THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE NATIONAL TILE CONTRACTORS ASSOCIATION BART A. BETTIGA, publisher bart@tile-assn.com LESLEY A. GODDIN, editor lesley@tile-assn.com MICHELLE CHAPMAN, art director advertising sales michelle@tile-assn.com MARY SHAW-OLSON, advertising sales mary@tile-assn.com Mailing Address: P.O. Box 13629 Jackson, MS 39236 U.S.A. Shipping Address: 626 Lakeland East Drive Jackson, MS 39232 Tel: 601-939-2071 Fax: 601-932-6117 Website: www.tileletter.com www.tile-assn.com Columns 6 Welcome New Members 10 NTCA Workshops 11 NTCA Regional Programs 16 Editor’s letter 22 President’s letter 28 Ask the Experts: Sponsored by LATICRETE International, Inc. 34 Business Tip: The changing market for ceramic tile in the USA . Sponsored by MAPEI Corporation 68 NTCA Member Spotlight: Cutting Edge Tile meets client needs in a "Flash!" Sponsored by Custom Building Products 90 Tech Talk: Uncoupling membranes methods and standards: a timeline By Dale Kempster, Director of International Technical Network of North America, Schluter Systems LLC Sponsored by ARDEX Americas 104 NTCA University Update: Regional Training events – one of NTCA's best member benefits By Becky Serbin, NTCA Education and Curriculum Director 108 NTCA Benefits Box: NTCA Safety Program 110 News Briefs 116 Products Briefs 120 Advertiser Index The National Tile Contractors Association, Inc. is an equal opportunity association and seeks to include qualified individuals and businesses in all phases of its activities. The National Tile Contractors Association, Inc. does not discrimi- nate on the basis of race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, veteran status, or disability. The National Tile Contractors Association, Inc. seeks opportunities to include these groups in its programs and activities. TileLetter is a free subscription to the tile, stone and allied products industries. To subscribe, visit www.tileletter.com -> click on Advertisers & Subscribers -> click on Subscribe. To make address changes or unsubscribe, please send an email to: webmaster@tile-assn.com. TILELETTER EDITORIAL POLICY: TileLetter is the official publication of the National Tile Contractors Association, Inc. (NTCA). TileLetter provides a medium for expressing views and opinions without approving, disapproving, or guaranteeing the validity or accuracy of any data, claim or opinion appearing under a byline, or obtained or quoted from an acknowledged source. Statements of fact and opinion are made on the responsibility of the authors alone, and do not imply an opinion or reflect the official position of NTCA. NTCA would not be possible with- out the dedicated service of our board and committee members, and regional and state directors. Meet these dedicated volunteers by visit- ing www.tile-assn.com and clicking on About Us. You can also find infor- mation and a continually updated list of NTCA Five-Star Contractors at www.tile-assn.com – click on Find a Tile Contractor or Consultant. 4 TileLetter | July 2019