Crossville Names John E. Smith President and Gener

Crossville, TN, March 4--After an extensive national search, Crossville, Inc. has selected John E. Smith as its new president and general manager, effective April 1, 2005. Smith will succeed Svend Hovmand, Crossville’s current president and CEO, who has been a board member since Crossville’s founding as Crossville Ceramics in 1986 and who has served as Crossville’s president since 1989. "We couldn’t be more pleased that John will be leading the Crossville team," said Tim Curran, speaking for Crossville’s owners, the Curran Group of Crystal Lake, IL. "We feel strongly that the 'Crossville culture' is one of our most important assets and a big key to our success over the years. It was critical that we get the right fit from a candidate to continue the consistent message of our core values of family, partnership, integrity, respect and improvement. "John certainly possesses all the leadership and management skills inherent in successfully overseeing hundreds of people in multiple locations," said Curran. "Eleven years of outstanding service at Crossville have proven this. His total alignment with our value system is also without question. However, more than these resume accomplishments was John’s ability to convey a passion and burning desire to see Crossville succeed. I had not witnessed this level of commitment since we hired Svend Hovmand to lead this company just over fifteen years ago and we have certainly been pleased with that choice." Smith began his career in the hard surface flooring industry 35 years ago, beginning on a tile production line while he was a student majoring in mathematics and physics at Florida Southern College. Over the years, he worked in positions of increasing responsibility in the areas of manufacturing, quality assurance and operations. In 1994, he joined Crossville as vice president of manufacturing to oversee the company’s manufacturing and logistics operations. In that position, Smith worked closely with Svend Hovmand to increase production of the company’s large-unit Porcelain Stone tile and to build new manufacturing facilities – including a 300,000-sq.-ft. plant and distribution center with state-of-the-art production technology in 2001. More recently, he was part of the Crossville team that expanded the company’s product offering to include Accent Innovations metal and glass tile, and Design Solutions wall tile. "With the guidance of the Curran family and with Svend’s leadership, we have built an enthusiastic and dedicated team that is focused on our customers," said Smith. "We will continue to work with passion and determination to improve the products and services we provide and build on our nearly two decades of success." Svend Hovmand will become chairman of Crossville, Inc., facilitating the transition while he continues to build the industry education programs at Crossville’s Porcelain Stone Institute and serve as Crossville liaison with industry organizations. Hovmand is currently president of the Tile Council of North America, Inc. (TCA).