Interviews with Grady Leroy Smith, Jr. and James M. Dyke, Jr. concerning their experiences working at Antiquestone, Inc. in Bertram, Texas. Smith, President of Antiquestone, Inc, discusses his family background, his experiences working with his father for the Trafton Tile Company in Austin, his self-employment in the tile installation business in 1966, tile installation procedures, his entry into the tile manufacturing business in 1967, and his partnership with James Dyke Jr. and Sr. to form Antiquestone in Austin in 1973. He also talks about the company relocation to Bertram in 1979, the tile-making process, the responsibilities of the president of the company, personnel practices, new design introduction, the differences between Antiquestone's cement tiles and other companies' clay tiles, as well as government regulations, product distribution, his civic activities, and the factors in developing a successful business. Dyke, the co-owner of Antiquestone, Inc., discusses his family background, his father's employment in the tile business, his work with his father's Monarch Tile Service, the Austin distributorship for Terra Firma tiles, his involvement as co-owner of Antiquestone, Inc. and the struggles to develop a business, their first large sale for a Phoenix shopping mall, as well as the purchase of a 18,000 square foot plant in 1980, the worldwide distribution of tile, the personnel and mechanization of the company, advertising the product, and his civic activities.
