the price for tile? How is this dif- ferent than a highly-qualified trade contractor competing with another installation contractor with a less- er amount of investment in their company’s training, reputation and probable longevity? It’s not that I am unsympathetic to the condition that brought the anti-dumping action; I just think it’s ironic that a possible remedy may be government inter- vention. This is contrary to my way of thinking. Who is this good for? Certainly, there will be benefits on all sides (except perhaps the subsidized man- ufacturer). I do not want to engage in politics, at least not in TileLetter, nor do I claim to be a trade expert. Inexpensive tile from one country or another is not the installation contractor’s most pressing issue. The most challenging issue facing the tile installation community is find- ing and keeping quality staff and training new installation profession- als who are interested in making a living in the trades. This is the most pressing issue we need to address, irrespective of the ultimate outcome of the tariffs and anti-dumping/anti subsidy actions. I see some risk in limiting inex- pensive tile products, either by tariffs or government restriction. Does it help the hard tile market as a category? There is a market and a customer for basic products and installations. Making this more costly may just be an invitation for qualified labor to lose even more projects to poor installers, or per- haps other categories like LVT. I am especially concerned that this will become an excuse to inflate tile pricing in all categories, if manu- facturers think this eliminates the need to stay competitive. That will ultimately push more square foot- age to other surface finish products. There is no need to drive jobs away. In the big picture, forward-think- ing, high-quality manufacturers are seeing this as a long-term – not short burst – opportunity. It feels like they are marketing with a renewed vigor. This is great timing for tile manufacturers who are investing in new facilities or upgrading existing plants in the U.S. Please support the distributors and manufacturers who are investing in our industry and vis- ibly supporting training, education and industry involvement. They are the engine we need to keep feeding. If the tariffs end up helping them, well, that may just be a good thing. For more information on the USITC action, visit https://bit.ly/2VYSs1z or https://www.usitc.gov/press_room/ news_release/2019/er0524ll1103.htm. Chris Walker NTCA President Vice President, David Allen Company Chairman, ANSI A-108 Chairman, US TAG ISO TC-189 Board of Directors ABC-VA Voting Member TCNA Handbook Voting Member NTCA Reference Manual chriswalker@davidallen.com PRESIDENT'S LETTER ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– 24 TileLetter | July 2019