Tile Pros Take Notice and Notes at Total Solutions Plus 2011

CHANDLER, Ariz – More than 450 leading tile industry professionals took the measure of the industry at the second annual Total Solutions Plus Conference here on Nov. 8-10.

The event, at the Sheraton Wild Horse Pass Resort, included an optimistic viewpoint about the industry’s future, a series of presentations on installation issues, and – on Veterans Day – an inspirational presentation on heroism in today’s battles with terrorism.  

Nationally recognized speaker Dr. Jay Lehr offered an opening keynote presentation on the future of the global economy and the role the ceramic-tile industry will play in it – and that the   future of tile in the United States is extremely positive.  He compared per capita consumption of ceramic tile with other leading countries around the world, and also challenged industry professionals to present a clear and concise message to promote the product.  

Patti Fasan of Professional Attention to Tile Installation (p.a.t.t.i) followed up with strategies that could be implemented to sell the value of tile as a luxury product as a solid investment and design pleasing choice.  Donato Grosser of D. Grosser & Associates shared his channels of distribution and his insights on the U.S. economy and its role in the tile industry.  

Technical presentations (with live demonstrations) included several contributions from the National Tile Contractors Association (NTCA), with Gerald Sloan partnering with Greg Andrews on glass-tile installations, and then with fellow NTCA trainer Michael Whistler on large-format-tile installations.  Sloan also worked with representatives from the Materials, Methods and Standards Association (MMSA) on the evolution of grout technology.  

NTCA member Josh Levinson of Artistic Tile and consultant Gregory Mowat also delivered an incisive program on stone-tile installations.  

The conference culminated a presentation by former Navy SEAL Marcus Luttrell on his life in the military and his experience in Afghanistan. The author of Lone Survivor recounted his survival Afghan wilderness for several days and the loss of several of his fellow SEALs as they died fighting for our country.

Total Solutions Plus is jointly planned and promoted by the NTCA,  Ceramic Tile Distributors Association (CTDA) and the Tile Council of North America (TCNA).

Get all the latest in the industry with The EDGE, the e-newsletter from Stone Update. Free subscriptions are available here.