Although June is the issue we have slated to more closely examine all the news, infor- mation, awards and products coming out of Coverings, we ARE managing to squeeze in a few tidbits from the show that really bear early exposure. For instance, check out the Tech Talk section, which discusses the long-awaited ANSI product and installation stan- dards for gauged porcelain tile; the NTCA News section has information on awards and accolades presented during NTCA Awards Night at the show, which also happened to be our association’s 70th Anniversary celebration, and look at the Industry News item on the Why Tile campaign launched at the show. Here, in this letter, we present the TCNA’s 2017 Ceramic Tile Industry Update, in terms of consumption, outlook, exports and imports. So, without further ado, here it is: U.S. tile consumption overview: Strengthened by steady growth in the housing and construction markets, the U.S. economy continued to expand in 2016, helping lift the U.S. ceramic tile market to a seventh straight year of growth. According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, and the Tile Council of North America, U.S. ceramic tile consumption in 2016 was 2.90 billion sq. ft., up 5.8% vs. 2015 (2.74 billion sq. ft.). For perspective, 2016 is the fourth highest level ever reached by the U.S. ceramic tile market,topped only by the pre-recession boom of 2004-2006, when consumption was more than three billion sq. ft. annually. The following table shows U.S. tile shipments, imports, exports, and total consumption in thousands of sq. ft. The chart to the right shows total U.S. con- sumption of ceramic tile (in sq. ft.) over the last decade. EDITOR’S LETTER Lesley A. Goddin “Prosperity belongs to those who learn new things the fastest.” – Paul Zane Pilzer 12 TileLetter | May 2017