Jim Isaminger, former Owner and President of DMI Tile and Marble in Birmingham, Ala., passed away Aug. 5 at the age of 91. He was a valued member of the National Tile Contractors Association (NTCA) and his local business community.
DMI Tile and Marble earned national recognition for installation excellence and was an original Five-Star Contractor of the NTCA. In fact, DMI’s Contractor Safety Program helped lay the foundation for NTCA’s Five-Star Accredited Contractor program, which recognizes the top tile contractors around the country.
Isaminger is also credited with having one of the first open-shop apprenticeship programs. His curriculum was approved by the U.S. Department of Labor, and much of it was used to develop the NTCA Apprenticeship Program with the help of Dan Welch of Welch Tile and Marble in Kent City, Mich., and NTCA Curriculum Director Becky Serbin.
Isaminger and his wife Marilyn, along with son Terry and other key DMI Tile and Marble employees, were highly involved in educating local middle and high school students about career opportunities in the tile industry. Many of these students entered the DMI Tile and Marble Apprenticeship Program. NTCA used many of the materials they used in the Birmingham school district to begin promoting the trade at a national level.
Isaminger was named NTCA Tile Person of the Year in 1996 and received NTCA’s prestigious Ring of Honor in 2005. He was President of NTCA from 2000-2002 and was instrumental in hiring current NTCA Executive Director Bart Bettiga in 2001.
Isaminger also authored a book called Point Up: Points to Ponder for the Tile Contractor Volume I and allowed NTCA to sell it via the association’s online store.
Fond remembrances from the industry
Isaminger was well loved in the industry. “If there was a Mount Rushmore for NTCA volunteer leaders, Jim Isaminger would certainly be on it,” Bettiga said.
Isaminger’s widow, Marilyn, said he was a passionate advocate for the tile and stone industry and its subcontractors. “His involvement with the industry, from the days of the Southern Tile Terrazzo Marble Association (STTMCA), Association of Tile Terrazzo Marble Contractors and Affiliates (ATTMCA) and finally the NTCA to the day he retired, gave him energy and satisfaction throughout his career, as did the many friendships we developed over the years,” she said. “He will be greatly missed.”
Isaminger leaves behind a lasting legacy. Thanks to the apprenticeship program he spearheaded, his mark on the industry will be felt for generations. When he and Marilyn began writing the apprenticeship program guidelines in 1995, his vision was, “Anyone who has completed a Bureau of Training-approved apprenticeship program successfully can go anywhere in the United States and find a job within days. Earn while you learn, and you won’t incur $100,000 or more in tuition debt,” she explained.
“Fifteen years later, we had promoted 25 apprentice tile setters, some of whom went on to start their own businesses,” she added. “Through the team effort of NTCA and CTEF and their leadership, that number has grown exponentially.”
Bettiga underscored Isaminger’s contributions. “There are currently several apprenticeship programs administered around the country utilizing NTCA curriculum guidelines. A few of our members have received workforce development grants, and NTCA and CTEF are working together to secure further support of apprenticeship development in the future. None of this would have been possible without the work done by Jim Isaminger and his team at DMI Tile and Marble many years ago. NTCA is indebted to his philanthropy and support over many years.”
Scott Carothers, Academic Director for CTEF, remembers Jim Isaminger as a true icon who birthed several ‘firsts’ in the ceramic tile industry, including the aforementioned apprentice training program that was BAT-approved in his company, DMI Tile and Marble, along with his employee safety program, which served as a model in the tile industry.
“Jim was a friend of mine for almost as long as I was an NTCA member,” Carothers said. “Jim was the Southern gentleman who took the new Northern boy under his wing, offering friendship, knowledge, and guidance in the workings of the NTCA. When I was appointed to the Executive Committee, Jim provided the necessary wisdom and advice to assist me in eventually becoming the president of the NTCA immediately after him. He was all about educating and training people within his company as well as those in the broader scope of the tile industry.
“Whenever I saw or called Jim, he would always say, ‘Well, how are you doing, son?’” Carothers added. “He always showed compassion and a readiness to help people who were willing to learn. We will miss Jim Isaminger and can’t thank him enough for all that he did for individuals and the craft that he loved.”
NTCA Executive Director Emeritus Joe Tarver added, “Time and space constraints prevent telling everything I would like to say about Jim Isaminger. Our lives were inextricably entwined for over 65 years, all related to the tile industry. Jim’s uncle, H. L. (Carload) Cooke, was the first true independent tile distributor in Memphis, Tenn.— Jim’s first employer and my largest customer when I was in manufacturing. That led to Jim opening his own distributing business. We developed a close friendship that has lasted a lifetime.
“From customers, to attendees at Southern Tile Contractors (STCA) meetings and conventions, to my becoming Executive Director and Jim going through the chairs of NTCA, our enduring friendship is evidence of similar goals and objectives,” he continued. “Jim played a pivotal role in the hiring of Bart Bettiga, bringing together two highly talented and motivated individuals to further NTCA’s presence and importance in this industry.
“Jim’s contributions to NTCA and our industry are well documented, recognized and deserved,” Tarver concluded. “You ran the good race and fought the good fight. Rest well, my good and faithful friend.”
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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