Frank Müller
PRESIDENT & CEO
Frank Müller was born in Frankfurt/Main, Germany but has spent time in the UK, France, Argentina, Taiwan and Spain, mastering a number of languages and immersing himself in the culture of each place.
This desire to travel combined with a continuous pursuit of knowledge brought him to the executive programs at St. Gallen University, Switzerland, Harvard Business School and the Duke University - The Fuqua School of Business.
In 1997 he began his career in Corporate-Germany with a large cement and adhesive manufacturer in Wiesbaden in the International Business and product management department. During his tenure he was responsible for several product ranges and European markets.
Three years later he partnered with his father and an additional family of owners to work together at Köbau GmbH & Co. KG, in Mainz, a company that has been delivering and installing ceramic floor coverings in Germany, the US, Africa and the middle East for some time. During his time there, he managed the entirety of the US market and launched a branch in Sydney, Australia.
In 2001 he moved to Houston, TX to start up a manufacturing facility for granite countertops, which grew to be sourced around the globe. These products were installed in both residential and commercial areas, such as large apartment buildings.
In 2005 Frank and his father sold their shares in that company to the other owner family. Afterwards, his father founded a new tile and floor installation company in both Germany, Main-Taunus-Ceramikbau GmbH & Co. KG (MTC), and the US, called International Ceramic Construction (ICC) which Frank joined in 2007. Due to his experience and affinity to work abroad, Frank worked for MTC in the UK, Slovenia, Austria, Switzerland, and Italy while simultaneously being responsible for the US market.
In 2016 he founded with 2 partners a cleaning and maintenance company in Greenville, SC, called ICM, which concentrates in the commercial cleaning of industrial plants, universities, new construction site etc.
In 2018 he and his family decided to move to Charlotte, NC to oversee and see through the great expansion of ICC in the US market.
In 2019 ICC purchased Global Tiling, a highly specialized installation company offering floor coverings in the automobile industry.
Most recently, having realized that the pool of quality installers was continually shrinking, Frank started an Academy with a focus on tile installation. Even in these early stages of the apprenticeship program, it has been officially recognized by the Department of Labor and the first apprentices have already begun their training.
For all the many wonderful things that travel has brought his way, Frank has always said the greatest of these is his wife, whom he met in Argentina. Frank is married to María-José Mage, who was born in Argentina and they have 3 children together. María-José is a renowned textile designer, with a graduate degree in Marketing, as well as an artist. She has her own art studio in Charlotte. In addition to all these achievements, she works with Frank as the Director of Marketing for ICC and their US operations.
Memberships and Voluntary work:
Mint Museum: Crown Society – Diamond Circle
German Language & Culture Foundation (GLCF): Board Member
German American Chamber of Commerce (GACC): National Partner
American Chamber of Commerce in Germany (AmCham)
The N.C. Zeitgeist Foundation, Charlotte
Rotary Clubs:
Houston, TX (2002-2005) – Eschborn, Germany (2005-2018) – Charlotte, NC (2018-today)
ShelterBox – Disaster Relief NGO – Speaker
German-American-Business Forum (GABA)
Construction Financial Management Association (CFMA): Member and Diamond Sponsor
German Business Round Table (GBRT)
Awards:
Inc. 5000: The Most Successful Companies in America # 1289
Fast 50 CBJ: Charlotte’s Fastest-growing private companies # 22
Best places to work in Charlotte #6
Rotary International: Paul Harris Fellow (PHF)