Beyond the Product: What TSP Taught Us About the Future of Tile

Beyond Tile: My First Experience at Total Solutions Plus

Each year, a team from Hamilton Parker has the opportunity to attend Total Solutions Plus (TSP). This industry event brings together distributors, manufacturers, contractors, and industry leaders to network, exchange ideas, and learn from one another.

This year, I had the pleasure of attending for the first time in Miami, and it was a wonderful experience.

We work in an industry surrounded by beautiful products and incredible designs. We call it “the pretty.” But what I appreciated most about TSP was the opportunity to step back from the products themselves and talk about the business of tile.

The challenges we face. The innovations happening around us. What’s working, what’s changing, and what’s coming next.

You have the opportunity to hear perspectives from nearly every part of our industry, from manufacturing and design to distribution and installation. It’s not often we get to experience the process from start to finish through the eyes of those who make it all happen. There is so much value in understanding not only our part of the business, but how we all connect.

While there were plenty of great conversations and takeaways, two topics really stuck with me: people and technology.

The Next Generation of Our Industry

Not to beat a dead horse, but we all know the skilled labor shortage is not a new conversation. We’ve been talking about the decline in skilled trades for years.

What continues to challenge me is the question of HOW.

How do we connect with the next generation? How do we get young people interested in an industry they may know very little about? How do we show them the opportunities that exist, not just in installation, but in design, sales, manufacturing, distribution, leadership, and so much more?

We have an industry full of opportunity, but we have to do a better job of telling that story.

And perhaps just as important, we have to be willing to listen to what the next generation is looking for. What interests them? What motivates them? How do we create an environment where they want to build a career and eventually take the torch?

These are conversations worth continuing, and ones that will require all of us to play a part.

Technology and the Human Side of Business

Of course, technology was another big topic.

Artificial intelligence. Bots. Automations. All the buzzwords were there!

But what I found most interesting wasn’t necessarily the technology itself. It was the conversations around how we introduce it into our businesses, how we bring our teams along, and how we balance efficiency with the human side of what we do.

Technology is changing how we work, and it creates tremendous opportunity in that. But implementing new tools is only part of the equation. We have to think about our people, our culture, and how we communicate and navigate the change together.

One of my favorite takeaways was the reminder that technology should allow us to spend more time doing the things that make us human.

Building relationships. Creating connections. Having meaningful conversations. Being curious. Learning from one another.

Those are things that technology cannot replace.

If anything, the more technology becomes part of our everyday work, the more intentional we need to be about maintaining a strong culture and creating moments of connection.

Moving Forward

I left feeling energized, with plenty of notes, ideas, and conversations I look forward to bringing back to our team at Hamilton Parker and sharing with our industry partners.

One thing I appreciate most about events like TSP is the reminder that, while we may operate in different areas of the business, we share many of the same challenges and opportunities.

And there is something powerful about bringing people together who are willing to share what they know, ask questions, and learn from one another.

I’m grateful for the experience, the connections, and the opportunity to see our industry through a few different lenses.

After all, we may be in the business of selling tile, but at the heart of it, we’re still in the people business.