it naturally evolved that Michele, who started out with Tile Outlets as the Fort Myers store accountant, became more involved in the purchasing process as she likewise has a great eye for color and design.

Add Kate to the mix and we now have three people with a financial background responsible for new product selection! Although I assumed primary responsibility for advertising, this is likewise a natural and collaborative effort between Warren and me. Store merchandising is also done on a collaborative basis among Michele, Kate, Warren and me.

I learned a long time ago that no one has a monopoly on good ideas so we very much operate Tile Outlets of America on a collaborative basis where input is sought from store associates and managers alike for a variety of different issues.

TOA: What do you love most about the business?

Don & Warren: Our team of associates and store managers, the challenge of leading a group effort to build a successful and sustainable business, and the fact that as a company we have the opportunity to help our customers derive tremendous satisfaction and pride through making their home more beautiful.

The opening of the Sarasota store is a perfect recent example. (See Grand Opening: Sarasota Tile Outlets of America Store!)

TOA: What makes Tile Outlets of America different from other similar stores?

Don & Warren: Without a doubt it’s our people!

With enough money any company can open a store our size or bigger, stock it to the ceiling with inventory and price it as low as they want until they go broke. However, the one thing they cannot duplicate is the quality of our people.

Don: We have a team of associates and store managers who are truly passionate about what they do, are experts in their profession, and genuinely care about helping our customers find the perfect solution that will bring their dream to life. This isn't just hyperbole on my part. I read anywhere from 300 to 500 customer surveys each month and the common theme, even greater than our tremendous selection and great prices, is that the expert service we provide to our customers is unsurpassed.

TOA: How do you find all the products that customers can buy from Tile Outlets of America?

Don: We source our products in 3 different ways.

The first is by attending trade shows. We attend two major trade shows - Surfaces and Coverings - in the United States where hundreds of manufacturers from around the world exhibit their products. These shows give us the opportunity under one roof to see the latest design trends, determine which products we believe would interest our customers, and negotiate the purchase of those items we select. (See Flooring & Tile Trends From The International Surface Event 2014.) From time to time we also attend trade shows in Italy and Brazil so we can meet with manufacturers who may not exhibit at the trade shows in the U.S.

A second way is that, as a result of our size and purchasing power, we are often solicited by manufacturers who may or may not otherwise exhibit at the trade shows we attend. We meet with them at our Atlanta office and if we see something that fits one of our needs we arrange for samples of the product to be shipped to our stores so we can receive feedback from our store managers, associates and even our customers.

The third avenue for finding product is that we pro-actively identify certain products we want to stock, determine possible manufacturers who can supply these products and then request product samples and pricing. If the product samples and pricing are both acceptable, this often leads to the establishment of a new supplier relationship. We literally search the world on a constant basis to find the best products at the most competitive prices so we can provide our customers with the greatest possible value for porcelain and ceramic tile, stone, mosaics, bath accessories and more.

TOA: Where have you traveled to find stone and tile for the business?

Don: Some of the best supplier relationships we have developed and some of the best deals we have made have been as a result of our travels to other countries. I have visited a number of tile manufacturers in Italy and Spain and toured Travertine quarries and factories in Turkey to view and select product.

A Travertine tile quarry in Turkey that Don visited.

Warren: I've traveled to Brazil. And Kate recently returned from a trip to Spain and Italy.

TOA: What are your favorite products?

Warren: I would have to say mosaics because the material combinations and looks are endless, they are very versatile in their use, and they can be incorporated into a design in such a fashion as to make any room unique.

Another favorite and one of the most popular trends today is porcelain planks that look like wood.

The new ink jet technology used by many factories today has made it possible to emulate the look of real wood in such a realistic manner that you truly can have the wood look without the high maintenance and wear often associated with wood.

TOA: What have been the biggest surprises you've experienced as a result of Tile Outlets?

Warren Lampert on the left and Don Aronin on the right (pictured on right)

Don & Warren: One of the things we are most proud of is how long many of our store managers, associates and store support personnel have been with Tile Outlets of America.

Tile Outlets of America was founded in 2002 and, excluding our staff in the Sarasota store we opened in January, 20% of our employees have been with the company for 10 or more years and almost half have been with Tile Outlets for at least 5 years. This stability and wealth of experience is rare in the retail industry and truly is our greatest competitive advantage.

Another pleasant surprise is the number of repeat customers we have who come back, often several years later, when they are ready to remodel their next room or have moved to a new home. Even better, they very often are able to work with the same sales associate who helped them previously.

TOA: Thank you, Don and Warren!

We invite you to come visit Tile Outlets of America in Fort Myers, Sarasota and Tampa and experience for yourselves the commitment and passion that everyone in-store feels for helping "dreams become a reality... for a whole lot less" -- including Don and Warren!