In 1912, my great-grandfather William Erath founded the Central Tile Company. His first project was tiling the bathrooms for a fifty-unit row-house development in Brooklyn. Encouraged by the success of his job William continued to work for himself, operating primarily in the residential sector through the 1930s.

When my grandfather William C. Erath joined the business in 1930 the focus of the firm shifted. Central Tile began working as a sub-contractor, providing tile-setting services for general contractors. My great-aunt Evelyn Erath followed her brother into the family business shortly after, serving as a secretary and managing the company’s accounts until her retirement in 1985.

In 1951, our family made the decision to incorporate and the firm was re-christened Wm. Erath & Son, Inc. My father Robert joined the business two years later and it was at that time the company’s focus turned to commercial work. By 1970, Robert was company president, leading Wm. Erath & Son, Inc. until his retirement in 1984.

Inspired by the same pride and uncompromising standards as my father and his father before him, I joined the company in 1979 and my brother Jeffrey in 1982. Working side by side with our father we learned the trade first hand, and I am proud to say that the same quality and reliability our family has provided for four generations continues today at Wm. Erath & Son, Inc.