Hispanic Enterprise - October/November 2007 - (Page 36)

COVER STORY “Tile is one of the few things that the Spanish and Italians can do better than the Americans,” she says. Sugrañes’ sense of sales and customer service—the “European mentality,” she says—also found a welcome place in the American market. When she arrived, tiles were sold as construction materials from mammoth warehouses. Instead, she turned them into design materials. Showrooms were clean and impressive, featuring the latest designs and welltrained salespeople who possessed the right attitude. Customers were offered coffee while they shopped and tile samples to take home. “We elevated tiles to a higher level,” she says. “They’ll come back three, four, ﬁve times. They’re going to take their time. I want them to be comfortable.” While at the University of Barcelona, Sugrañes worked in her family’s showrooms. Even though she knew more than most local operators, she admits she learned much of the business while on the job in Miami. What she didn’t know she was able to learn with a simple phone call to company employees in Spain. “In business school, I learned how to read a proﬁt-and-loss statement or a balance sheet, but I didn’t learn customer service,” says Sugrañes, noting that her company’s growth into new markets comes only once she’s found the right people to manage the locations. “I guess I have it inside me. I want to treat people how I like to be treated.” BEYOND LOCAL SUCCESS Sugrañes success is not a local-market phenomenon. Iberia sources tiles to The Home Depot’s Expo stores, as well as all 380 Lowe’s stores nationwide. The company’s export division ships to developers in Jamaica, the Turks & Caicos Islands, and Barbados, supplying homes, restaurants and resorts. She’ll even overnight samples—no inexpensive undertaking. The company lists among its clients automotive dealers, pharmaceutical ﬁrms and food processing companies. Diversiﬁcation has helped the company survive the declining residential construction market relatively well, she says. New 36 HISPANIC ENTERPRISE October/November 2007

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Hispanic Enterprise - October/November 2007

Hispanic Enterprise - October/November 2007 Contents BIZBUZZ: Business Briefs Trendsetters BIZTECH: Personally Digital BizLife - Travel: The Mobile Meeting Motoring: Is What You Drive, Who You Are? Q&A - Fact Tank for the Hispanic Population Hispanic Commerce Cover Story: Tiles with Style Success & Motivation: Grammy Whammy Finance: Talking Code Event: Masterminds NCLR Report - Improving your Triple Bottom Line Politics & Government: Keep on Truckin' Managing: Avoiding an Identity Crisis Franchising: Beyond the Brand Finance & Investing - Talking Money Movers & Shakers Regional Report - Louisiana, Louisiana Chamber Focus - On the Island of Enchantment

Hispanic Enterprise - October/November 2007

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.