NTCA NEWS 110 TileLetter | October 2017 The long awaited 2017 version should have arrived at NTCA over the summer, with mailings to our contractor members right away. Additional copies of both books can be ordered at the NTCA store at www.tile-assn.com. Coverings Coverings 2018 planning is already underway. It will take place May 4th-7th in Atlanta, Ga. Special thanks to Rod Owen of C.C. Owen Tile near Atlanta for participating in a local advisory capacity to promote attendance to the show. Committee Meetings Jim Olson has been holding numerous subcommittee confer- ence calls to support both the Membership and Training & Education Committee Meetings. These groups will meet on Saturday, November 4th in Washington D.C. Kevin Fox, the chairman of the NTCA Methods and Standards Committee, is also holding a meet- ing that same day. His meeting is closed to the appointed group. The Membership and Training & Education Meetings, as well as the Board of Directors Meeting, are open to all interested people. International Outreach As part of new strategic objective, the NTCA is pleased to report that president Martin Howard, chair- man James Woelfel, and executive director Bart Bettiga have attend- ed Cersaie in Bologna, Italy, this September. They participated in discussions with Assopossa, the labor component developed by Confindustria in Italy. They also met with members of the European Union Federation at the show, with Assopossa. Discussions centered on apprenticeship training, safety for the workforce, certification, and best practices. Installation Summit Dan Welch of Welch Tile and Marble was the NTCA representa- tive presenter at the 2nd annual installation summit, taking place August 16th-18th at the CFI Convention in Orlando, Florida. Dan also will present to the Commercial One/American Home Surfaces Group national conven- tion in Palm Springs, California, October 22nd and 23rd, with Jim Olson and Bart Bettiga in atten- dance. Regional Training and Workshops Mark Heinlein and Becky Serbin spearheaded our first Regional Training Seminar, that took place in early October in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. This training focused on Mud Set Floors and Walls, and Large Format Gauged Porcelain Tile and Thin Porcelain Tile Panels. The NTCA hopes to host at least two regional training events in each of our 12 regions in 2018.