of 15-20% per year since 2014. Commercial construction, hospi- tality and remodeling are abun- dant; sales are surging in Houston due to remodeling after hurricanes. Southwest – New construc- tion in residential, hospitality and restaurants is contributing to 20-30% boom conditions in parts of Arizona, especially in Phoenix. Utah is seeing sales rise 7-20% due to rise in multi-unit residen- tial projects, mid-to-high-end resi- dential and commercial construc- tion. 2018 sales are up in Nevada 10-20% due to new construc- tion and residential remodeling, though LVT is impacting tile sales as builders embrace LVT. Colorado is reporting sales increases across the board, especially in the Denver area and suburbs where high-end residential construction and new commercial construction are going strong. In New Mexico, one dis- tributor reported 10% sales gains last year due to mid-to-high-end residential construction and new retail and hospitality construction; another distributor said he was impacted by loss of government money in the region. New con- struction is strong for healthcare projects. California – The Golden State has enjoyed steady growth from 2010 to 2018, though the rate has slowed in the last six months. Bright spots are growing sales in tile slabs, large importers selling to tract housing developers and small and medium distributors supplying remodeling efforts. The interest in low-cost Chinese tile is being felt in this state. Midwest – After sales bottomed out in 2008-2009, Ohio distribu- tors saw sales surge up to 20% 2013-2016, mostly for residential remodeling. Last year sales were BUSINESS TIP ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– 42 TileLetter | July 2019