“When the whole world is silent, even one voice becomes powerful.”
– Malala Yousafzai
November is a watershed time for our country. Unless you are living under a rock (and even then!), it will have been nearly impossible to avoid the political cacophony that precedes a general election. It’s my personal hope that you made your voice heard by casting your vote on November 3, by early voting, mail or absentee ballot. You may feel that only one vote doesn’t matter, but scores and hundreds and thousands and millions of “one votes” help dictate the course of history. It’s our privilege, right and responsibility as Americans to vote – so hoping you haven’t let your chance to have a voice slip by.
Speaking of having a voice, NTCA is a way you can have a voice in your industry. Though we still are not meeting in person for the most part, NTCA has a number of opportunities for learning and sharing input, ideas, suggestions – and even gripes – with the industry as a whole. Head over to the Education & Certification tab at www.tile-assn.com and see the lineup of virtual training opportunities, especially the NTCA Roundtable Live. These roundtables give the industry an opportunity to converse in a relaxed setting, sometimes with a topic in mind and sometimes in an open forum. Check it out, read our Training and Education feature this month, which focuses on CUSTOM’s sponsorship of the roundtables, and join us in the coming months.
Another way to have a voice – and a presence – is by being profiled in our monthly NTCA Member Spotlight. This is one of the most read features of TileLetter because it shows beautiful member work, provides insight into what members are doing, and illustrates how they are achieving success. We’re lining up spotlights for 2021 so, if you’re interested in being profiled, reach out to me at [email protected].
Chris Walker of David Allen Company has had a prominent voice in NTCA, TileLetter, and the industry for the past two years as NTCA President; this month marks his last President’s Letter as he turns the NTCA reins over to Martin Brookes of Heritage Marble and Tile. Chris has offered experienced, thoughtful, insightful guidance in his letters each month and to the association as a whole. We welcome future guest columns from him in TileLetter and his continued dedication to the industry as NTCA Chairman of the Board and his involvement with essential industry committees.
Member Jim Upton of Tiger Mountain Tile voiced his opinion over a recent technical article by fellow member Joseph Mattice, On the Level, in our Letter to the Editor this month. Got an opinion you want to share? Send me a letter!
Enjoy perusing the other features in this issue and the information they bring, from understanding how behavior style impacts construction culture in our Business feature, to learning how using templates can make your job easier in our Technical feature by NTCA Trainer Robb Roderick, to a synopsis of the Coverings Connected session on using pedestal systems and pavers, to a unique take on our One-to-One feature, in which NTCA Executive Director /TileLetter Publisher Bart Bettiga tackles five topics related to the direction the NTCA is taking to remain relevant as a leading trade association in the flooring industry.
And remember to visit tileletter.com to read the monthly TileLetter Digital magazine in a new interactive, mobile responsive format. Whether you read TileLetter in print or online, we hope you find something that makes your business run more smoothly and more profitably!
God bless,
Lesley
[email protected]
Editorial Director and Senior Writer for TileLetter and TileLetter ARTISAN
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.
