Life is not what you alone make it. Life is the input of everyone who touched your life and every experience that entered it. We are all part of one another.
Yuri Kochiyama
Recently I learned about Indra’s Net or Indra’s Web, a metaphor of “interbeing” as explained by the late Vietnamese Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh. In Indra’s Web, the universe is conceptualized as an infinite web of jewels. At the intersection of each strand of the net is a shimmering jewel that reflects every other jewel, connecting us all in one big team.
Last month at Coverings, this concept was the basis for the Women’s Panel I moderated and the comments I shared on other panels and meetups. It conveys not only how life and the world work, but also how the industry operates.
Every facet of the industry reflects and interacts with each other—the history and legacy of the craft of tile setting; those who make the tile by hand or with machines (and those companies that supply clay, glazes, frits, and other components); distributors and suppliers who get materials to installers who then create enduring precision projects; and artisan tile setters who take ceramic, glass, porcelain, and stone and create custom artworks for clients. Then there’s marketers, influencers, social media groups, and publications that inform, encourage and inspire; trade show organizers, trainers and educators; associations, designers, specifiers. Every single node in the web is essential to the success of the industry as a whole.
Sometimes when you’re struggling solo on a challenging job, you may feel alone, but you are actually an essential glistening jewel in this web of craftsmanship and connection.
What you will read about in this TileLetter issue are stories about how people are working together to reach their goals, especially on exterior installations. In our Business section, learn how Steve Clem from TVS Design and Sean Gordy of Gordy Tile have collaborated on large-scale porcelain slab projects. Elena Grant writes about how small businesses can cast their net to reach customers through marketing.
In our Member story, Nick Struzik describes his passion for certification (he obtained all nine ACT certifications in about six months!) and how that both enhances his business and is a platform for him to help others receive their ACT certifications.
CTEF’s Scott Carothers, a font of technical wisdom, talks about involving architect and design professionals and published industry standards for success in exterior projects, and our Ask the Experts section expands on that theme.
Our One-to-One story details how Stan Platt of Elite Tile Setters grew his company into an empire of 35 people in the field and how CTI certification plays a role in his company’s success. NTCA President Rod Owen offers a great metaphor of his own in his letter: “This month’s TileLetter theme of Exterior Applications reminds me how much our trade is built on exposure: to the elements, to challenges, and to growth.”
In our cover story, we learn how the construction management firm Frank Rewold & Sons, Inc., tile contractor Wolverine Stone Co., and industry partner Schluter-Systems built a strong net of expertise, technical excellence, and high-performing materials to renovate the iconic Detroit Athletic Club.
Finally, we remember Jacob Wiseman in our memorial story, recognizing the many lives he touched and the various segments of the industry and his life that have come together to support his young son, Thaddeus.
A central tenet of the industry Mindset Matters group, which you can find on Facebook, is that no one is alone. Believe it. Let this conviction uphold you and strengthen you to use your skills and talents to both weave your individual part of the web and contribute to the whole.
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.
