The National Tile Contractors Association (NTCA), the largest tile contractors association in the world, held its most successful Total Solutions conference to-date despite the recent economic downturn at the sparkling new Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center at National Harbor on the Potomac River on September 18-20, 2008. Attendance at this year’s conference increased 29 percent over last year and boasted a remarkable 68 percent increase over the 2006 total, with 463 tile contactors, architects, distributors and industry leaders on-hand for business, marketing and technical sessions led by top industry professionals.

Pictured above-right, Frank Canto, the owner of Canto Tile & Stone in Riverview, Florida, and a long-time ambassador for the tile and stone industry, passes over the mic and the title of NTCA president to John Cox, president of Cox Tile in San Antonio, Texas.

Also on Friday night at the NTCA’s annual awards banquet, NTCA executive director Bart Bettiga presented the Tile Person of the Year award to contractor Tommy Cox of Memphis Tile and Marble in Tennessee. Ring of Honor winners included Leigh Hightower of Texas Cement Products in Houston and Paul Sherba of Youngstown Tile & Terrazzo in Canfield, Ohio. Best Practice awards went to Ally Fertitta Venugopal, executive director of Tile Partners for Humanity, for work done garnering ceramic Tile for Habitat homes, and Phil Halcomb, vice president of David Allen Co., for his work on the company's 14th annual golf tournament benefitting the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

NTCA is a non-profit trade association serving every segment of the industry, spearheading education for the professional installation of ceramic tile and allied products. For more information, please contact NTCA membership director Bob Brown at bob@tile-assn.com, via telephone at (601) 939-2071, or visit www.tile-assn.com.