“This is your time here to do what you will do.”
– John Mellencamp
I’m writing this letter, listening to the wind whistling outside my window, and pondering how quickly we’ve gone from summer to fall to the cusp of winter. As Ferris Bueller said, “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”
As we near the holidays and end of the year, we have an opportunity to reflect on the last 365 days. I hope you’ll take the chance to indeed “stop and look around”—at your life, your family, friends, work, and everything you hold dear. Breathe it in, enjoy it, treasure it. We all know how the grind can gradually erode our time with loved ones, creative pursuits, passion, or our own self-care if we’re not careful. To quote John Mellencamp, “Your life is now.”
This special Portfolio issue has a different approach from our usual TileLetter content: taking a “look around” at projects primarily from Five-Star Accredited Contractors who won special awards at Coverings. The videos shown at the awards ceremony in Orlando went by pretty fast, so this issue gives you a chance to linger over these stellar projects. You’ll marvel at the complexity your fellow NTCA member contractors grappled with and how they invoked their skills and creativity to overcome obstacles, delays, and other challenges.
Our cover features a stunning new addition to the Manhattan skyline—The Spiral—and how MAPEI materials added to the success of the project. In this month’s One-to-One story, NTCA Executive Director Bart Bettiga talks with interior designer Alena Capra to learn more about her business and upcoming tile trends for 2026. Our Business section is a story from PlanHub on how to win more bids and an invitation to a recorded webinar for more information.
We also take a little deeper dive into the Welch Tile Solutions (WTS) system of pre-fabricated showers, which are cost-effective, fast, ergonomically beneficial for the installation team, and reduce waste. Flip over to this story for some photos of past projects that shine through the ingenuity of WTS.
This brings us to our season of lights and joyful holidays. May you be invigorated by celebration and rest, and renewed to embrace the coming new year with creativity, verve, and resolve to make it your best year yet!
God bless,
Lesley
Lesley Goddin has been writing and journaling since her first diary at age 11. Her journey has taken her through a career in publishing and publicity, landing her the editor position of TileLetter and its special publications in 2006. Her goal is to educate, inspire, recognize and encourage those in the tile industry -- especially the tile and stone contractor.
