NTCA Lends Support to Tile Partners for Humanity Project

It’s not everyday that you’re able to shake the hand of Nobel Peace Prize Winner and Former President Jimmy Carter in the summer heat of South Georgia, but some members of the ceramic tile industry can make such a claim.

James Mounce and Kurt Weber, both technical representatives with LATICRETE International, Inc., met President Carter in LaGrange, Ga., during the Jimmy Carter Work Project (JCWP) held June 7-13 of this year. They were in town preparing to help install ceramic tile floors in 21 Habitat for Humanity homes built in partnership with the Tile Partners for Humanity (TPFH).

The industry is working to provide ceramic tile, installation materials, tile tools, cleaning products, installation labor, and training on tile installation to Habitat projects around the country. TPFH solicits product, labor and financial donations from industry members. HFHI is a nonprofit Christian housing ministry that works to eliminate substandard housing around the world. TPFH has pledged $1,250,000 in products, labor and financial support to HFHI over five years.

NTCA has partnered with TPFH to solicit donations of installation labor for Habitat builds. Habitat affiliates work in communities around the world, relying largely on the volunteer labor of local residents. While TPFH is working with manufacturers and distributors to solicit products, affiliates are hopeful that local contractors will donate their time to assist with installation of ceramic tile products.

NTCA is asking its members in the Charlotte, NC, area to donate labor to several upcoming builds in that community. NTCA’s Total Solutions 2003 Annual Conference will take place in Charlotte in mid-September, and members are welcome to visit build sites to meet with homeowners and view the Habitat homes. Please contact Bart Bettiga at bart@tile-assn.com to volunteer.

Cheryl Massey, Senior Account Manager in Habitat for Humanity International’s Corporate and Foundation Giving department, said Habitat is thrilled with the tile industry partnership. She encouraged NTCA members and other installation professionals to get involved in builds in their local communities.

“Habitat affiliates are excited about building with tile, but they need installation professionals to donate labor and even train volunteers to install tile. While some affiliates have used tile, many others have said they would love to but are unable to handle or afford installation labor. Ceramic tile products are durable, attractive, easy to clean, and they fit perfectly with our mission to build simple, decent houses that will last a lifetime. Through the TPFH partnership, we hope to be able to provide interested affiliates with tile and installation for as many homes as they can build!”

TPFH is a joint venture of The Tile Doctor (www.thetiledoctor.com), a web site designed to educate consumers and industry professionals about the tile industry, and the Ceramic Tile Institute of America (CTIOA), a non-profit association promoting expanded use of ceramic tile through education. CTIOA Director Gray LaFortune and Assistant Director Paul Wilson are also helping TPFH train homeowners, volunteers and affiliates to install tile at build sites.

TPFH Founder Curt Rapp, CEO of The Tile Doctor, and Co-founder LaFortune created the partnership to unite the industry with a common vision: improving lives through ceramic tile donations to Habitat homes.

“Our goal is to one day be able to provide a platform where, as an industry, we can install tile in every Habitat home in the United States. Doing so benefits our industry, betters our local communities and touches the lives of numerous homeowners and volunteers. Ceramic tile products will last the lifetime of the houses, which is in line with Habitat’s mission to build durable homes that will serve homeowners and their families for years to come,” said Rapp.

LaFortune invited industry members to donate time and materials to the program. “This is a great way for our industry to demonstrate how our people and products can benefit families in our local communities. We believe that tile manufacturers, distributors and contractors across the country can truly make a difference working toward the Habitat goal of eliminating substandard housing.”

Wilson taught Adero Burbridge, a homeowner in Charlotte, NC, to tile her home in June 2003.

“Working with Adero, I learned about the determination and enthusiasm of Habitat homeowners. She not only took a vacation day to learn to tile, but she brought her sons Khalil and Kamau and co-worker Janice to see the work in progress,” he said. “She asked a lot of questions and told me she is ready to work with other Charlotte homeowners when the time comes to tile their homes!”

In January 2003, HFHI Founder and President Millard Fuller told industry members he would like to see tile installed, at a minimum, in the kitchen, bathrooms and entryway of every Habitat home in North America.

The Jimmy Carter Work Project (JCWP) is Habitat’s largest project of the year. Thousands of volunteers traveled to Anniston, Alabama; LaGrange and Valdosta, Georgia, to build a total of 92 homes in seven days. President Carter and his wife Rosalynn joined Fuller and his wife Linda, his co-founder with HFHI, at all three sites, visiting with volunteers and knocking a few nails in the process.

TPFH partners supplied tile flooring for the homes in LaGrange and Valdosta. Donors tiled the kitchen/dining, entry, bathrooms and laundry areas of 21 homes in LaGrange and the entry areas of 26 homes in Valdosta. NTCA members DMI Tile and Marble and several other installation professionals donated two days of labor and labor training in LaGrange. TPFH partner Elite Cement trained volunteers to install tile in Valdosta.
Product donations from Aqua Mix, Inc; Crossville Porcelain Stone/USA (Crossville); Daltile Marietta SSC 195 (Daltile); Elite Cement; LATICRETE International, Inc. (LATICRETE); North American Tile Tool Company (NATTCO), and Steve Hall Flooring made the project possible. Labor donors included CTIOA; Crossville; Custom Building Products; Design Tile, Inc.; DMI Tile and Marble; Elite Cement; LATICRETE; NATTCO; The Tile Doctor; Tools Direct, and T. Rowe Tile.

In LaGrange, Crossville donated 6,000 square feet of 12x12 tiles and Daltile donated 3,000 square feet of both 8x8 and 12x12 tiles. The combination more than supplied the 21 houses with the 220-400 square feet needed to cover the designated areas.

Jim Dougherty, Crossville’s vice president of marketing and business development, said the company’s tile is a great fit for Habitat homes.

“Our tile is 30 percent stronger than granite, refuses to scratch, stain or fade, and cleans with just hot water. Perfect for the famous Georgia red clay in LaGrange! An environmentally-friendly product, it’s also healthy for the families who live in the homes, as it produces no fumes or gases and will not support mold, mildew or bacterial growth.”

Crossville’s Frank Galifianakis, an architectural sales representative in Atlanta, traveled to LaGrange to help install his company’s product.

“It was great to get out of my ordinary routine and work with other volunteers on a project that does such good for the community. The experience of working with others within my industry was exciting. We were able to trade stories, talk about mutual acquaintances and learn about each others’ products,” he said.

SSC Manager of Daltile Marietta Ian Street said his company donated tile both to contribute to the community and to clear excess product from his warehouse. “What a great program this is! We are glad to support it with our tile. We know our product will be put to good use in several Habitat homes.”

LATICRETE, which manufactures installation materials, donated its Crack and Sound Isolation Membrane, LATICRETE 253 Rapid Gold Multi-Purpose Thin-set, and SpectraLock grout for the LaGrange project. LATICRETE chose to use the Rapid thin-set so that installers could set the tile and grout within a couple of hours instead of waiting the traditional 12 hours required with regular thin-set products.

Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing Ed Metcalf traveled with 10 other technical representatives, regional managers and corporate representatives to assist with installation. Calling LATICRETE a socially-conscious company concerned about affordable housing and improved living conditions, he said the HFHI/TPFH partnership benefits the industry.

“HFHI has been doing a tremendous job for almost 30 years, and TPFH offers a great service as an umbrella organization for the ceramic tile industry. LATICRETE was proud to participate in the LaGrange portion of the JCWP. Many of our people put a lot of time and energy into the project, and that effort paid off in the beautiful ceramic tile floors in 21 homes. Our team members contributed two long, hard days and nights of physical labor, but we walked away with a rewarding feeling that our efforts will make a difference in the lives of real families on a daily basis.”

NATTCO and TI Pro, the professional division of the company, supplied 100 buckets filled with tile tools for the project, including trowels, floats, sponges, knee pads, gloves, spacers, tile nippers, tile cutters, and scrub brushes. The company sent tools, wet saws and paddle mixers to both sites in LaGrange and Valdosta.

NATTCO President and CEO Brian Turner said the company likes to be involved with its peers and customers in worthwhile opportunities that are professionally run and organized.

Vice President of Sales Keith Haney enjoyed the experience of installing tile in LaGrange, saying, “I intend to be part of more builds and hope to reach a level of participation of which I can be proud. My goal is to work alongside my kids on a build and help them find the satisfaction that comes from giving of yourself with only a smile as the payoff.”

Aqua Mix, Inc., donated 48 quarts of concentrated tile cleaner to the project as well.

Chip O’Rear of Custom Building Products donated installation labor, saying the industry unity around Habitat for Humanity offered a great opportunity to get involved in local communities.

“The industry has a big heart and it makes perfect sense to create a vehicle through which all associated can contribute. It was very gratifying to ‘give back’. I’m a bit old-fashioned at heart and believe in community togetherness.”

Scott Marshall, Joe Millwood, and B.J. Cooke, all of Design Tile, Inc., in LaGrange, installed tile in three houses while teaching local volunteers to assist with the installation.
“ There’s nothing like the experience of giving of yourself, your skills and your time to be a part of the community rather than set apart,” Marshall said.

DMI Tile and Marble of Birmingham, Alabama, sent a crew of three installers, including one trainer and two apprentices, to install tile in two homes. Director of Training and Safety Gerald Sloan said that students Victor Alvarado and Jesus Contreras honed their skills while working with volunteers from the Georgia Baptist Builders and Linda Harris, the homeowner in House 12.

Sloan praised the opportunity to participate, saying, “The hospitality and good will were wonderful! DMI had an opportunity to give our valuable service of tile installation and in return made many good friends.”

Tim Rowe of Atlanta-based T. Rowe Tile donated two days of labor in LaGrange. Though this was his first participation in a Habitat project, he said he would gladly do it again.

“It’s good to be able to give something back to people in need, especially when they’re in your community. This is a good project that benefits a lot of people.”

In Valdosta, local flooring dealer Steve Hall Flooring supplied all of the tile for the entry areas of the 26 homes. Hall also participated in the build, contributing to the house sponsored by his church, Park Avenue United Methodist Church.

“We care about the community and are always looking for ways to help,” said Hall. “I was thrilled to be asked to donate flooring for the JCWP, which I consider to be a fantastic project.”

Elite Cement of Atlanta supplied all of the thin-set and grout for the Valdosta project, including a fastset thin-set that allowed volunteers to set tile and begin grouting within a couple of hours. Owner Bill Olsen said that donating to Habitat through TPFH benefits both his local company and the industry at large.

“My company not only enjoys the goodwill of donating to a worthy cause, but also benefits from enlightening the public to the use of ceramic tile for projects of all budget sizes. This exposure increases the volume of our industry in general, and installation materials in particular. Our regional presence makes this project of special importance to my company.”

TPFH partners have also supplied tile for houses in Washington, Utah; and Charlotte, North Carolina. For more information on TPFH or to pledge product or financial contributions, contact Executive Director Ally Fertitta at 770-416-0200 or ally@tpfh.com. Visit the TPFH web site at www.tpfh.com for updates on partners and projects or to participate with us!

TileLetter September 2003
This article was reprinted with permission from TileLetter, the official publication of the National Tile Contractors Association. For more information, call (601) 939-2071; (601) 932-6117 fax; www.tile-assn.com.