At Heritage Tile, authenticity isn’t just a word: it’s a calling. From preserving America’s original pre-war subway tile designs to curating global collections that embody craftsmanship and history, Heritage Tile has redefined what it means to bring cultural tradition into modern design. With Odoo, the company transformed its complex, international operations into a seamless, collaborative ecosystem, empowering its team to work more efficiently and focus on what they love most: inspiring customers through heritage craftsmanship.
Founded over 20 years ago by Keith Bieneman, Heritage Tile carved a unique niche in the highly competitive tile industry by reproducing the original subway tiles that once defined American architecture. “Basically, all the homes built between the early part of the last century and the Second World War used the same tile,” Keith explains. “From period homes to the New York City transit system, that same tile was used throughout the United States.”
What started as a small, mission-driven business quickly evolved into a global operation. Today, Heritage Tile collaborates with suppliers and artisans around the world to bring historically inspired tiles to residential, commercial, and municipal projects.
From restoring New York’s subway stations with the MTA to supplying high-end restaurants and hospitality spaces across the country, Heritage Tile has become a trusted curator of authenticity. The company’s partnerships extend worldwide, from Europe to Mexico, where it develops exclusive production methods with local factories to create tiles tailored for the U.S. market.
"We really do feel that we have a higher calling, both to homeowners preserving their homes’ original character and to continuing something that was uniquely American: the ingenuity and collaboration that created this family of tile work.”
The Challenge: Managing Complexity
Across Teams and Systems
As Heritage Tile’s operations expanded, so did its complexity. The company faced increasing challenges managing suppliers, currencies, and communication across distributed teams in Wisconsin and Illinois.
"Managing all of these sources, currencies, and ways of working was always a challenge. We had a lot of different applications stitched together in different ways, things like a help desk that didn’t connect to our ERP systems. That made collaboration very difficult.”
Heritage Tile’s teams needed to share information seamlessly between Chicago and Verona while maintaining clarity on accountability and project flow. “Everyone had to be able to collaborate on projects,” Keith adds. “Before Odoo, we just didn’t have systems that supported that way of working.”
The company had tried several software solutions over the years, starting with Fishbowl, then moving to Brightpearl. But both systems soon showed their limitations. “We outgrew both of them pretty quickly,” Keith explains. “We stayed with each other for at least five years, but eventually gave up on any support or progress in those platforms.”
After evaluating the market, Heritage Tile sought something more comprehensive: an integrated, flexible system capable of growing with the company’s ambitions.
A Complete Transformation
with Odoo
When Keith discovered Odoo, he had been watching the open-source platform evolve for years. “I was always watching what was out there for small businesses,” he says. “We didn’t have the resources for large, complex platforms. Odoo was the perfect solution at the right time.”
Heritage Tile implemented Odoo about five years ago, and today it runs virtually every part of the business, from website and eCommerce to inventory, sales, and project management. “Having our website integrated with our systems is really important,” Keith emphasizes. “Now, everything connects.”
Collaboration Without Barriers: One of the biggest improvements has been communication. The company now uses Chatter and internal communication tools to keep all activity (sales orders, customer history, and internal notes) linked together. “Having one thread that connects everything in one place has been a game-changer,” Keith says. “When a customer calls, we can instantly see the entire history and respond quickly.”
Global Operations, Simplified: Odoo’s multi-currency capability has been essential for Heritage Tile’s international reach. “We deal in pesos, euros, yen, you name it,” Keith explains. “Without those capabilities, we simply couldn’t do the kind of work we do internationally.”
Multi-Brand Integration Made Simple: The flexibility of Odoo’s architecture also allowed Heritage Tile to manage multiple brands and domains under one umbrella. “Within Heritage Tile, we have different brands, each with its own website and identity for SEO, but internally, it’s all connected and just flows,” says Keith. “It’s a wonderful architecture, and I’ve never found any real limitation in what we want to do.”
Operational Efficiency and Growth: The results speak for themselves:
"We’ve doubled our capabilities in terms of generating revenue through Odoo. We don’t have limits anymore. We’ve been able to add new channels, new suppliers, and new partnerships around the world, because Odoo has allowed that growth.”
Keith adds that the platform’s seamless integration between front-end and back-end operations has opened new ways of working.
Looking Ahead: Expanding Collections
and Channels
As Heritage Tile continues to grow, the company is preparing major launches that will further expand its reach. “We’re rolling out a whole new collection called Atelier”, Keith shares. “It is a significant addition to our portfolio and offers new design solutions for our customers.”
In addition, Heritage Tile is launching a new commercial channel and website focused on large-scale projects. “That’s coming in the first quarter of 2026,” Keith says. “We don’t see any friction. It’s just a matter of pulling the assets together and putting them out there.”
The company is also exploring partnership models enabled by Odoo’s multi-company setup:
"We’re partnering with other companies to offer our internal services externally. Odoo lets us set up independent companies within the same platform, something that would’ve been impossible otherwise.”
With their recent upgrade to Odoo 18, Heritage Tile is integrating real-time freight quotes with its carriers to enhance its global eCommerce experience. “It’s a different UI, but it’s making integrations even more capable,” Keith says.
Heritage Tile’s journey shows how the right technology can empower creativity, collaboration, and growth. As Keith puts it, “Odoo makes it possible for us to collaborate seamlessly, grow globally, and stay true to our mission.” Discover how Odoo can help your business connect heritage, innovation, and growth, just like Heritage Tile.
