PRESIDENT’S LETTER Martin Howard It was great to see so many old friends and meet new ones at Coverings in Orlando. I was fortunate to have sev- eral opportunities to work in one of the two NTCA booths during the show. This afforded me the chance to meet and talk with many contractors from all over the country working in several different segments of the industry. I know that we are all challenged to find enough time each day to run a business, finish an estimate, meet with a client, get our crews working in the right direction, meet the payroll and oh yes, everybody’s favorite task, col- lecting the money we’re owed!!!! Yet that is what we signed up for when we decided to scratch that entrepreneurial itch and start our companies. So, back to what I learned from these conversations at Coverings: some of our members – and those who haven’t joined NTCA yet – don’t really under- stand all that we offer to the industry. Early on, I had several encounters where a contractor would say, “I’ve got two minutes before my next meet- ing, so tell me everything I get if I join NTCA,” while their sales resistance slammed closed like a bank vault. I changed my strategy to answering their question with a question, “What is your biggest need that will make you more successful and profitable?” This seemed to open a dialog on a different level, and I could explain the education and training available to them through the association. Some chose to sign up and some said they’d think about it. Either way, I hope that I communicated that the NTCA is here to be a resource and advocate for tile contractors. But that’s not all we do. The staff of NTCA works extremely hard to put together a framework of industry involvement that will repre- sent the tile contractor’s interest. From membership on the TCNA Handbook Committee to the ANSI Committee, to all the groups working with the NTCA Board of Directors on numerous com- mittees, these individuals are tile con- tractors who donate their time and expenses to participate for the good of the tile industry and specifically for the advancement and protection of the tile contractor – regardless if they are a member of NTCA or not. Maybe this will help explain a little better. Here is a list of the number of tile contractors working on each of these committees on your behalf. • 7 – Tile Council of North America Handbook Committee • 6 + 6 Alternates – ANSI A108 Committee • 7 – NTCA Executive Board • 19 – NTCA Board of Directors The value of NTCA – what you get and what you give 18 TileLetter | May 2017