Joe had scheduled Werner Schluter for an 8:00 am session. That was the first of several thousand cups of coffee in the service of association work. Joe introduced me that day to a cadre of NTCA folks, and as the newest TCNA representative, I got an earful. We’ve been working with NTCA on impor- tant issues ever since. And Joe continues to be that same fellow I met at Mees decades ago, both an expert and an entertainer I’ll always hope to live up to – and a great friend along the way. I could go on now about our appre- ciation of the staff and members at NTCA today. By way of proof of our close collaboration, and to their credit, you can blame them in part for the TCNA Handbook being 550 pages, and we’ve only begun to tap that well of expertise. Regarding my great friend and colleague, Bart Bettiga – well I could share a secret or two, no doubt, from our many meetings overseas – but I’ll save that for another day. And lastly, regard- ing those turf wars from over two decades ago, thanks in many parts to NTCA efforts, everyone is cooperating closely, and the industry couldn’t be stronger with lots of exciting innova- tions and opportunities ahead. Congratulations on 70 years of mak- ing an important difference. Best wish- es to all. Celebrating 70 years 108 TileLetter | September 2017