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Apprenticeships and Summer Jobs

It’s Spring and today is Palm Sunday! So much to look forward to, be thankful for and celebrate!

We’ve been getting many inquiries for summer jobs/apprenticeships and internship opportunities. It’s fantastic that so many young men are interested in learning the trades as a career. Phillips Tile & Stone has supported our family since 2010. We’ve employed so many wonderful craftsmen and in turn have helped them provide for their families. That being said, there is a very limited number of teens we can take on for this amazing opportunity! I hope the desire to learn the trades increases. We have enjoyed serving our clients and helping them achieve functional yet beautiful spaces. Many times, we’ve come in AFTER another contractor has been hired and we correct their work. The need for skilled craftsmen is HUGE! The need for skilled craftsmen filled with integrity is massive. I pray our company leaves an imprint on Omaha as we strive to serve our clients to the best of our ability.

Keep telling your friends and family about our work. The more projects we have, the more we can hire and train. It’s an honor we get to help train the next generation! We love ya, Omaha!

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Starting 2024 off with(out) a plan!

Happy New Year! I’m seeing several emails about New Year goals and ambitions. For years, I was that way too. Setting all the goals and accomplishing most of them! I’m not sure if it’s because of age or this stage of life. While I do have goals for the year, it’s not like years past. You’re probably wondering what this has to do with construction/design/Phillips Tile & Stone. Well, I’m getting there…

For years, Trevor and I had remodeling projects of our own going on. A little back story that our kids enjoy, Trevor proposed to me in the house he bought in hopes we would live there as newlyweds. I say this often, but it truly was a thing only God could have planned. Trevor proposed and we decided a short engagement of three months was it! So, in that amount of time, Trevor bought a fixer upper, we planned a wedding, he gutted the basement, I planned a honeymoon and also got a new job. It was a whirly three months! For most, it might have seemed outrageous. But we did it. That’s about how the years went. We started Phillips Tile & Stone, had our first kid, had a second kid, that child had emergency heart surgery as a 2-week-old, I ran a marathon and finished my master’s degree, Trevor grew the company, and we had four more children. All by God’s grace and strength, did we do any of that!

I understand goals. I love goal setting! I’m motivated when hearing other’s goals and plans! But this is where the tides turn. 2024 feels different. Yes, we will continue to install beautiful spaces for our wonderful clients. Yes, we will continue to back up our work. Yes, we will continue to grow the company in ways that make sense. 2024 feels like the year we work hard, without huge goals in mind and pray for clarity on the direction God wants us to go. Perhaps that is what we should have gone from the beginning. I’m hopeful going into 2024 as I pray the Lord guides and directs us in family life, business life, church life and homeschool life. That’s a lot of life to be happening, and we are thankful for it all!

This year Trevor and I both turn 40 and we celebrate 15 years of marriage. It’s quite a different feel to walk into a year, waiting/praying for direction. When I remember all the ways God has planned out life events better than I could have, it brings a unique peace. So, my friends. Happy New Year! We are so glad you’re a part of this Phillips Tile & Stone community. We are curiously expectant to see how the year unfolds.

Here is a picture of us on our wedding day, back in 2009. Who else remembers it snowing on October 10th in 2009?

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Merry Christmas and (soon to be) Happy NEW YEAR 2024!!

12 Days of Christmas (Phillips family and business version)

My true love gave to me…

Twelve big dreams to aim for

Eleven Google reviews

Ten missing tools (estimated)

Nine family members (counting the dog)

Eight years with church family

Seven Tourney’s played in

Six amazing children <3

Five Employees!!! (we love them!)

Four fun mini vaca’s (business life means extended weekend trips)

Three working vehicles (Hank the Tank, Gwinevere and Clifford the Red work truck)

Two commercial projects

And a home that is warm and cozy

After talking to another business owning friend, I’ve adopted this verse as one I try to pray over our work and projects.

Psalm 90:17 May the favor of the Lord our God rest on us; establish the work of our hands for us— yes, establish the work of our hands.

Thanks for being here, we appreciate you.

Trevor & Michelle Phillips

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Thanks for supporting SMALL!

For the past 13 years, Phillips Tile & Stone has served Omaha and the surrounding areas with excellent customer service and exceptional installation. We’ve learned a lot over the years and one marketing tool we keep coming back to is the power of word-of-mouth marketing. That is a huge testament to YOUR referrals. A hearty THANK YOU is in order for all our past and present clients. We are so thankful for this opportunity to utilize our skills, grow as a company and serve our community with our unique abilities. The picture above and below are a few of the commercial projects we were able to install for earlier this year.

The Phillips crew

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Happy Thanksgiving! Plus *FREE* Family holiday fun ideas!

Happy Thanksgiving to you! Whether you are having a quiet day relaxing or a day full of plans. We hope you are thankful for all the simple goodness life can bring.

This year has been full of watching our six kids grow. We enjoy watching them participate in many different activities. Our older kids are also busy with their pet sitting business and lawn care business. We have a 12-year-old who is very excited to be saving up for his first car, and we welcome his entrepreneurial spirit. Earlier in the year we added a puppy to the Phillips family. Her name is Evee. We are still home-schooling the kids, so they see firsthand all that go into running a business. We compare homeschooling to business owner life. We all learn to work hard. Life is full!

As for Phillips Tile & Stone, we’ve stayed busy as well, thanks to your recommendations! At the beginning of the year, we installed for two new local coffee shops. In addition to commercial spaces, our crew continues to install all materials for residential and new construction spaces. Our challenges for the year continue to be hiring. We had so many projects coming through and not enough skilled employees. It started to wear on Trevor, so we had to scale back on taking on all the projects coming through. What a testament to your recommendations, all those projects were through word of mouth, and we are so grateful for your support!

We are thankful for the votes this year that allowed Phillips Tile & Stone to earn Best of Omaha. This company truly is still in business because there are so many people who refer friends and family to us. THANK YOU for supporting this small family business. Please KEEP sharing about our excellent craftsmanship! Our desire is to help clients by installing spaces that will last them decades to come.

As we get ready to celebrate Christmas we would like to share some fun holiday ideas we enjoy as a family that are FREE!

  1. Holiday Light Drive. Omaha is beautiful. One of our favorite activates is to jump in the car, PJ’s on. This year we plan on bringing the dog along, too. Homemade hot chocolate in one hand and popcorn in another. Since our oldest got braces this year, I’m thinking we will need to change up our snacks instead of having popcorn. The point is, make it cozy in the car as you drive around admiring the Christmas lights.
  2. I save our Halloween candy and use it to decorate gingerbread houses together. We’ve started simply buying graham crackers and store-bought frosting to let the kids design their own houses. It’s fun to see their creativity come into action. Playing Christmas music is a must during this family activity.
  3. Our family enjoys trying new recipes and cooking together. We enjoy eating, so it all pairs well together. The cold winter months are meant for warm, cozy nights in with new and old holiday recipes. We enjoy checking out Christmas movies from the library to watch, also. Dinner and a movie at home. It doesn’t get any better.

 Are there any holiday ideas you’d like to share? We would love to hear in the comments section. We hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving Day. Thank you for supporting Phillips Tile & Stone. We love ya, Omaha.

The Phillips Family plus Evee the dog.

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Delicious, Homemade Hot Chocolate

We are ready to embark on cold weather and all the festive holidays. Being a Midwesterner, I’ve learned to embrace the cold. If you dress appropriately, this season can be enjoyable. Some new items I added to my wardrobe this year are thermal lined skinny jeans. I know, I know. Skinny jeans are apparently, not ‘in fashion’. My goal this fall/winter is to be warm and still try to look presentable. So thermal, lined skinny jeans will do just that.

Beyond warm clothing, I’m bringing back all the soups and hot drinks. Our six kids really enjoy soup, I should share their favorites another day. Today I wanted to share a great recipe for homemade hot chocolate that we adore. There are no packets involved yet it’s incredibly easy to make. The creamy texture is just what is needed after a day out in the chilly air.

Ingredients:

4 cups of milk (preferably whole or 2%)

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/2 semisweet chocolate chips or chopped chocolate bar

1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Optional whipped cream for a topping!

Instructions: Place milk, cocoa powder and sugar in a small saucepan. Heat over medium/medium low heat, stirring frequently, until warm. Add chocolate chips and whisk constantly until the chocolate chips melt and distribute evenly into the milk. Whisk in vanilla extract and serve immediately.

As always, thanks for supporting this family business!

-Michelle Phillips

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The. Best. of OMAHA

If you like numbers, you might find this fun to read.

We started Phillips Tile & Stone in 2010. Our business is now 13 years old. For the past 3 years, YOU have voted Phillips Tile & Stone as BEST OF OMAHA! The year is 2023. Would YOU vote for Phillips Tile & Stone again as best TILE INSTALLER in Omaha!

Your votes matter! We are really just a small family business. We are just like you in so many ways. We have kids, we like being together as a family and we work hard. Our livelihood is making people’s dreams come true by installing and designing beautiful spaces that YOU love. That is how we support our family. So every vote, every like, every share, every referral, every project you book with Phillips Tile & Stone is supporting our family and our employee’s families. YOU are helping to create careers here within the Omaha community.

Are you ready to vote for FIVE of your favorite Omaha local businesses? Our quick vote code is 35166 and here is the link. Thank you for trusting us with your projects for the past 13 years!

–Trevor & Michelle Phillips & the Phillips Tile & Stone team

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Remember & Honor

Today we remember those who died while in active military service. We took our kids to the Omaha National Cemetary and read the numerous headstones. We noticed what branch they served in. What war(s) they fought in. We noticed if they were buried with their spouse. We noticed the somber man who went to visit a grave. We noticed the pennies/coins left on headstones. We took it all in. It’s humbling.

I hope we teach our children to be thankful for the freedoms we have in America. We have these freedoms because of brave military men and women. We remember those who fought and served.

 “Freedom makes a huge requirement of every human being. With freedom comes responsibility.”- Eleanor Roosevelt

ARLINGTON, VA – MAY 27: Mary McHugh mourns her slain fiance Sgt. James Regan at “Section 60” of the Arlington National Cemetery May 27, 2007. Regan, a US Army Ranger, was killed by an IED explosion in Iraq in February of this year, and this was the first time McHugh had visited the grave since the funeral. Section 60, the newest portion of the vast national cemetery on the outskirts of Washington D.C, contains hundreds of U.S. soldiers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. Family members of slain American soldiers have flown in from across the country for Memorial Day. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)
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Basement = A Midwest Necessity

As a Midwesterner, you quickly realize we enjoy all four seasons. Each season brings it’s own set of amazingness and challenges. In the summer, we enjoy the outdoors with swimming, boating, camping, gardening and grilling! We also realize the hottest part of the day is sometimes needing to enjoy a few hours indoors cooling off. In the winter, we sled and snowboard and snowplow, ice fish, take winter walks or hikes. We also need a warm place to congregate when the wind is brutal. In the spring we have tornado warnings and in the fall we have Husker football parties!

What do all those activities have in common? They all call for a functional space in your home to serve a variety of needs. Guess what? A great basement fits the bill on ALL those needs. So your next question might be, what does a great basement have in it?

A good basement has these qualities.

  1. Excellent storage
  2. A half bathroom…even better, a 3/4 shower
  3. An inviting gathering place, such as a bar area that includes a sink, seating and a frig.
  4. Proper lighting
  5. Proper Drainage
  6. A focus on functionality
  7. Proper air circulation
  8. A good layout
  9. Proper “exits”
  10. Enough ceiling height

Is there a basement quality that you would add? If we missed something, let us know. It might be worth adding to this inexhaustible list. For if we’ve learned anything. It’s that us Midwesterners, really need a solid basement!

Phillips Tile & Stone has worked on a few basements in since we opened our business doors in 2010. Sometimes, we don’t get a photo. Sometimes, homeowners send us photos. We then turn around and share what amazing clients we have but showing off their new spaces!

Below is a photo of LVP installed by Phillips Tile & Stone. Here is the reel you can see the entire basement transformation!