Robert Roberson David Allen Company I had the pleasure of knowing some of the charter members of our association: David G. Allen, George Carter and others. Notwithstanding the fact that many of these leaders were successful and sophisti- cated businessmen, the association had very much a ‘good ole boy’ dimension. Jim Trimm, our second executive director, was known for his ability to operate cost effectively and find hotel bargains, and we often found ourselves at venues that struggled with sanitation challenges. It was at the Georgian Terrace Hotel in Atlanta, at the low point in its history, when dur- ing our annual banquet a parade of rats became the main attraction. The board of directors quickly decided we could afford better and instructed Jim to upgrade our venues. Jim strug- gled with that decision, but reluctantly complied. This little scenario supports my con- tention that when you upgrade your environment, you upgrade your cre- ative thinking. I remain convinced that this reactive decision of the board triggered an acceleration of our asso- ciation’s growth and effectiveness. Svend Hovmand, Principal, Tileconsultants-Tennessee, LLC Svend Hovmand has had a long and storied career in the tile industry, holding numerous positions including serving on the boards of CTEF, TCNA and Coverings.- Ed. When I started working in the ‘80s in the tile industry, the cooperation between NTCA, CDTA and TCNA was rather limited. Over the years the cooperation between the organi- zations have dramatically improved due to the work in NTCA Technical Committee, ANSI 108 Committee, CTEF and the Coverings Show. The Total Solutions Plus annual event has become very successful and empha- sizes that all three organizations have essentially the same overreaching mis- sion – namely creating satisfied cus- tomers buying installations of tile. Tommy Cox Memphis Tile & Marble and the “Memphis Delegation” At the urging of my former boss, Hugo Kumitz, I joined the STTMCA in the early ‘70s. Tom Hill from Memphis was president at the time. Joe Tarver, with his Afro hairdo, and Myra Caldwell were at the helm in Jackson. Florida Tile Bright Glaze sold for $0.338 a square foot. Gas was about $0.35 a gallon. I was an active mem- ber of the STTMCA, ATTMCA and NTCA through 2012. During these years, I gained technical knowledge and business knowledge – both very valuable for a successful business. You are actually SUPPOSED to make Tommy Cox (r.) of Memphis Tile & Marble, with Joe Tarver in 2008. Celebrating 70 years 94 TileLetter | September 2017