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This is Fred Ball for Zions Bank, speaking on business.
It seems that everywhere you look in Washington County, there are homes springing up. Hurricane, Washington, St. George, Bloomington, Ivans, Santa Clara all have residential construction in full swing.
That is why I wasn't surprised when I visited with Jeff Eggertz at Southwest Tile Supply, Incorporated and heard about his booming business. Jeff imports and buys ceramic tile and stone from India, South America, Italy and other parts of Europe. He also buys domestically from U. S. suppliers. He then sells his wide variety of tiles to professional tile installers. About 10-15% will go to do-it-yourselfers. I walked through his showroom and saw all types of beautiful tiles. There was ceramic, travertine, limestone and natural stone. Most are sold in the standard 13 X 13 size but other sizes are also available.
Jeff started in the business in 1981 and has owned this business since 1993. He has seen a tremendous growth in the remodel and home construction business in those 20 years. He has also seen his business interests grow and expand to meet the needs of the construction business.
He also owns the Southwest Marble and Granite Company that is located across the street from his facility at 270 East in St. George. I walked across the street and saw huge slabs of granite, marble and other materials. Most comes to St. George from Los Angeles distributors. The L. A. distributors buy the beautiful granite and marble from India, South America and Italy. The materials are cut and formed into countertops, fireplaces, vanity tops and furniture. The company not only sells the material but is also a licensed contractor for marble and granite slab installation.
"The day will come," Jeff said, "when we will build a new, larger building across the street near the slab yard for a new tile facility. We are growing rapidly and the construction outlook for Southwestern Utah is really very positive."
Yes, business is very good in Washington County but Jeff is also benefiting from the Iron County economy. Southwest Tile Supply also has a Cedar City store.
For Zions Bank, I'm Fred Ball. I'm speaking on business.
