Breath is the bridge which connects life to consciousness, which unites your body to your thoughts. Whenever your mind becomes scattered, use your breath as the means to take hold of your mind again.
THICH NHAT HANH
It is a strange thing to realize that we are already past the halfway point of the year, well into summer and a celebration of our country’s birthday, and scheduling work in the breathing space between the spring and fall convention seasons and holidays, vacations and summertime activities.
And yet here we are. Before you read any further, I invite you to take a deep breath, let go of an even longer exhale—and just BE for a moment.
NOW, you’ll be ready to absorb some of the content the TileLetter team and contributing writers have prepared for you in this issue.
In our Business section, Joe Lundgren takes a deep dive into the benefits and challenges of private labeling for the distributor and touches on advantages for contractor customers, too. NTCA’s Bart Bettiga shares a recap of his “Inside the Industry: Leaders on Tile Today” panel at the recent Coverings show. And Melissa Willis offers empowering suggestions for business owners during challenging economic times.
In our Member Spotlight, Joppe Aguirre, Owner of Cascadia Tile Company, LLC in Bend, Ore., shares his path from high school to today in the tile industry, and what challenges and inspires him in his work.
In this issue, Bettiga also checks in with Alex Keene, General Manager of Platform Performance Flooring Systems, to detail the evolution of the company from FloorPrep by Dependable and the integration of Compotite for a true one-stop shop for the contractor.
CTEF’s Scott Carothers guides us through ANSI A108.01’s General Requirements: Structures, Substrates, and Preparation for Tile, which includes a wealth of jobsite requirements offering workflow guidance, proper jobsite conditions, and safeguards for completed work. These are essential for all tile work, but especially for commercial projects.
And our Ask the Experts professionals share information about hollow-sounding tile. What does it mean? Is it always a problem? Read our story and find out!
RTC Products delivers a one-two punch with a second cover feature in as many months, this time focusing on purpose-built tools that facilitate the logistical challenge of installing 250 48” x 110” gauged porcelain tile panels at the Lennar Corporation Corporate Headquarters in Miami.
In Cool Tools, Mike Sima of Midtown Tile enthuses about the Ring King Ruler and why it’s such an essential tool to have on the job.
NTCA President Rod Owen shares his wisdom about essential aspects of commercial tile installation, as well as an alert about surviving tile installation projects carried out in the summer heat.
And our Mindset Matters contribution draws a comparison between the qualities that helped build our country—like resilience, strength, freedom and interdependence—and how we can employ those in our own personal growth trajectories.
At this theoretical summer lull (your work schedule may not reflect this!), keep BREATHING—consciously, that is. Use your breath to ground you, energize you, and literally in-spire you. How? Breathe slowly in for a count of 4, and slowly out for a count of 8. Repeat until you can feel your body grow calm. It’s something you can do anytime, anywhere, whether on the job or at home—your secret weapon to release overwhelm and securely anchor yourself in calm purpose.
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.
