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 6 Welcome new members 10 NTCA Tile & Stone Workshops 11 NTCA Regional Programs 14 Editor’s letter 16 President’s letter 20 NTCA Review/Forecast Looking back, looking ahead NTCA rolls out new strategies at Total Solutions Plus By Bart Bettiga 28 Ask the Experts: Sponsored by LATICRETE International, Inc. 32 Business Tip: Bonds and the construction process By Daniel A. Dorfman, JD, LEED Green Associate – Chair, Construction Law Group, Fox Swibel Levin & Carroll LLP Sponsored by MAPEI Corporation 62 Member Spotlight: John Roberts Designs, LLC Sponsored by Custom Building Products 84 Tech Talk: Cersaie 2018 – Tiling Town attracts more than 1K visitors Sponsored by TEC® /H.B. Fuller Construction Products 90 Thin Tile/GPTP: Cersaie large-format modules and slabs offer thin and thick profiles for indoor and outdoor use Sponsored by MAPEI Corporation 102 NTCA Benefits Box: Tom Ade Ceramic Tile Scholarship 104 NTCA University Update 112 News Briefs 115 Product Briefs 118 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. 4 TileLetter | December 2018