Sticking To Its Roots

Elkay Mfg. has achieved many milestones in the kitchen and bath industry. Now, though, the company is going to step it up a notch in the next year thanks to its centennial anniversary on the horizon.

On the north side of Chicago in 1920, the father and son duo of Leopold and Louis Katz started a company that would focus on two things: manufacturing high-quality sinks and delivering high-quality customer service. 

The company has done just that for the past 98 years, including expanding the business into making faucets, cabinetry, drinking solutions and kitchen and bath accessories. Over the next couple of years, it will celebrate its many achievements by hosting popular events for its customers and by expanding a popular product line.  

Although Elkay is still two years away from reaching the big 1-0-0, it already has some big plans. 

“Elkay plans to launch our 100th anniversary celebration in style at the 2020 National Kitchen and Bath Association [NKBA], notes Linda Carlisle, Elkay’s corporate communications manager. “Elkay’s Party in the Park — long considered the party to attend at NKBA — will be an unrivaled night to remember in 2020.”  

She adds that the plumbing products manufacturer will host another anniversary party during its national sales meeting, which will be held at an exotic location.

“We also are hosting parties throughout the month of January at all our manufacturing plants and providing ‘anniversary gifts’ to everyone we consider part of Elkay’s extended ‘family,’ including our industry partners, our rep agencies, employees and vendors, to name just a few — as a way of saying thanks for all you’ve done to help us reach this momentous milestone,” Carlisle says.

People excited to celebrate the company’s major milestone will have to wait to see what the company has in store. In the meantime, however, those looking for a jump-start are in store for something big from distributors. 

Quartz Line Expansion

Since sinks were what the company started with, it only makes sense that Elkay continues to expand its already-vast sink product offering with new alternative material styles. This year, Elkay has expanded on its popular Quartz line. 

The kitchen design world has grown since the original launch of the Quartz line back in 2008. Customers are now looking for something outside of the normal stainless-steel sink they have had for years. This is what the expanded line of Quartz will now do. The expansion helps Elkay manufacturer the largest line of quartz sinks on the market, notes Todd Morrison, product manager. 

In total, the Quartz line will include 18 colors, 34 models and 3 installation types.

Applications include both kitchen and bar/prep. The line also features three different bowl types: single, double and aqua divide. 

The line is broken up into three assortments: Quartz Home, Quartz Classic and Quartz Luxe. The expansion of the line has been focused around the Quartz Classic and the Quartz Luxe. 

With the classic, customers can experience a range of neutral colors with a durable surface and organic look. The Luxe version features richer colors — such as a blacker black or a whiter white, says Morrison — plus superior durability. An ultra-smooth look and feel accompany the fashion-forward Luxe line as well.

“These sinks are designed for strength,” Morrison says. “They’ll take on your toughest kitchen tasks and keep their stylish good looks.”

Two of the exciting new colors set to release in the fourth quarter of 2018 are Jubilee blue and Silvermist. Both were the highlight at the Kitchen and Bath Industry Show earlier this year in Orlando, Fla.

“We showed both Jubilee and Silvermist at KBIS 2018 and received a fantastic response from customers,” Morrison says. “Homeowners are introducing more bold colors in their kitchens and blue specifically is a popular trending color.”

Strength and toughness are keys words for the finished product of the Quartz line but they are not forgotten when each sink is being created as well. The sinks are molded from quartz granules and other materials. Each subsection is molded with high-performance, UV-stable acrylic resins, other organic fibers and natural quartz to help create a unique design. 

Once that process is completed, the sinks are machined and finished with the focus of creating smooth edges. The sinks are then ready to ship out.

The Quartz line is not only expanding into different kitchen styles, it is expanding into different rooms, such as laundry room sinks, Hickey notes.  

The expanded line is just the start of how Elkay plans to celebrate 100 years of business. 

“Stay tuned for additional details as our anniversary draws nearer!” Carlisle says.