MEMBER SPOTLIGHT ——————————— sponsored by WhatdoLegalSeaFoodsofBoston and tile contracting have in com- mon? Stephen Belyea, owner of JSG Tile and Stone LLC in Weymouth, Mass. (jsgtileandstone.com) is the common thread in both scenari- os. Belyea gave up his career as head chef at Legal Sea Foods and pursued commercial flooring work with a small company while he was contemplating his next move in the restaurant business. “When I realized how much bet- ter life could be not working 12-15 hours a day, I stuck to learning as much as I could about flooring,” Belyea said. “I worked my way up to a lead installer and enjoyed the work I was doing” – work that included installing carpet, wood, vinyl, rubber and turf in the gyms at Gillette Stadium and Fenway Park. Belyea gravitated towards tile, captivated by the rewarding tech- nical aspects of the installations, and eventually focused solely on tile. Pursuing his passion for tile the same way he pursued his pas- sion for food, he made excellence his goal. “I wanted to be as good as I could be,” he said. “I attended any and all events I could to net- work, meet people and learn as much as I could.” In 2014, he discovered Tile Geeks on Facebook – only 500 strong at that time. “I realized from that page that there was a hell of a lot of knowledge about tile I did not have.” Belyea said. “So I made a point to learn about all the new/ different techniques and tools there were. I have attended Coverings in Las Vegas, Chicago, Orlando, Out of the frying pan and into tile: JSG’s Stephen Belyea made the leap from chef to tile contractor The Tile Geeks Madison Fields Project in 2017 was one of the most rewarding per- sonal and professional projects in which Belyea ever participated. By Lesley Goddin 86 TileLetter | September 2018