Laticrete , a manufacturer of innovative systems for the installation of ceramic tile and stone, celebrated the grand opening of its new $24 million corporate campus on June 24 with a ribbon-cutting ceremony in Bethany, Connecticut.
The new 32,000 square foot office building, designed and built by Pustola & Associates, signifies the Laticrete commitment to its future, and to Bethany, its home for over 30 years.
It features stone, ceramic, porcelain, stainless steel and glass tiles, all which were installed with LEED compliant, Greenguard certified installation materials from Laticrete.
The installation work was done by well-known tile and stone contractors including Atlantic Masonry, Joseph Cohn and Son and Gady Contracting.
Dr. Henry M. Rothberg, Laticrete Founder and Chairman emeritus cut the ceremonial ribbon with his wife and co founder, Lillian. They were joined by their two sons and current co-owners, David and Henry in front of a large crowd of family, friends, industry partners and Laticrete employees from around the globe.
Dr. Steve Kaplan, President of the University of New Haven, delivered the keynote speech, on the topic of educating more engineers. In addition, Bethany First Selectperson, Derrylyn Gorski, praised Laticrete in her opening remarks, describing the firm and its personnel as “wonderful corporate citizens.”
Joan McDonald, Commissioner of the State of Connecticut’s Department of Economic and Community Development, also addressed the crowd, emphasising the presence of the Laticrete System in signature building projects around the world.
Joan McDonald also drew a parallel between Dr. Henry M. Rothberg’s inventions that changed the tile industry, with other Connecticut inventers including Charles Goodyear and Samuel Colt.
During the late 1940s and early ‘50s, Laticrete founder Dr. Henry M. Rothberg, a graduate of the University of South Carolina’s engineering programme, dedicated himself to improving the materials and methods for installing ceramic tile and stone.
Dr. Henry M. Rothberg’s pioneering research led to the first latex-fortified Portland-cement based adhesive for the thin-set method of installing ceramic tile and stone.
From the beginning, this monumental invention increased ceramic tile consumption around the world. In 1956, he founded Laticrete and, over 52 years later the Laticrete brand has become synonymous worldwide for the permanent, problem-free installation of ceramic tile and stone.
Laticrete system materials are now manufactured on six different continents and marketed in over 65 countries across the globe.