Focus on Leadership: Hector Narvaez is now leading Iris Group’s growth – April 2024

Interview by Kemp Harr

After graduation from Southern Methodist University (SMU) with a degree in finance, Hector Narvaez found the ceramic tile industry early in his career and spent more than 20 years with the Marazzi brand-both when it was privately owned by the Marazzi family and after its acquisition by Mohawk’s Dal-Tile-before being named executive vice president, sales, marketing and operations, for Iris Ceramica Group last year.

The Iris opportunity appealed to Hector both because Iris is a family-owned business, as Marazzi had been, and because of the quality and design of its products. Now based in Chicago, Hector continues to focus on building a strong team that will both positively impact Iris and the ceramic industry.

This July, Hector will marry Karen Sigrist, whom he met while working at Dal-Tile. The pair have two dogs.

Q: Take us through the early journey in your life and how you ended up in the tile industry working for Marazzi.
A: I graduated from college with a degree in finance right when many brokerage houses were closing their offices in Dallas during a financial market downturn. Therefore, I pursued a position at Neiman Marcus’ headquarters as an executive trainee, a one-year program rotating through different departments to develop the future leadership of the company. After that, I was placed as an assistant buyer in the men’s furnishings office, where we bought shirts, ties and accessories from major brands like Versace, Armani, Zegna and Turnbull & Asser.

I really enjoyed working in international commerce with different currencies, time zones, and languages. What I didn’t enjoy was that most of my small paycheck was going back to Neiman Marcus to update my wardrobe each season, so I looked for a new opportunity and answered a newspaper classified looking for an import manager for an Italian-owned company, which had a U.S. division is based in Dallas and was growing. That company was Marazzi USA.

Q: What were some of the other career options you considered?
A: I really wanted to get back to finance and be like Gordon Gekko in the movie “Wall Street,” but fashion was also very appealing, especially since my family was in the business with a factory that assembled apparel for brands like Levi’s and Gap.

I always liked the creativity, design and speed of the fashion industry and eventually realized that the ceramic industry is a fashion industry, as well. Every year, we face new trends, technologies, colors, textures, sizes, and we pursue marketing strategies that highlight those fashion attributes.

Q: Why did you choose SMU for college?
A: I only applied to two schools and, luckily, got admitted to both. One was Stanford, and the other was SMU. My motivation was to be part of a top-ten swimming program. Stanford and SMU both fit that goal, but it was my older brother who truly made the difference. He was attending SMU as a junior and being close to him was important. He also sold me on the vibrant city that Dallas was becoming in that era, so I decided on SMU. I had a fantastic student-athlete experience, made lifelong friendships and fell in love with Dallas.

Q: What attracted you to Marazzi?
A: As I said, I started in the position of import manager, dealing with its Italian and Spanish divisions, importing finished goods to support the growth of the U.S. division. I really liked the internationalism of my job, but since I lived in the “bubble” of Dallas and had to commute to the suburb of Sunnyvale, where Marazzi USA was headquartered, I set a goal to quickly find a new job in downtown Dallas.

But in the first six months, I began to travel to Spain, Brazil and Uruguay, putting import programs in place to help Marazzi’s sourcing efforts, dealing with R&D, manufacturing, logistics, marketing and sales. I was given a great opportunity to learn, and, before I knew it, I was already ten years with the company!

Q: I got the sense that you had a special relationship with the Marazzi family, and they with you. How did this come about?
A: I was fortunate to have some great mentors in the company, especially Mauro Vandini, who is still the CEO of the Marazzi Group. He and Marrazzi Group owner Filippo Marazzi-may he rest in peace-were close, and I was often involved in attending executive and board meetings in Italy, Spain and France, representing our U.S. division and having direct exposure with our president. I felt so proud the times that Filippo Marazzi would speak to his entire sales force in a large auditorium and would stop to say, “Hi, Hector!” and smile. It was such an honor, and all I wanted was to go and win the market for him.

Q: What is your favorite Marazzi family story?
A: When Marazzi USA celebrated its 25th anniversary, we had a corporate event at the factory in Sunnyvale, Texas. Filippo Marazzi didn’t visit us much, but he certainly made that trip. All of our families were invited, and we basically had a “state fair” environment on the premises with grills, food, tables, games, music and more. We had a dunking booth and a pie-in-the-face booth, and Filippo Marazzi, in his tailored suit, decided to step behind the booth and graciously got a pie gently rubbed on his face!

Q: Who were your mentors, and what did they teach you?
A: I was lucky to have several terrific mentors, but the greatest was Mauro Vandini, who allowed me the opportunity to learn, throughout many years, many aspects of the business. The best lesson I learned from him was the importance of “building your own team.” He always emphasized that the most important part of business is to surround yourself with great people and to build the team to its best ability. That it is an ongoing obligation of a manager. To date, I take it to heart to seek out great talent, motivate them, challenge them, coach them and even, in some cases, see them leave to further their careers and make their mark at different companies.

We also had a U.S. president, Sam Ansley, who taught me a valuable lesson. He would often tell me that it takes a great manager to listen and involve the team to learn, assess, and discuss strategy, but that business is not a democracy. The decision maker doesn’t need to ask for a majority vote!

Q: What is the greatest satisfaction you find in the role you play in the tile industry?
A: I really enjoy the opportunity to collaborate with so many smart and interesting people around the world, both internally and externally with customers and colleagues. I also like having the opportunity to coach and mentor the future generations of ceramic tile executives.

Q: We have done countless interviews; where did you learn to be such a great communicator?
A: I am the sixth of seven kids, and I’ve raised three children. I think the best of my abilities come from growing up in a big family and from raising my kids. To me, both experiences have taught me how to observe, negotiate and communicate effectively. It’s like having a PhD in psychology and communications.

Q: Last year, you moved from Dal-Tile, which acquired Marazzi in 2012, to Iris Ceramica Group. What attracted you to Iris?
A: An executive recruiter contacted me and when I learned that he was representing Iris Ceramica Group, I was immediately open to the idea. I always admired the quality and design of the products under Iris Ceramica Group’s brands Graniti Fiandre, Ariostea and Iris.

While I’ve learned so much through my past experiences, I was excited about the prospect of working for a company that is based in Italy with a U.S. footprint, privately owned, first- and second-generation managed, committed to sustainability and innovation, visionary and seeking to invest and grow in the U.S. After my first and only interview with Federica Minozzi and her executive team, I was sold on her excitement, leadership, vision and commitment to the future success of the company.

Q: When you are building out your team, what do you look for in a candidate?
A: Whether the candidate is a direct report or not, after establishing that they have the desired skill set, I am looking for a strong work ethic and chemistry that fits with the team.

We can teach almost everything, but there is no replacement for teamwork and good chemistry with peers. The most successful teams that I’ve had the pleasure to manage were not necessarily the elite players but, together, were able to tackle all challenges and surpass competitors.

Q: What is the biggest challenge that the tile industry faces today in the U.S.?
A: Hardwood and carpet are at least 50% of the flooring market and, for a variety reasons, don’t necessarily compete with ceramics. Between ceramic, vinyl and laminate, I believe that consumers (homeowners and businesses) would always prefer ceramic, but many times they end up choosing the others because of total installed costs. The cost of installing ceramic surfaces per square foot can exceed the cost of the product by at least two or three times, even more in commercial applications. Therefore, the biggest challenge is the availability and cost competitiveness of qualified installers. If the total installed cost of our products could be more competitive, we would certainly see an increase in demand.

Q: You mentioned that you were on the swim team at SMU. How do you stay active today?
A: Before I started my current employment, I was a member of a Masters swimming program in Dallas. While not the most serious member, I attended with some consistency.

These days, it’s been difficult to get into any kind of active routine. The best exercise I get is walking in downtown Chicago-to and from work and around town.

Q: What do you do for fun when you’re not focused on Iris’ business?
A: I really enjoy food and spending time with family and friends cooking, exploring new restaurants and entertaining. Travel is always a great opportunity to explore new foods and sights, and, at home, I enjoy gardening and landscaping. It relaxes me and gives me a workout, too.

But the most fun is definitely caring for our two dogs. They are the small Havanese breed and add a lot of excitement around the house.

Q: You got engaged last year. Tell us briefly about your fiancée.
A: Our wedding will be July 6 in Puebla, Mexico.

I met Karen a few years ago when we both worked at Dal-Tile. She has an industrial design degree and was a product designer at major ceramic tile manufacturers before transitioning to a leadership role in brand marketing. She is currently the senior director of product and marketing at StoneSource.

She is incredibly smart, classy and generous. Just don’t snap your fingers because it could break the spell that I put her under-LOL!

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