Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 60 Page 61 Page 62 Page 63 Page 64 Page 65 Page 66 Page 67 Page 68 Page 69 Page 70 Page 71 Page 72 Page 73 Page 74 Page 75 Page 76 Page 77 Page 78 Page 79 Page 80 Page 81 Page 82 Page 83 Page 84 Page 85 Page 86 Page 87 Page 88 Page 89 Page 90 Page 91 Page 92 Page 93 Page 94 Page 95 Page 96 Page 97 Page 98 Page 99 Page 100 Page 101 Page 102 Page 103 Page 104 Page 105 Page 106 Page 107 Page 108 Page 109 Page 110 Page 111 Page 112 Page 113 Page 114 Page 115 Page 116way test. It’s good for our customers, vendor partners, employees and our company. When customers shop out of market or on the internet there is little thought beyond price. It does not promote increased use of product or promote the correct product for the application. Distribution and contractors are good for each other. Good contrac- tors want to use the quality prod- ucts that distributors carry. They want the distributors to help keep them up to date on new products and correct installation procedures etc. Good distributors want to work with the contractor because the contractor can see the benefits dis- tribution brings to them in customer service, product knowledge etc., and it’s not just about price. Bob Kietzman, operations manager Minnesota Tile and Stone Plymouth, Minn. Protecting the contractor is a best practice I am a licensed tile contractor – RETIRED. I’m a former distribu- tor, and was one of the early, West Coast members of the CTDA back in the 1970s. At that time I represent- ed Summitville Quarry, Franciscan Tile, Monarch, Crossville, Bostik/ Hydroment, LATICRETE, and imported from Italy. Our more notable projects were the Bank of America tower at Samsone and California in San Francisco, many KFCs and McDonalds on the West Coast, sev- eral large shopping malls, etc. We employed architectural reps and nursed specifications for years to successful conclusion and profit- able invoices! California had a law on the “Business and Professions” code during these years that made it against the rules to sell to an unli- censed person or company at the “Licensed Contractor Prices.” (I do not know if this is still on the books.) We operated four locations in California, and I am proud to say our policy was to sell retail to the public, wholesale to the contrac- tors and an additional discount to the tile contractors and dealers for resale. The system worked, and our loyal customers appreciated the protection. After selling the company, I retired for a few years and then began a small contracting business until finally completely retiring in 2015. As the guy who wrote the pay- checks, I made it a priority that the tile contractor was PROTECTED. My employees were not to divulge the contractor costs. We would quote to the architects and designer a “range” for budget purposes while “selling” the prod- ucts’ quality and benefits to the project. I think James Woelfel is right. His reputable distributors should sup- port their direct, repeat, customer and remember we are all in the game together. Larry Dillon, president Dillon Tile Supply Inc. (1970-1985) San Francisco, Calif. PRESIDENT'S LETTER ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– 20 TileLetter | November 2016