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Meet the 2025 NTCA Trainers

Matt Welner, Training Department Manager

2025 dawns with changes to our NTCA Training Team, with the intent to bring an expanded program of workshops, regional training events and custom opportunities across the country. 

Longtime leader of the NTCA Training team Mark Heinlein retired at the end of 2024, after nine years of outstanding leadership and inspiring attendee engagement at events. His two highly capable colleagues Amber Fox, Training Department Administrator, and Matt Welner, Training Department Manager, have taken the helm, and at this writing are just wrapping up the training schedule for 2025. 

Amber Fox, Training Department Administrator

“It is an honor to step into this role, knowing that I have big shoes to fill,” Welner said. “I am excited about the possibilities that lie ahead, and I look forward to contributing to the continued success and growth of our organization. This new chapter promises to be both challenging and rewarding, and I am eager to embark on this journey with my colleagues and the NTCA community.”

Fox added, “I am thrilled to step into my new role as Administrator for the NTCA Training Department. Over the next year, I aim to strengthen collaboration with our host sponsors and enhance the efficiency of our training events. By fostering these connections and streamlining our processes, we can focus on extending the reach of our programs. Together, we have the opportunity to make a lasting impact on the tile industry and our members by delivering innovative, cutting-edge training that empowers professionals and elevates industry standards.”

New trainers take to the road!

There’s been a change to our roster of boots-on-the-ground NTCA Technical Trainers too. In 2024, we bid farewell to Ryan Hysell and Hank Boyle, with gratitude for their exemplary service. Continuing on are Robb Roderick, Kate Koerber, Chad Jones, and Randy Fleming. And wunderkind Matt Welner will juggle supervisory responsibilities with on-the-road events.

New to the team are Alex Smith, Bill O’Connor and Anthony Oliver, who signed on with NTCA in late 2024. Get to know them a little below, and look out for them – and the rest of the Trainer Team – coming soon to a location near you!

Alex Smith

Alex Smith

Craftsman, educator, and creative problem-solver Alex Smith is based in Boone, N.C., and has been an installer for over 20 years. An avid pursuer of excellence, Alex earned his Certified Tile Installer credential – #1500 – in 2017.

Alex’s wife Nicole also runs a business, as the Founder/CEO of the local studio Beyond Pilates. Alex loves spending time with family, which includes his two daughters, especially getting outside, looking at the mountains and enjoying the beauty of Watauga Lake. His family also delights in their “quirky, 1970s passive solar house” that he says needs a lot of love which they gladly give it, though it’s a “perpetual remodeling project.”

In his own work, Alex utilizes high-quality products and practices of efficiency, and has made it a priority to keep up to date with standards in the TCNA Handbook, while expanding his knowledge. He continues to operate his boutique firm, Installations by Alex, installing tile in luxury residential projects when he’s not conducting training programs for NTCA. 

“I love the craft of tile,” he said. “The balance of form and function in its beauty and utility excites the very essence of my being. Attending industry trade shows in recent years has sparked a new interest in interacting with the tile community on a national level. 

“I believe the act of disseminating information is the true purpose of an educator,” he added. I have always had a curiosity of systems and how things work, and have moved through life from a perspective of creativity, which ultimately led to me earning a Master of Fine Arts degree. I am excited about furthering the craft of tile and educating installers, as well as cultivating relationships within our national community.” Reach him at [email protected]

Bill O’Connor 

Bill O’Connor

Technical Trainer Bill O’Connor was born and raised in the Chicagoland area, and started installing floors and tile right out of high school in 1997. He learned the trade through a four-year union apprenticeship.  

In 2013, O’Connor started his own business, W.A.O. Flooring Restorations, installing flooring of all types, and then his empire blossomed. In 2017, he opened a storefront two hours south of Chicago offering installation of all types of flooring. He eventually became a small distributor for a few companies in the field. 

In 2016, O’Connor joined the NTCA to benefit his business and he is a current member. “I’m known to be at all manufacturer trainings,” he said. And now he gets to be the one providing education and training. “When a job for NTCA opened up, I thought it was a good fit for me. Now I’m happy to be part of the NTCA team.” Contact Bill at [email protected].

Anthony Oliver

Anthony Oliver

Born and raised in Shreveport, La., Anthony Oliver was recruited into the tile trade by both of his uncles after graduating high school in 1999. He found that it fed his need to be creative and kept him moving, both of which were very important to him. He worked on all levels of residential, commercial and government jobs in the area and beyond. 

After moving to the Sacramento area of California in 2016, Anthony became a licensed C-54 and started his own company. “The NTCA has been an invaluable resource for me and my business in this industry I love immensely,” he said. “I enjoy being a Technical Trainer because it gives me an opportunity to give back to the organization and the tile community that has given me so much in my life.”

Outside of work Anthony enjoys hiking, Spartan Races, motorcycles, and a variety of outdoor activities. Email Anthony at [email protected].   

Editorial Director and Senior Writer | [email protected] |  + posts

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.

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