NEWS BRIEFS Details are available on these news items at tileletter.com NTCA Apprenticeship Guide- lines program approved by U.S. Department of Labor – NTCA proudly announces it has received formal acceptance into the National Apprenticeship System from the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL). In a letter dated May 23rd, 2019, the DOL informed NTCA that its National Guidelines for Apprenticeship had been reviewed and found to be in com- pliance. The NTCA Apprenticeship Guidelines Program, which com- bines field experience with online learning and designated classroom training, is designed to provide members an opportunity to attract new skilled labor into the ceramic tile industry. The program will offer guidance to NTCA members in developing their own tile finish- ers and tile setters apprenticeship programs. Heidi Cronin hired as CTEF Industry Liaison and Promotions Director – The Ceramic Tile E d u c a t i o n Foundation (CTEF) is pleased to announce that Heidi Cronin, pre- viously President of The Cronin Company, has joined CTEF as the Industry Liaison and Promotions Director, a newly created role to support the next stage of evolu- tion for the organization. As CTEF Industry Liaison and Promotions Director, Cronin will be respon- sible for speaking on a national level to promote CTEF certifica- tion and training programs. Key segment groups include inde- pendent distributors, tile and allied product manufacturers, designers, architects, specifiers, remodelers, builders and gen- eral contractors. She will work closely with the National Tile Contractors Association (NTCA) and Tile Council of North America (TCNA), including promoting NTCA qualified labor efforts and the TCNA Why Tile campaign. Anatolia Tile + Stone opens first U.S. distribution center – Anatolia Tile & Stone has opened its first distribution center in the United States. Strategically located in Savannah, Ga., the new distribu- tion center will serve as the main shipping hub for domestic custom- ers and primary receiving point for product from overseas, and its Heidi Cronin 110 TileLetter | July 2019