Celebrating 40 Years of Evolution and Women-Led Leadership
Photo courtesy of Architessa
ROCKVILLE, MD -- Today marks 40 years of Architessa’s devotion to helping everyone. From your local neighbors to global hotel chains like Marriott, and even heads of state — find the perfect tile to create spaces that spark just the right emotion. It is also a celebration of four decades of transforming spaces from ordinary to extraordinary, fueled by a commitment that runs deep in the company’s legacy of craftsmanship, care and passion for design.
The company entered the Architecture & Design world in 1985 with a simple but radical idea: what if shopping for tile felt creative, intuitive -- even fun? That’s when Larry Sullivan, along with Peggy Orahood and Jimmy Sita, launched a family run business that would go on to transform the customer experience. Formerly known as Architectural Ceramics, the company rebranded in 2021 as Architessa -- a name that reflects its evolution, artistic vision and women-led leadership.
When Betty Sullivan, Architessa’s now-CEO and matriarch, joined in 1992 as Larry Sullivan’s business and life partner, she changed the game with a single fax machine, turning the humble business into a multimillion-dollar design powerhouse. “From the start, I knew we could be more than a tile company,” she said. “I wanted us to inspire creativity, to set a new standard and to build a team that lived and breathed design excellence.”
She didn’t just lead -- she lugged tile in a pickup truck across Washington, DC, carrying boxes one by one into homes. She raised her children in the business, but more than that, she infused the business with family values: hard work, humility, service and care. Every one of her seven children has worked at Architessa -- from cleaning showrooms to closing sales. This is not just a family run business. It is a business built on the values of family, from the inside out.
But what Betty Sullivan may be best known for is how deeply she understands what tile really is. “Tile is personal,” she said. “It’s what you see every day -- your shower, your backsplash, the floor you dance on or cry on. It should spark something. Whether you want a spa, a farmhouse or a presidential suite feeling – we are here to help you create it. I once spent hours helping a caretaker find her dream backsplash, because that’s what she’d come home to every night. That matters.”
Under Betty Sullivan’s leadership, Architessa has expanded to showrooms across the East Coast, a global vendor network, certified designers on staff and what it calls Concierge Service — support from concept to installation with design expertise at every touchpoint.
Today, Architessa is proud to be a WBENC-certified, women-owned business with tens of thousands of commercial projects and a million homes in its portfolio. With a product reach that spans six continents and one of the most diverse and globally curated tile offerings in the industry, Architessa continues to inspire with bold designs, curated collections and unmatched expertise.
And the family legacy continues: Betty Sullivan’s son, David Benson, now serves as president, bringing the same values and a bold vision for what is next.
In Fall 2025, Architessa will host its first-ever Designer Summit, gathering industry leaders to talk tile, trends, business and the craft of design.
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