–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– WOMEN IN TILE little to no pay to help this start-up, interns who worked for gas money and family who provided a small loan to fund equipment. Knipper also credits ancient teachings and wisdom in the Bible. “For example, there is a very useful Bible princi- ple: Put everything in writing!” she said. “When the prophet Jeremiah bought land, he wrote two copies of the agreement, had one copy signed by witnesses, and stored both documents for future reference (Jeremiah 32:9-12).” She found this practice helped the budding busi- ness avoid “misunderstandings, dis- appointments and disagreements.” Though she admits that to many onlookers it seemed crazy to start a business in the midst of the reces- sion, “we could see the vision so clearly, that failure was never a realistic thought,” she said. “For every five people that thought we couldn’t do it, there was one who thought we could and these people were instrumental in our growth and success.” In the intervening years, Floorology moved out of the incu- bator into a new 2,500-sq.-ft. show- room. Tim became a Certified Tile Installer in 2016 and Floorology became a Five Star Contractor in 2017.This year, Floorology received the NTCA Five Star Contractor Residential Project of the Year Achievement of Excellence Award. “Against all odds and in spite of many obstacles, we have experi- enced growth every single year we have been in business and are in the process of expanding,” she said. Paige Pomerene, P2 Customs Herndon, Va. Paige Pomerene, owner of P2 Customs (www.facebook.com/ P2customs/) is relatively new to tile and to NTCA, becoming a member at a workshop given in Springfield, Va., given by NTCA Technical Trainer Mark Heinlein. But she brings a lot of passion, creativity and determination to the trade since she first touched tile in 2013. “Tile is an art to me and I’ve always loved being creative,” she said. “Tile can be a way to express myself. I love to be chal- lenged and cre- ate a beautiful tiled area.” She calls her greatest accomplishment, “My clients’ happiness when they see their tiled area.” She asked, “Is passion consid- ered a skill? Because all I want to do is keep improving. I’ve partici- pated in wedi’s PRO Certification to gain a 20 year warranty on my wedi installs. I’ve also been to NTCA and Schluter educational courses.” Pomerene enjoys being recog- TileLetter | October 2018 51