NEWS BRIEFS TCNA applauds 10% tariff on Chinese tile – Eric Astrachan, executive director of the Tile Council of North America (TCNA) joined more than 350 individuals who testified before the Trade Commission in Washington, D.C., in August about the tariffs. Many expressed concern that tar- iffs would affect downstream pric- es for consumers. But Astrachan took a pro stance, stating that tariffs would have a protective effect on domestic production, U.S. jobs and imported tile from other countries. In addition, he cited problems with Chinese tile mislabeled as por- celain, intellectual property theft and dumping tiles – selling them at below cost. Astrachan favors the 10% tariff, and supports a 25% tax as well. https://bit.ly/2psB0EJ BelknapWhiteGroup’sMansfield, MA facility retrofitted with 3,000 solar panels – The Belknap White Group (BWG), one of America’s leading full-service flooring dis- tributors, is one of the first com- panies of its kind to embody the green movement by retrofitting its buildings with energy-saving, envi- ronmentally sound, green technol- ogy. Company warehouse, which occupies about 70% of total roof space, was outfitted with 3,000 panels. https://bit.ly/2I43htF Susleyen appointed general manager of Yurtbay Seramik usa – Yurtbay Seramik, one of Turkey’s leading producers of ceramic tile, has chosen to optimize the firm’s Turkey/ U.S. connection by appointing Semih Susleyen, for- merly sales manager at Ege Seramik America, to general manager of Yurtbay Seramik USA. Yurtbay’s new American headquarters is in Norcross, Ga., and is expected to be fully functional this month. https://bit.ly/2I3w4i0 Construction employment rises though labor shortag- es prevent hiring more work- ers – Construction employment increased by 23,000 jobs in August and by 297,000 jobs over the past year, reaching a 10-year high. Meanwhile the indus- try’s unemployment rate stood at an all-time low, according to an analysis of new government data by the Associated General Contractors of America. Even as firms continued to expand, a new report finds that most firms are struggling to find enough work- ers to keep up with demand. https://bit.ly/2PU6Oha 124 TileLetter | October 2018