Meridian welcomes Arizona Tile  

Arizona Tile is celebrating its expansion into Idaho with its recently completed 45,000-square-foot building in Meridian. The company was founded in 1977 by Heisman Trophy winner John Huarte after he played 10 years of football at the collegiate and professional levels. He was introduced to the industry by his brother, who was involved with the distribution of ceramic tile. When Huarte’s sports career ended, he decided to put his leadership and team-building skills to use in the business world.

He and his wife opened their first Arizona Tile location in San Diego and today, it has become a leading tile and slab distributor for both residential and commercial customers with locations across 10 Western states.  

Huarte has Basque heritage and Arizona Tile has been a proud supporter of the Basque Museum in Boise, long before the decision was made to build in Treasure Valley. So, Idaho was a natural progression in the company’s goals for expansion. 

Jack Bramson, vice president, Pacific Northwest at Arizona Tile, said, “Meridian is ‘the hub’ for businesses in our industry and the location we chose allows us to be ‘in the thick of things,’ which makes it very convenient for our customers and consumers.” 

The concrete tilt building was constructed by AI Construction, a sister company to Adler Industrial. Brad Miller, managing director at Adler Industrial, explained that the construction process went smoothly and now that it’s completed, it will round out the area nicely.  

“There were no unique challenges with the construction of the building,” he said. “This is the last of eight industrial buildings constructed in the AI Meridian Industrial Park. The park is all built out and the buildings are 100% leased.” 

Bramson said that the Arizona Tile team was closely involved with the design of the building, showroom, customer service areas and warehouse.  

“We incorporated design elements that we have used at our other locations that include a state-of-the-art showroom, and a quartz and granite slab viewing area that has high-quality, color-corrected lighting to help consumers make their selections,” he said. “This Meridian location, within a high-quality business park with great access, was also an important factor in our decision to locate here.” 

The new Arizona Tile location will initially hire 15 associates and will likely grow after that. Bramson explained that prior to launching the Meridian location, there were relationships in place in the industry, including with builders, designers and contractors. As the company establishes itself locally, there will be a continued focus on building stronger connections within the community.   

“Now that we have a location and more team members in the area on a daily basis, we are continuing to build relationships in the market,” Bramson said. “Arizona Tile prides itself on being a destination where both consumers and trade professionals can experience a tile and countertop selection experience that is unrivaled, where a team of knowledgeable associates will assist with the selection process and even design consultation. We are eager to share our many years of experience with our valued showroom and gallery visitors.”