NEWS BRIEFS The addition of the 220,000-sq.- ft. state-of-the-art distribution center supports the region’s homebuilders, retailers, and resi- dential and commercial archi- tects and designers with localized service, increased inventory and expedited product availability. In Florida alone, the company operates six sales and service branches. TCNA statement supports domestic manufacturers seek- ing relief from dumped Chinese tile – Eric Astrachan, Executive Director of the Tile Council of North America (TCNA) issued the following state- ment recently in response to the fil- ing by domestic tile manufacturers of a petition with the federal gov- ernment, seeking tariff relief from dumped and subsidized imports of tile from China: “America’s tile manufacturers are happy to compete against fair- ly traded imports. We have been hammered, though, by a flood of unfairly traded imports from China. Chinese tile producers ben- efit from extensive government subsidies and dump their tile into the United States at ridiculously low prices. Domestic manufactur- ers had no choice but to seek relief from the federal government from these unfairly traded imports. The future of the U.S. industry and of our member companies’ thousands of employees and their families depend on it.” Dan Marvin joins Ironrock – Daniel Marvin, formerly with MAPEI and Florida Tile, has been hired by Ironrock Capital Inc. as Senior Vice President of Operations. In his new posi- tion, Marvin will head up the company’s operations to maximize efficiencies, quality and performance. He will also work with senior management to grow the company and expand its leadership position in the quar- ry tile and thin brick markets. Marvin will also oversee all tech- nical issues, champion new prod- uct development efforts and assist with the company’s marketing and green initiatives. Marvin will continue to serve on industry-related committees including Tile Council of North America, American Society for Testing and Materials, American National Standards Institute, American Ceramic Society, Precast Concrete Institute, and Tilt-Up Concrete Association. TCNA releases 2018 U.S. Ceramic Tile Industry Update – Total U.S. ceramic tile consump- tion for 2018 was 3.11 billion sq. ft., up 1.5% vs. 2017. In 2018 3 92 TileLetter | June 2019