b'NTCA FIVE-STAR SPOTLIGHTplaceonWednesday,OctoberContractor Program28th, after TSP. A full day of busi- Thisyear,youwillseesignifi-nesseducationisplannedwithcantchangestotheNTCAFive-aspeaker,andtimeforprogramStar Contractor Program. The most sponsorsandNTCAFive-Starnotablechangeisinmembership Contractorstocometogethertorequirements.Wehavebegun talk about how we can best helpacceptingapplicationsfromnon-each other and the industry. NTCA members into the program. I am excited to say that the NTCA Specifications and NTCA Five- Five-StarContractorProgramhas Star Contractors become a recognized asset to the Fromdayone,specificationsindustry. Because of this, I, along havebeenafocusfortheNTCAwithNTCAleadership,feelthe Five-Stargroupsincetheyareprogram will have an even bigger keytothequalifiedlaborcycle.impact if it is open to both NTCA The introduction of qualified labormembers and non-members. Non-language into Masterspec/ARCOMmemberswillbesubjecttothe was the first major hurdle. Then insametermsandconditionsas 2019,theNTCAwasabletogetmembers,butthereisaseparate thelanguageintoBSDSpecLinkfee structure. aswell.ThisnewplatformhasA final change we are making is seensteadyorganicgrowthawe are working to have the appli-step in the right direction to helpcation process reviewed by a third give projects a resource to findingpartyforgroupinclusionrecom-qualified labor in its many forms.mendations. We feel these changes Whenarchitects/designersandwillenhancethegroupandour ownersrepresentativesincludefocus as an association to improve qualified labor language, they areour industry. signaling that they value the craft- TheNTCAFive-StarContractor manship that trained labor brings.group has one clear intention: Do It shows they do not see our tradewhatisbestforthetileindustry. simply as a commodity. NTCA is committed to keeping this Thatcraftsmanshiprecognitionfocus when working on programs iswhyasacommunityweneedfor members, with the goal of con-toembracethecertificationpro- tinuingtobringvaluetothemin cess on all levels: at the Certifiedmany forms.TileInstaller(CTI)levelandtheTolearnmoreabouttheNTCA AdvancedCertificationsforTileFive-Starcontractorprogram, Installers(ACT)level.Theabilitypleasevisitthewebsiteathttp://to demonstrate and quantify basicbit.ly/FiveStarMembers.Ifyouare andadvancedskillselevatestheinterested in becoming a Certified trade for all involved. Tile Installer, visit CTEF website at: ChangestotheNTCAFive-Starhttp://bit.ly/BecomeaCTI.66 TileLetter | April 2020'