Villa Lagoon Tiles Makes G.S. A Google eCity

Villa Lagoon Tiles Makes G.S. A Google eCity
Google’s annual state by state 2016 Economic Impact Report has just gone live and Gulf Shores has earned the “eCity” status. Representing the small businesses in Alabama that depend on web-reach, Villa Lagoon Tile, based in Gulf Shores, is featured in Google’s 2016 designation of Gulf Shores as an “eCity.” Google and independent research firm Ipsos MORI analyzed the online strength of local small businesses in cities in all fifty states. The city with the highest scores in each state was designated a Google eCity.
Villa Lagoon Tile’s talented team is all about designing, importing, and exporting handcrafted encaustic cement tile. It is an online only business that relies heavily on web advertising and Google’s business tools. Being chosen for the prestigious award means many more people will now discover the beauty of colorful cement tile. Additionally, potential businesses will now consider Gulf Shores as a great spot for Internet based enterprises.
Villa Lagoon Tiles was launched in 2008 by Lundy Wilder, a website designer/entrepreneur. While building her new home in Gulf Shores, she wanted to incorporate the bold, ornate floor tile designs she’d seen from her travels to Spain, Italy, and Latin America. She contacted tile makers and was delighted to learn that she could create unique tile designs for herself. Realizing that there was a niche market of consumers who were also seeking an alternative to standard tiles. Combining her web design skills and love for these exceptional cement tiles Wilder founded Villa Lagoon Tile. She began offering custom cement tiles to residential and commercial customers.
Today Villa Lagoon Tile stocks 150 different products, some are antique patterns but many have been designed by Wilder and the VLT team. Warehousing over 60,000 square feet of cement tile, VLT has provided tiles for numerous high-profile projects such as Disney-Orlando, Shanghai and Hong Kong, Paris Hotel-Vegas, Hong Kong Jockey Club, and Ralph Lauren-Barbados among many others. International shipments drive 15 percent of their sales as business continues to grow in North and Latin America, Asia, Europe, and most recently the Middle East.
“There’s been an explosion of interest in encaustic cement tiles,” Wilder said. “Architects and designers who love our product and excellent customer service will use our tiles in project after project.” The company has expanded and now has ten employees. They’ve been able to give back to the Gulf Coast community by routinely donating tiles to Habitat for Humanity.
“We are a small town on a big beach,” she added. “Small businesses like ours are everything to this community.”