There are lots of great articles in this midsummer issue of TileLetter, from our cover case study by Merkrete of the renovation of the Naples Fire-Rescue Station, to the timeline by Schluter’s Dale Kempster about uncoupling meth- ods making it into the TCNA Handbook and upcoming uncou- pling standard, to Donato Grosser’s exploration of the industry from an independent distributor point of view, to the happy tale about NTCA Five-Star Contractor Rod Owen’s involvement in the com- munity and how bringing informa- tion about the tile trade to high schools has paid off in terms of his own hires. Not to be missed is the Member Spotlight on Carl “The Flash” Leonard, NTCA Education and Curriculum Director Becky Serbin’s piece on the value of NTCA’s Regional Training Events and the preview of our next big industry event – just three months away – Total Solutions Plus, this year scheduled for Nashville, Tenn. But I also want to highlight a couple of especially compelling pieces that are on the pulse of what is happening in our indus- try right now. One is our news blurb about the May 23, 2019 Department of Labor acceptance of the NTCA National Guidelines for Apprenticeship. This is a huge step forward for our industry (with hats off to the tireless efforts of Becky Serbin in bringing this to fruition). The NTCA Apprenticeship EDITOR’S LETTER Lesley A. Goddin “There is an apprenticeship system in jazz. You teach the young ones. So even if the musicians weren’t personally that likable, they felt an obligation to help the younger musicians.” – Dave Van Ronk e-Learning Program Industry and product information in short, easy segments Train from the comfort of your home or office anytime Fast and easy to access, listen to, and complete A-8748-0519 ©2019 LATICRETE International, Inc. All trademarks shown are the intellectual properties of their respective owners. Register today at laticrete.com/university 16 TileLetter | July 2019