b'you can use to not only put inside yourindustry and his contributions in technol-home but outside your home as well. ogy made a direct impact on our market After working on other thin concretegrowth. Ted will be sorely missed.applications, Clear formed the T. ClearClear was inducted into the Ceramic Corporation, which produced buildingTileDistributionAssociation(CTDA) products that are energy efficient. ThisHall of Fame in 2000. The award rec-company was named after Clear muchognizes outstanding CTDA and industry against his objections. He didnt wantleaders. the company named after him. But heBeyond his work in the industry, Clear lettheemployeesnameitandthatsenjoyed flying airplanes, hunting, fish-what they named it, Schaffer said. ing, and collecting Model A vehicles. When it came to his employees, ClearHe helped to start Duck Unlimited and made it a point to know the people whoPheasantsForeverinSouthernOhio. worked for him. He had an open-doorHe was involved in many quiet philan-policy and invited anyone to come talkthropicendeavors,alwaysgivingback to him about anything. He also walkedto his church/faith, community, industry the plants daily, making sure to knowand his natural environment. His com-more than just his employees names;panyoftendonatedmaterialsformis-he also knew about their spouses, chil- sioneffortsoverseasandtohurricane dren and circumstances. In the rise ofrelief efforts in Haiti. companybenefits,healsostrivedtoWhenaskedaboutClearslegacy, offer his employees the best benefits theAlbonetti quickly said he thought Clear company could afford. changedthetilebusinesssinger,he WhileatTSP,Schaffertalkedtosaid. The songs are songs are still there; manypeopleaboutherfatherandthe movies are still there. Ted will always theirmemoriesofhim.Oneofthebetherebecauseeventhoughbacker common themes she heard was howboardischangingtherewouldntbe great and fun he was. a foam boardif there hadnt been a NTCA Executive Director Bart BettigaWonderboard.remembers Clear and his wife as beingSchafferagreed,adding,Mydads fixturesintheindustry,activeatmanylegacy is the love and passion for his industryevents.HealsosaidFin-Pansindustry and his family.creative sponsorships of industry events opened the door for many other small- Clear was also er companies to do the same. I haveremembered known Ted Clear for more than 30 years,for his suspend-andspentmanywonderfultimeswithers. He had him in both CTDA and NTCA conferenc- dozens that he had col-es and trade shows, Bettiga said. Tedslected from all company, Fin-Pan, was a longtime sup- over the world porter of the NTCA and was supportivewhile traveling of our training and education programs,with his wife. and numerous times even hosted eventsI think most people remem-at their facility as well as their distribu- ber Ted for his suspenders, said Mark tor customers. Ted was a pioneer in ourAlbonetti. That was his trademark.TileLetter | December 2019109'