Industry News - Floor Covering Installer

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Tom Cosky has been named director of operations for Vitromex USA. A 30-year veteran of the industry, Cosky took his family business, Alpha Tile, and grew it into a highly regarded regional distributor. He also led the turnaround of Master Tile, where he grew the company into one of the top five tile & stone distributors in the United States. As president of the Central division and later as CEO he oversaw the operation of more than 30 stores nationwide.

Tile Partners for Humanity selects Ed Metcalf as “Tile Partner of the Year”

Ed Metcalf, President of LATICRETE North America, has been selected by Tile Partners for Humanity as the recipient of its first annual Tile Partner of the Year Award. With unanimous approval from the TPFH board of directors, Metcalf was recognized for his continued support of the mission of Habitat for Humanity, and for spearheading a company-wide commitment from LATICRETE, including not just product donation, but hours and hours of labor and technical support to the cause. In addition, Metcalf was selected to be the inaugural winner of the award for his creative thinking after Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans and the Gulf Coast, as a whole. Through the Gulf Coast Relief Project, Metcalf helped raise thousands of dollars that went directly to the TPFH and Habitat for Humanity to help tile more than 400 new homes.

NWFA Holds 2009 Convention in Long Beach The NWFA’s 2009 Wood Flooring Expo and Education Conference was held April 26 - May 1 in Long Beach, CA. The show attracted 2,438 attendees from throughout the world, with 238 companies filling 434 exhibit booths.

	LATICRETE sponsors driver in “green” racing series LATICRETE will sponsor the race car of Taylor Broekemeier for five out of his 10 races this season in the Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup Series, the world’s first racing series designed to be “green.”

	ProSpec donates tile installation products for St. Jude’s Dream Home ProSpec recently donated tile installation materials for the construction of the 2009 St. Jude Dream Home in Springfield, MO.

NALFA Installer Certification School offers West coast classes The North American Laminate Flooring Association (NALFA) now offers classes on the West coast as part of the NALFA Installer Certification School. Classes will be held in City of Industry, Calif. on June 30 and July 1, 2009.

	CFI returns to Kansas City for 16th Convention The International Certified Floorcovering Installers Association (CFI) will hold its 16th Convention August 20-22 at the Kansas City Airport Expo Convention Center in Kansas City, MO.

Dave Gobis honored with Cornerstone Award

Dave Gobis, former executive director of the Ceramic Tile Education Foundation (CTEF) and columnist for Floor Covering Installer and its sister publications TILE Magazine and National Floor Trends, was honored with the Joe A. Tarver Cornerstone Award at Coverings 2009. The award, which honors members for their service to the ceramic tile industry, was presented by Bart Bettiga, executive director of the National Tile Contractors Association (NTCA). When accepting the award, Gobis thanked the NTCA and stressed the importance of better training for installers.