If you’ve been at any of the industry events recently – TISE or Coverings, or at certain NTCA workshops or Regional Trainings – you may have had the chance to meet our newest NTCA Trainer, Randy Fleming. This story brings you a little background on Randy, who will be handling all California NTCA workshops this year, and has been traveling to sev- eral western states to start learning to present NTCA Regional Training Programs on substrate preparation and gauged porcelain tile panel (GPTP) installation. In 2020, his ter- ritory should expand to include most western states. Fleming initially planned to be an auto mechanic, and started classes at a local junior college to pursue that path in 1979 after graduating high school. Shortly after starting classes, he got a lead for a brick job nearby. “I went out the next morning to interview for the position,” Fleming said. “My interview consisted of: ‘See that truck over there? Go break up all of those leftover mounds of mortar, load it up and take it to the dump’. I was hired!! I had a real job….AND I STILL WORK FOR THE SAME COMPANY as a foreman. In September it will be 40 years.” His company performs exclusively commercial and industrial installa- tions in Northern California includ- ing hospitals, shopping malls, dairy/ cheese processing factories, and pris- ons. “I started supervising these types of jobs in 1984,” he said. “Some of these have exceeded 200,000 sq. ft. and taken over a year to complete.” Flash forward 20 years, and Fleming decided he wanted to get his California contractor license in case he ever needed to go out on his own. Because, you never know! Meet your newest NTCA Trainer: Randy Fleming By Lesley Goddin, Editor TRAINING & EDUCATION –––––––––––– At the silica session the last morning of Coverings two months ago, Fleming (r.) assists fellow NTCA Trainer Robb Roderick to demonstrate the use of the WaleTale dust containment system. 52 TileLetter | June 2019