Throughout the pages of TILE each issue, we continually share information about the importance of proper tile installations. I recently had the opportunity to experience firsthand what it takes to install tile correctly and the consequences if corners are cut.

Recently, we held our media planning meeting to discuss what is in store for TILE in 2018. One of the most exciting developments for next year is the publication of two additional issues — making a total of eight for the year, as compared to six.

While walking through the bustling exhibit hall at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas, NV, during The International Surface Event (TISE), it was evident business is picking up for members of the tile industry.

I was actually surprised that I was able to check into both of my flights remotely, being it was an international trip. But, modern technology made this feat possible. With the click of the camera on my phone, I was able to verify my passport and Chinese visa.

As we begin the New Year, many of us are probably wondering what is instore for us in 2017 — both personally and in our businesses. 

I recently returned from Total Solutions Plus — or TSP as it has come to be known — and I found it interesting that many of the seminars offered were about management and dealing with employees rather than on more technical topics and installation methods.

These days, technology is all around us. It’s few and far between to find someone who doesn’t own a smartphone, tablet or both. And just when you think you have the latest and fastest device, something newer and better floods the market.

I recently returned from Total Solutions Plus (TSP), which was held in Savannah, GA. The annual conference — organized collaboratively by the National Tile Contractors Association (NTCA), the Ceramic Tile Distributors Association (CTDA), the Tile Contractors’ Association (TCNA) and the Tile Contractors’ Association of America (TCAA) — continues to grow each year.