WOMEN IN TILE –––––––––––––––––––––– Tile contracting has expanded over the years to include more and more women who are able to infuse their sense of artistry, organi- zation, precision, creativity, experi- ence, style, color, fashion, passion, and hard work into a time-honored trade. To be sure, there are women present in all levels of our industry, but those who are getting in the trenches with their male counter- parts and getting their hands dirty making beautiful floor and wall coverings are a special breed. AngieHalfordofUniqueMosaics, LLC, West Valley City Utah (www. facebook.com/uniquemosaics- byangie), and Chanel Carrizosa of Icon Tile & Design, Kirkland, Wash. (www.icontileanddesign. com), are two of this special breed. Let’s learn more about how they came to pursue tile installation as a career. Passion and ability – not gender – make a stellar tile contractor By Lesley Goddin “Not every woman can do this kind of work, and not every man can either. It’s about passion, ability, talent, determination. None of those things relate to anatomy. All I know is that I love working in the tile industry and this is where I belong!” – Angie Halford Angie Halford, photo credit Cannon Evans Chanel Carrizosa 90 TileLetter | October 2017