At the NTCA Awards Night dur- ing Coverings '18, NTCA Executive Director Bart Bettiga called for a moment of silence to remember Armen Tavy – innovator, entre- preneur, tile setter, and industry legend, who passed away unex- pectedly at his California home on April 17 at the age of 85. Fiercely proud of his Armenian heritage, Armen was a tile setter for 60 years and founded TAVY Enterprises LLC over 20 years ago, the Two-Sided Tile Spacer, and many other solution-oriented inventions. He invested his innova- tions and his perspectives on the tile trade with expertise, passion and his unique and unforgettable brand of humor. Although ‘retired’ from day-to- day business operations for sev- eral years, Armen still loved to answer calls direct from custom- ers on his cell phone as well as respond to email questions on a daily basis, said Skip Starks, Director of Marketing & Sales for Tavy Enterprises. “Armen’s goal was to help make tile setting simpler. He was extremely proud that he was able to start his company at 62. As oth- ers may have been slowing down, he was just getting started. Anyone who has ever met Armen, even recently in his mid-80s, has seen a man with high energy and a willingness to share experiences with others that is unmatched. He just loved to talk ‘tile-setting’ with anyone who asked for help. “TAVY Enterprises is proud to carry on Armen’s innovative ide- als as we continue to deliver and develop unique tile setting tools with the same enthusiasm Armen shared with us all,” Starks said. Remembering Armen Tavy By Lesley Goddin Armen Tavy was honored at NTCA Awards Night at Coverings 18 by NTCA’s Bart Bettiga. 112 TileLetter | June 2018