Natural Stone Institute Announces 2020 Stone Education Series
The Natural Stone Institute and sponsor Stone World magazine are pleased to announce the schedule for the 2020 Stone Industry Education Series. Stone Summits will be held in nine cities across the United States.
The nine Stone Summits scheduled for 2020 will cover topics relevant to stone fabricators, including maximizing shop efficiency and profits, using metrics to measure success, understanding OSHA safety regulations, and creating a plan for finding and retaining top talent. 2020 Stone Summits will be facilitated by a team of experienced industry leaders including GK Naquin, Duane Naquin, Tony Malisani, and Eric Tryon.
2020 Stone Industry Education Series:
February 27
Arkansas Stone Summit:
12 Business Axioms
Host: Pacific Shore Stones
Mabelvale, Arkansas
March 12
California Stone Summit: Stone Shop Management
Host: MSI
Orange, California
April 2
Colorado Stone Summit: Know Your Business
Arizona Tile
Denver, Colorado
May 7
Massachusetts Stone Summit: Key Pulse Points for Building a Successful Stone Fabrication Business
Host: Daltile
Westwood, Massachusetts
June 4
New Mexico Stone Summit: Key Pulse Points for Building a Successful Stone Fabrication Business
Host: Arizona Tile
Albuquerque, New Mexico
July 16
Oregon Stone Summit:
Stone Shop Management
Host: MSI
Tualatin, Oregon
September 17
Illinois Stone Summit
Know Your Business
Universal Granite & Marble
Chicago, Illinois
October 8
Alabama Stone Summit:
Stone Shop Management
Triton Stone Group
Birmingham, Alabama
November 5
Texas Stone Summit:
12 Business Axioms
Host: MSI
Austin, Texas
To learn more about each event, visit www.stoneindustryeducation.com .
The Natural Stone Institute is a trade association representing every aspect of the natural stone industry. The current membership exceeds 2,000 members in over 50 nations. The association offers a wide array of technical and training resources, professional development opportunities, regulatory advocacy, and networking events. Two prominent publications—the Dimension Stone Design Manual and Building Stone Magazine—raise awareness within the natural stone industry and in the design community for best practices and uses of natural stone.
Learn more at www.naturalstoneinstitute.org.
Contact: Avia S. Haynes
(469) 939-9384
NTCA sponsors CEFGA CareerExpo
For Immediate Release: The National Tile Contractors Association (NTCA), the world’s largest tile contractor association, is sponsoring the World of Tile Pavilion at the Construction Education Foundation of Georgia (CEFGA) CareerExpo, taking place at the Georgia World Congress Center on March 12-13 in Atlanta, Ga.
CEFGA was founded in 1993 by construction leaders who recognized a need for quality construction skills training in Georgia. The CEFGA CareerExpo links students directly to professionals in the areas of construction, utility contracting, highway contracting, electrical contracting, mechanical contracting, energy, mining and more. The event features hands-on displays that allow students to engage with industry leaders, equipment and materials and tap into their unique skills and interests.
According to Rod Owen, president of NTCA Five-Star Contractor C. C. Owen Tile Company, Inc., the organization held its first career fair in 2005, but the tile trade wasn’t represented until 2008 when Owen asked for a space in the expo.
C. C. Owen Tile, leading tile manufacturer Daltile, and installation materials supplier LATICRETE International will be co-sponsoring the Pavilion with NTCA. Together, the four entities are working to promote the ceramic tile industry as a leading career opportunity to consider for high school age students at the 2020 event.
Owen believes the CareerExpo is a great avenue to display the opportunities that are available in the tile industry, and is planning for an impact far beyond the day of the event. While he knows many students who come to the expo may use it as an excuse to get out of class, he hopes the experience will educate some of the students or their teachers about the opportunities available. “[After attending the expo], there might be that construction teacher that listened and understood the opportunities, and is now back in the classroom counseling students and advising them about their potential in our industry,” Owen said.
NTCA Executive Director Bart Bettiga agreed the event is a good opportunity to expose students to the tile industry. “Helping to recruit the next generation of tile setters is a part of the NTCA mission,” Bettiga explained. “High school students may not know yet what career path they want to take. If they haven’t been exposed to the tile industry, they may not know what a lucrative career it can be and how many options it holds. At events like this, we can show students how they can become our future industry leaders.”
The CEFGA CareerExpo also features the SkillsUSA state championships, a competition in which students showcase their skills in a number of construction-related disciplines. This CareerExpo continues to grow each year and, in 2019, drew a record 8,615 attendees.
NTCA is a non-profit trade association serving every segment of the industry, spearheading education for the professional installation of ceramic tile, natural stone and allied products. For more information, please contact NTCA executive director Bart Bettiga at bart@tile-assn.com,
via telephone at (601) 939-2071, or visit www.tile-assn.com.