Our History & Heritage
For over 65 years, LATICRETE has been leading the construction market by manufacturing innovative construction materials. Through three generations, the family-owned, customer focused, world-wide manufacturer provides materials to over one hundred countries.
All this began in a basement in New Haven, CT with one innovator, Dr. Henry M. Rothberg.
First Generation
During the late 1940’s, while working in his family’s floor covering installation business in South Carolina, a young Chemical Engineer, Dr. Henry M. Rothberg realized that there must be a better way to install ceramic tile than the traditional “full mortar bed” method. He decided to dedicate himself to research alternative methods of installing ceramic tile and stone to bring improvements of chemistry to the normal Portland cement-based installation systems for tile and stone.
Dr. Rothberg began development work with Uniroyal Chemical at their Naugatuck, CT research facility where he investigated synthetic latex technologies that had been applied to the concrete industry. After much effort and time – LATICRETE® 4237 Latex Thin-Set Additive was developed and taken to market. For the first time a strong, weather and shock-resistant “thin-bed” mortar could be mixed on-site using equal parts of sand and cement, gauged to a workable consistency with LATICRETE 4237. In 1956, not realizing the potential of what would soon prove to be a revolutionary product; Uniroyal sold the LATICRETE brand to Dr. Rothberg, and LATICRETE International, Inc. was born.
Dr. Rothberg took his samples and product literature and departed for overseas markets where tile and stone were already much more common finishes. Large installations and long-term relationships followed successful presentations in Europe, the Middle East and Asia. LATICRETE remained primarily export-focused in its early years.
2nd Generation
LATICRETE became one of the most prominent product lines available as tile distribution developed around the world in the 1960s and 1970s. As distribution increased, so did the availability of LATICRETE. More and more products were added to the LATICRETE product line that allowed installation of ceramic tile in residential and remodel applications as well as in industrial and commercial construction. LATICRETE became a brand preferred by many types of installers, not just large installation firms focusing on large projects. Demand for LATICRETE products is fulfilled through distribution supported by 8 plants in North America, and a network of factories, distributors and partners around the world.
During this time, Dr. Rothberg’s wife Lillian and their seven children all worked in the family business at various times, with most of their children starting at a young age. In 1974, their son Henry B. Rothberg began as a full-time employee at LATICRETE where he assisted his father in opening up their first manufacturing facility in Bethany. Four years later as a newly minted Harvard MBA graduate, David A. Rothberg began his career at LATICRETE alongside his father and his brother.
In the ensuing years after a long apprenticeship that encompassed duties in sales, laboratory, finance, operations and marketing, David had garnered the necessary skill set for his role as CEO. Likewise, after years of being responsible for LATICRETE North America sales & marketing efforts, international expansion and leading company-wide technical training, Henry began serving as Senior Vice President of Training in 2001. Today, Henry is retired but continues to promote the use of ceramic tile, and has been a popular guest speaker at many industry conventions throughout North America and around the world.
Through steadfastly emphasizing the crucial roles of integrity, innovation and passion, both David and Henry have fostered an organization whose dedication to customers has been rewarded with exceptional growth and increasing strength despite volatility in major construction markets.
By listing his home phone number on his business card, David signaled not just high levels of personal involvement but also his belief that true inclusivity drives 21st century business. David’s respect for hands-on experience, resourcefulness and unconventional problem solving, learned from a lifetime hobby of mountaineering and exploration in remote parts, has inspired an organizational embrace of change and the unexpected. David has also been responsible for directing a critical evolution of the LATICRETE international business model from dependence on export of products manufactured in one U.S. factory to a worldwide network that services customers with manufacturing, technical support and R&D.
3rd Generation & Beyond
CEO David successfully navigated the transition from the first to second generation while retaining the core values that enabled LATICRETE to grow from its roots as a garage operation to a global player in construction materials. Building on the work of founders Dr. Henry M Rothberg and Lillian Rosenstock Rothberg, David was actively engaged in paving the way for the third generation of this prototypical American success story.
After a four-decade career with LATICRETE, David retired from his CEO position and moved into his new role as Chairman of LATICRETE with responsibility for guiding the company’s Board of Directors in 2020. He is now heavily engaged with the exciting and important work of developing the LATICRETE Family Council, where the future shareholder and owners of LATICRETE will learn their roles and responsibilities as stewards of the global enterprise that their grandparents founded.
In August 2020, Patrick Millot succeeded David as LATICRETE CEO after a multi-faceted and accomplished career with the Fortune Global 500 company Saint-Gobain, where he spearheaded manufacturing and omni channel distribution for the industrial and construction industries.
“I see the same focused enthusiasm in Patrick that I have and I am delighted that together, we will ensure continuity of our culture and values, while he takes our innovation, customer centricity and globalization to the next level. I am confident that Patrick will effectively take up the mantle begun with my parents, and transition seamlessly into his new role propelling LATICRETE forward." – David A. Rothberg, Chairman of the Board.
With no changes in LATICRETE ownership, Patrick and David are working together to develop the third generation of Rothberg family members as they "earn their stripes" to become the new stewards of their grandparents’ legacy and carry on the following principles the company was founded on:
- Full P&L and market development responsibilities within our two divisions: North America and International, led by their Presidents;
- Corporate function to support the divisions’ development and to globally leverage our resources as one company;
- Strong engagement of the Rothberg family, with David Rothberg as our Chairman, several members of the family as our employees and the commitment of our shareholders for the long run;
- LATICRETE board guidance and support with experienced directors, passionate about our industry and our company’s values.
3rd Generation Family Members
Samantha T. Rothberg
Director of Marketing Communications, North America
Sam currently works as the Director of Marketing Communications for North America, where she oversees the MarCom team and collaborates closely with Product Management and Marketing Information Systems.
Prior to this role, Sam was based in Italy as the Director of Marketing & Product Management for Europe. She also served as the Integration Project Manager & Acting Marketing Manager for Europe. where she led the successful integration of the Benfer acquisition and helped establish the Marketing & Product Management team in Italy. Prior to joining the International Division, she was involved with the LATICRETE Innovation team and North America Sales/Strategic Accounts Group, focusing on industry innovation and offsite/modular construction.
Before joining the LATICRETE team, Sam held the position of Project Manager at Lehrer, LLC, where she provided project advisory services and acted as an owner's rep for private development and construction projects within the New York City area. She also served as Project Director at the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC), overseeing complex capital projects on behalf of the City of New York.
Alex Rothberg
Senior Operations Data & Process Manager, North America
Alex Rothberg is our Senior Operations Data & Process Manager for North America where he leads technology-centric and related process improvement projects, with the goal of amplifying productivity as well as enhancing customer and employee experiences. He serves as the technology business partner for the Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Quality Engineering, and Customer Service functions.
Prior to this role, he co-founded and was COO at Free Agency (a Hollywood-style talent agency for workers in the tech industry) where he raised $15M from venture funds and oversaw the in-house software development team and contract researcher workforce. He also served as VP of Engineering at Stella.ai and led the Machine Learning team at Butterfly Network, both technology startup companies.