THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE NATIONAL TILE CONTRACTORS ASSOCIATION BART A. BETTIGA, publisher bart@tile-assn.com LESLEY A. GODDIN, editor lesley@tile-assn.com MICHELLE CHAPMAN, art director advertising sales michelle@tile-assn.com MARY SHAW-OLSON, advertising sales mary@tile-assn.com Mailing Address: P.O. Box 13629 Jackson, MS 39236 U.S.A. Shipping Address: 626 Lakeland East Drive Jackson, MS 39232 Tel: 601-939-2071 Fax: 601-932-6117 Website: www.tileletter.com www.tile-assn.com Columns 4 Welcome new members 6 2018 NTCA Tile & Stone Workshops 7 2018 CTEF Workshops 10 Editor’s letter 14 President’s letter 18 Ask the Experts: Sponsored by LATICRETE International, Inc. 24 Business Tip: Tax reform: yes, it is a big deal By Pat O'Connor, Kent and O'Connor, Washington, D.C. Sponsored by MAPEI Corporation 54 NTCA Benefits Box 58 Tech Talk: How to Get Paid for Floor Prep Work By Tom D. Lynch, CSI Sponsored by TEC® /H.B. Fuller Construction Products 68 Five Star Contractor Spotlight: Premier Tile & Marble, Gardena, Calif. Sponsored by Custom Building Products 76 Thin Tile/GPTP: Laminam by Crossville porcelain tile panels modernize Lexington Office Park Sponsored by MAPEI Corporation 98 NTCA University Update: Three ways to find the courses you want By Becky Serbin, Training and Education Coordinator 102 Five Star Contractor Update: NTCA welcomes three new Five Star Contractor members 106 News Briefs 108 Product Briefs 111 Advertiser Index The National Tile Contractors Association, Inc. is an equal opportunity association and seeks to include qualified individuals and businesses in all phases of its activities. The National Tile Contractors Association, Inc. does not discrimi- nate on the basis of race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, veteran status, or disability. The National Tile Contractors Association, Inc. seeks opportunities to include these groups in its programs and activities. TileLetter is a free subscription to the tile, stone and allied products industries. To subscribe, visit www.tileletter.com -> click on Advertisers & Subscribers -> click on Subscribe. To make address changes or unsubscribe, please send an email to: webmaster@tile-assn.com. TILELETTER EDITORIAL POLICY: TileLetter is the official publication of the National Tile Contractors Association, Inc. (NTCA). TileLetter provides a medium for expressing views and opinions without approving, disapproving, or guaranteeing the validity or accuracy of any data, claim or opinion appearing under a byline, or obtained or quoted from an acknowledged source. Statements of fact and opinion are made on the responsibility of the authors alone, and do not imply an opinion or reflect the official position of NTCA. NTCA would not be possible with- out the dedicated service of our board and committee members, and regional and state directors. Meet these dedicated volunteers by visit- ing www.tile-assn.com and clicking on About Us. You can also find infor- mation and a continually updated list of Five Star Contractors at www. tile-assn.com – click on Find a Tile Contractor or Consultant. 2 TileLetter | March 2018