By Donna Heiderstadt

“Third generation” is a title Conor Firkins wears proudly. The 28-year-old handles Regional Sales for Tile Wholesalers of Rochester, the stone and tile company his grandfather, Alan, founded in Rochester, NY in 1972. Like his dad, Dave, before him, Conor is dedicated to helping grow and evolve the family business — even if he did stray for a moment by moving to Boston to pursue “real-world experience” after earning a Bachelors in Business Administration International Business, and a Bachelors in Business Administration and Management from Bowling Green State University. “While I love Boston, I knew that the career I was in was not the right one for me,” he says. “I always knew what I wanted to do in the back of my head, and when I finally made that decision, I couldn’t have been more proud of myself.”

Conor’s career path came full circle as he returned to Rochester, where the business of selling tile had been ingrained since childhood. “When I was a kid I would beg my dad to take me to work with him,” Conor recalls. “As I grew up, I spent my summers working in the showroom and warehouse and learning the ins and outs of the business. I was inspired by my parents work ethic and passion for the tile industry.” 

Today, his own passion is evident in his commitment to his sales job. “I spend a lot of my time on the road throughout New York, visiting clients, presenting new products, and working on existing projects,” he says. He also meets with new clients in the company’s newly renovated showroom — the reopening of which he counts as a proud moment — helping solve problems related to difficult or unique tile installations, training clients on new products and standards, and helping designers come up with ideas for all of their projects. “My favorite part of my job is getting to work with incredibly talented designers to help bring their ideas to life,” he says.

Conor, who as Communications Chair on the council of NKBA’s Central New York chapter has spearheaded outreach to help build the chapter’s membership, says the word that best describes him is “persistence” — because “he has always believed that staying persistent and true to your dreams and beliefs will take you very far.”

Right now, Conor is content to stay close to home and spend time with his new puppy, Ellie, in the house he recently purchased and to figure out the work-life balance thing. “Work-life balance is a tricky subject for me because I truly don’t consider what I do work,” he says. “I absolutely love my job and the business and don’t mind if that means longer hours and a jam-packed schedule.” He does, however, set aside some to time play golf and dine out with family and friends. Down the road? He dreams of designing and building his own house. “I would love to be able to take plans from scratch and create something truly my own out of it,” he says.