“Doing what you love is the cornerstone of having abundance in your life.” – Wayne Dyer
February has long had the reputation of being the month we honor love. Usually it’s romantic love, corresponding with the celebration of St. Valentine’s Day. But love isn’t limited to the definition of romance.
For instance, there is the love of learning – and of teaching. And that’s where our February TileLetter issue harmonizes with the “love month” as it chronicles the many people who have dedicated their lives to educating and teaching standards-based methods of tile installation for contractor success, those who sponsor, schedule and host these trainings and those who love their businesses and their customers so much that they want to be the best they can be by attending NTCA trainings, CTEF courses or industry training programs. It’s all about love, baby!
And it makes a difference. Check out the Members section and learn how three NTCA members have benefited from what they’ve learned at NTCA Workshops, Regional Trainings and trade show demos. Our Business section is a tour through the online and print resources NTCA has to offer that can enhance your learning outside in-person programs. And in our Technical section, dive in to our acclaimed Ask the Experts section that discusses a situation a contractor encountered when a client wanted new tile installed over 40-year-old existing tile.
Sponsors in our industry have put their money where their mouths are concerning diversity and upholding more women tile installers in the industry by pooling resources to support 14 women in taking the Certified Tile Installer exam at Carpet & Tile Warehouse in Vero Beach, Fla., on March 8, International Women’s Day. This exam will also be combined with a Schluter Mind Your Business class. Learn more about this groundbreaking event in a special feature in our Technical section.
Who’s presenting this training and testing? In our Training Highlight feature, you can meet the dedicated trainers and NTCA personnel behind the programs to get to know a few of the new trainers you may meet on the road. Former NTCA Training Director Mark Heinlein has also penned an encouraging message about three magical words that can change your professional path. And find out when and where you can attend an NTCA Workshop or Regional Program, and what the Ceramic Tile Education Foundation has in store this year in its new Nashville headquarters, Egg Harbor City, N.J., location and around the country.
NTCA President Rod Owen encourages business owners to show their employees some love by investing in their training to lift their businesses up to a higher level. He notes in his letter that, “The only thing worse than training your employees and having them leave is not training them and having them stay.” Do your employees – and your business – a favor and support their gaining new skills by training in 2025.
Our cover sponsor Cosentino has provided the story of a stunning home in Newport Beach, Ca., where the design team was in sync with the client’s desire to create a warm and modern ranch style home and chose the diverse range of colors, textures and finishes Cosentino offers to do so – and to do so sustainably, out of love for the earth! But that’s not all. NTCA Executive Director Bart Bettiga sat down with Massimo Ballucchi, Cosentino’s Vice President of Industrial Relations, to learn more about the company’s vision and strategy and plans for development.
But wait, there’s more! Check out our Artisan feature, where the love of cars, a dream, and a vision of excellence for his client led NTCA Member Pasha Starykov to use ingenuity, teamwork, collaboration – along with Cosentino Dekton – to create a logo based on a family crest for a sprawling garage for a South Carolina food service magnate.
Any profession you embrace for a significant amount of time will benefit from taking pride in what you can create, accomplish, problems you can solve, and how you make your life better by making others’ lives better with your knowledge, creativity, and skill. That sure sounds like love to me. Enjoy this issue, refer to it often throughout the year, and get out there and learn something new!
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.
