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Who We Are

Everyone in our studio has the spirit of an artist – and the sense of responsibility of a ship’s captain. 

Ted Lowitz, founder and designer
Ted studied art as an undergraduate at Brown University, and in graduate school at the University of Illinois. He has exhibited his paintings and sculpture in several Chicago galleries. Ted’s winding path to tilemaking included stops as Assistant to the Curator of the Chicago Museum of Contemporary Art, drawing instructor and retail furniture salesman. In 1990 he decided to start a business that would be rooted in his artwork. His longstanding fascination with abstract patterns and a momentary urge to muck around in clay led him to tilemaking. Ted’s love of pattern is genetic – his grandfather was an inveterate pattern doodler, and his grandmother was a painter. He comes from three generations of retailers, so keeping customers happy is in his genes, too. 

Jim Stevens
General Manager
Jim studied filmmaking at Columbia College, and before coming to Lowitz & Company, was director of the syndicated political TV talk show “Beyond the Beltway.” Jim is the rare person who understands urgency and deadlines, and yet remains a wellspring of serenity. He makes sure every order is shipped on time, and, more importantly, that our work is imbued with kindness every step of the way. 

Lindsey Pei
Manager, Production and Prototypes
Working with Lindsey means we get to enjoy her keen eye, sharp mind, skilled hands and her mysterious spirit. Lindsey came to her job interview with photographs of exquisite clay figures she had sculpted while a student at Yale, but it was the photographs of her amazing Halloween costumes let us know she was the one for us.

(photo coming soon) 

Stacza Lipinski
Manager, Display and Special Projects
When Stacza received her Master of Fine Arts degree from Ohio State University, her thesis exhibition was a festive menagerie of pipe cleaner snowflakes and colorful paper hats. In addition to her considerable artistic talent, Stacza is the kind of person who likes getting to cross things off her To Do list, which is a gift to us all. You can see some of Stacza's artwork at staczalipinski.com.

Lee Ferdinand
Tile Maker, Woodshop Coordinator
When he's not glazing tiles or grouting tile display boards, Lee is working on a documentary film about the world's largest organism (a fungus) or teaching film history at Columbia College. And when he's not doing any of these things, he's probably sailing around Chicago on one of his hand-made bicycles.

Tom Corley
Tile Maker
Tom's kindness and insightfulness were apparent from the moment he walked in our door. We originally hired  him to help with packing and stock, but we quickly recognized that he had far more to offer. Tom is now a key member of our  production crew. He's also a talented musician and a full-time student at Northeastern Illinois University.

Michael Salinas
Tile Maker
A talented actor with a gleam in his eyes, Michael is the newest addition to our crew. Michael, a native of New Orleans, moved here to be part of Chicago's well-regarded independent theater scene. Lucky for us, he needed a day job. From Michael's first day on the job, it was clear he was a natural.