Greg, how did you get into the trade and how did Premier Tile & Marble come to be?

It started during high school. My dad was a small tile contractor – just him and a helper – doing bathroom remodels and kitchen countertops. I’d help him in the summers, just learning the ropes. College wasn’t on my radar; making money, buying things – that was the drive.

After high school, I found my way to Venetian Tile, a large commercial contractor. My dad’s friend was a superintendent there; they’d gone to apprentice school together. I started as an apprentice, worked my way up to a journeyman tile setter through Local 18. The field was my domain for three or four years until a water-skiing accident changed my trajectory. I was sidelined with a shoulder injury, and my superintendent, seeing an opportunity, invited me into the office to learn estimating.

I was there for about three months, healing and learning. Then, I got a call saying they were letting their estimator go and wanted to bring me in permanently. It was a pivotal moment. I moved up the ranks, estimating, project managing, eventually running the office. Things were booming at Venetian Tile, over 100 employees, a major player in the L.A. market.

Then came late 1992, a recession, and the owner’s decision to retire and shut down the company. He didn’t have a succession plan and his kids weren’t interested. Faced with unemployment, I joined forces with Steve Ozenbaugh – the superintendent and my father’s friend – and we decided to take a leap of faith. We secured our contractor’s license, took over Venetian’s last two contracts, and started bidding new projects.

At Coverings 2025, Premier Tile & Marble received the NTCA Five-Star Large Commercial Grand Prize for their extraordinary work on the Clippers Intuit Dome Arena project. With over 300,000 sq. ft. of tile, glass, stone, and panels – including an exterior mural crafted from tile – this high-profile arena project exemplified precision, coordination, and creativity under pressure.

Owning a business and running a business with family members can be challenging. What has been the secret to the Games’ family success?

Lily has played a crucial role from the beginning. Early on, we had small kids, one and three, when we started. Lily, a stay-at-home mom, would come into our tiny 10′ x 10′ office, working on insurances and bonds from atop the coffee machine. As the kids grew, so did her involvement. We were able to work and then go home and the work would shut off. We’d focus on our family.

Now, our two sons, Gregory and Andrew, are integral to the business. Both went to college, got their project managing degrees, and had worked summers at Premier. Gregory even earned his journeyman tile setter status before joining Andrew in the office as estimator project managers. They’re very successful at what they do. Andrew’s work on SoFi Stadium and the Intuit Dome has been exemplary, and Gregory’s contributions include major projects with Disney and Dodger Stadium renovations. This succession plan, built on a foundation of understanding every aspect of the business, from installation to management, is something our whole family is proud of. And we have a lot of fun together still.

You mention “high risk, high reward.” Was there ever any project that scared the hell out of you?”

It wasn’t one project. It was every project back then, especially not having a lot of assets behind you, trying to meet payroll every week. I remember when Lily and I took out a loan to buy our house and knew that if we didn’t make it, well, we probably didn’t have a house. But I can’t stress enough the importance of our employees – skilled, trained, and loyal. We can’t do everything by ourselves. Our employees – each one of them – has a task to do and they know how to get things done with quality.