CTEF Blog - About Tile Education and Installer Certification

Every industry has its associations. What makes the tile industry particularly remarkable is the level of collaboration that takes place between its associations and organizations. The Ceramic Tile Education Foundation (CTEF) is an example of that collaboration, working with all those in the industry who are passionate about quality tile installation.

To give you some perspective on those dynamics, we've put together this updated list detailing each tile industry association. 

We have exciting news to share with you: there's a new member of the CTEF team! Her name is Heidi Cronin and she's been hired as CTEF Industry Liaison and Promotions Director.

This is a newly created role to support the next stage of evolution for CTEF. As Bart Bettiga Executive Director of the National Tile Contractors Association (NTCA) and member of the CTEF Board of Directors says,

"We are pleased to welcome Heidi to CTEF in this newly created position. Given her professional experience and passion for Qualified Labor, we are confident that she will be instrumental in supporting the growth of the Certified Tile Installer (CTI) program alongside Scott Carothers, Director of Certification and Training for CTEF, and shaping the tile and stone industry in the United States."

We caught up with Heidi to ask her a few questions.

As you might imagine, we love celebrating milestones especially when they reflect hard work and appreciation for the importance of installing tile correctly the first time, adhering to tile installation standards and methods, and generally making Qualified Labor meaningful.

Here's a perfect example: Alex Smith who, after not completing the hands-on portion of the Certified Tile Installer program test in 2015, returned, passed and became CTI #1500. That's a milestone from many perspectives.

We caught up with Alex to learn more about him and his love of tile installation.

Have you noticed the new CTEF logo? It's in two different flavors that both prominently feature the words "Qualified Labor, Certification and Tile Industry Recognized."

These words recognize that the CTEF installer certification programs (i.e., CTI and ACT) are tile industry recognized and define a tile installer with those designations as being ‘Qualified Labor.’

Let's explore in more detail.

Thanks to tile industry leaders like Harold Yarborough, President and CEO of D&B Tile Distributors in Florida and member of the CTEF Board of Directors, CTEF is able to bring to life and grow its mission and tile certification: 

Tile industry teamwork is what powers so much of the awareness of quality labor and the importance of tile industry installation standards and best practices.

Not only do  you see it happening within the Top Tile Associations and Organizations, but you see it regularly in action when hands-on Certified Tile Installer (CTI) evaluations take place, starting with the tile companies that host the evaluations.

CTEF owes special thanks to Coverings for its generous and long time support. In fact, that's why you will now notice Coverings listed as an Elite CTEF Sponsor when you explore becoming a CTEF Sponsor.

About Coverings

If you aren't familiar with Coverings, here's perspective on the show and the critical role it plays in the tile industry. 

If you are considering becoming a Certified Tile Installer, your future looks bright!  You see, flooring installers - and particularly quality installers - are in short supply.  In fact, the floor covering industry considers this so critical that it held an Installation Summit focused on installation issues and opportunities, including those relevant to tile.

In this article, Bart Bettiga, National Tile Contractors Association (NTCA) Executive Director and CTEF Board Member, shares highlights from the session.

The Ceramic Tile Education Foundation (CTEF) depends on the support of the entire tile industry - individuals and companies alike - to make quality tile installation possible.

It's a combination of vision and imagining the "what if" possibilities of creating something from scratch, not to mention intense collaboration with people who have the right creative attitude, and who generously contribute time and money.

>> See About CTEF

One such collaborative visionary is Joseph Lundgren of JL Consulting and formerly of Dal-Tile. We caught up with Joe to ask him a few questions.

Welcome to the Ceramic Tile Education Foundation Blog!

In this blog, we will share with you information about what we love to do most: provide education and installer certification for professionals working in the ceramic tile and stone industry so end users will enjoy their tile installations for years to come.