Coverings 2024 sets active 2024 agenda in Atlanta; new ISFA fabricator program starts next month in Charlotte, N.C.; KBIS draws 41,500 to Las Vegas in 2024; more.
00:19 Intro
00:34 Coverings 2024 Offers Education in Atlanta
04:35 A Word from Quantra
05:39 ISFA Revamps Fabricator Meet In April
08:07 KBIS Draws 41,000 in Las Vegas in February
09:59 NTCA Porcelain-Panel Training in March
11:18 Flooring Sustainablity Summit Speakers
13:17 Gee Joins GI Stone
14:13 Gaines New CFO at Louisville Tile
15:11 Crowder New NTCA Membership. Five-Star Director
16:01 Outro
Radio Stone Update is underwritten by Quantra.
Radio Stone Update is presented on the first and third Wednesdays every month at 9 a.m. everywhere on Earth with the latest news and insights in hard surfaces. Check our archives at www.radiostoneupdate.com.
Coverings 2024 sets active 2024 agenda in Atlanta; new ISFA fabricator program starts next month in Charlotte, N.C.; KBIS draws 41,500 to Las Vegas in 2024; more.
00:19 Intro
00:34 Coverings 2024 Offers Education in Atlanta
04:35 A Word from Quantra
05:39 ISFA Revamps Fabricator Meet In April
08:07 KBIS Draws 41,000 in Las Vegas in February
09:59 NTCA Porcelain-Panel Training in March
11:18 Flooring Sustainablity Summit Speakers
13:17 Gee Joins GI Stone
14:13 Gaines New CFO at Louisville Tile
15:11 Crowder New NTCA Membership. Five-Star Director
16:01 Outro
Radio Stone Update is underwritten by Quantra.
Radio Stone Update is presented on the first and third Wednesdays every month at 9 a.m. everywhere on Earth with the latest news and insights in hard surfaces. Check our archives at www.radiostoneupdate.com.
Hi, I’m K. Schipper with the latest in hard surfaces industry news from Radio Stone Update.
0:34
When Coverings 2024 opens its doors at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta April 22-25, attendees will find a comprehensive roster of both popular and new onsite activities.
More than 25,000 international attendees are expected for the show, which focuses on ceramic tile, natural stone, and equipment and product trends from around the world. As part of that, attendees will be able to explore global pavilions hosted by leading tile associations and product manufacturers from 40 countries.
Headlining Coverings 2024’s new show floor will be the Outdoor Oasis, which replaces the Coverings Lounge of past years. Jenn Heinold, president of Taffy Event Strategies, the show management company for Coverings, says she’s most excited about the Outdoor Oasis.
“We’re constructing a state-of-the-art backyard design -- including a pool -- on the show floor. The Outdoor Oasis will feature ceramic tile and natural stone from Italy, Spain, and North America; it’s one of our biggest and most-intricate installations on the show floor yet.”
The four key tenants of Coverings 2024: Health & Wellness; Sustainability; Outdoor Spaces, and; Timeless Luxury, will be highlighted throughout the show floor. The show will also present a robust schedule of educational sessions across three distinct tracks: Installation & Fabrication; Materials & Trends; and Workforce & Profits. These learning sessions are designed to furnish attendees with business-growth information, insights, techniques, and expertise.
The Stone Fabricators Alliance (SFA) is bringing its popular SFA Cage to Hall C, Booth 6161. This is the place for fabricators and other stone and tile professionals to gather, network and learn new fabrication techniques. The SFA Cage will feature daily demonstrations on a variety of topics, including how to work with and fabricate gauged porcelain panels, a product that continues to grow in popularity.
The Fabricator Stage is returning for its second appearance at Coverings, supplying another year of insights from experts in the stone and fabrication industry through short and engaging presentations and demonstrations.
This program is offered in collaboration with three partners of Coverings 2024: the International Surface Fabricators Association (ISFA); the Natural Stone Institute (NSI), and; the Rockheads Group. Sessions aim to equip attendees with essential insights and advanced concepts necessary for growing their businesses and successfully executing upcoming projects.
The Installation Innovation Stage will showcase live demonstrations for attendees to see exactly how to install a wide variety of new products and learn techniques to make tile and stone installations more successful. Demonstrations will be provided by both the National Tile Contractors Association staff and Tile Council of North America members.
The Trends & Solutions Stage will feature exhibitors and Industry professionals highlighting everything at the forefront of the tile and stone marketplace. New this year is the Galvanize Women’s Lounge which will offer a space for attendees to connect, celebrate and be inspired by like-minded women and industry peers.
The Outdoor Oasis will also be the center for the Coverings 2024 Rock Star Awards Ceremony and 10th Anniversary Celebration, which will take place April 22 from 4-5 p.m. Industry professionals can attend Coverings 2024 at no cost. For more information, go to www.Coverings.com
5:39
The International Surface Fabricators Association (ISFA) announces it is revamping its regional events. Formerly known as Industry Roundtables, the two-day regional events are designed for members to find information and create networking opportunities.
The first Fabricator Forum will be held April 10-11 in Charlotte, N.C., and will include expert educational presentations, peer discussions and facility tours. Topics to be covered include silica safety, fabrication techniques and tooling for porcelain and other sintered materials, as well as using artificial intelligence to tap into growth opportunities, employee engagement and other business best practices.
Sponsored by Cosentino, the Charlotte Fabricator Forum kicks off at that company’s showroom. Attendees will tour the facility, which is designed to support, promote, and educate trade professionals by combining exhibition areas, workspaces, and classrooms for continuing education.
The first day’s presentations will be:
· Silica Safety: Know Your OSHA Rights by Joe Sine, a partner at the Cohen Seglias law firm;
· Tooling Best Practices for Porcelain and Dekton, presented by BB Industries CEO Rick Stimac and Vice President of Sales and Marketing Jeff Dykstra;
· Taking Your Business from the Stone Age to the Information Age: How to Leverage Artificial Intelligence with Tom Saddoris of Grand Onyx; and
· Empowering Your People to Become Problem Solvers with Eric Tryon, an entrepreneur and business owner.
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The second day’s activities will take place at two fabrication shops. The first stop will be at The Art of Stone, where a mock OSHA inspection will take place, designed to identify common oversights and maintain compliance. The second tour will take place at Harkey Tile & Stone, a family-owned company serving the area for more than 80 years.
ISFA Fabricator Forums are open to all fabricators, including non-members. Registration starts at $300 and includes programming and meals listed on the agenda. Space is limited so those interested in attending are urged to reserve a spot as soon as possible by visiting. www.ISFAnow.org/fabricator-forums. Additional events are planned for June in San Francisco and September in St. Louis.
8:07
The Kitchen & Bath Industry Show (KBIS) held the most-successful show in its 60-year history, bringing a record number of kitchen-and-bath design professionals to the Las Vegas Convention Center the last week in February.
The show is part of Design & Construction Week® (DCW), the co-location of KBIS and the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB)’s International Builders’ Show® (IBS), which also reported outstanding attendance.
DCW registered 117,000 visitors, of whom 41,500 were registered to KBIS. The show also saw 670 exhibitors, an increase of 30 percent from 2023 numbers. Of those, 260 were new exhibitors, a 40 percent increase. More than 200 international exhibitors participated in the show, a 35 percent increase from last year.
The more than 76,000 builders, remodelers, developers, and other home building professionals also set a milestone at IBS. Attendees came from more than 100 countries and viewed more than 1,800 exhibits. That show also offered more than 120 educational sessions.
Bill Darcy, global president and CEO of NKBA|KBIS, said, “We’re pleased with the feedback from exhibitors that 2024 was a remarkable show filled with learning, networking and business opportunities, and we look forward to building on this momentum in the year ahead.”
This year also marked the 11th anniversary of Design & Construction Week. The two organizations recently announced an agreement to extend the co-location of KBIS and IBS through 2030. Next year’s show will return to Las Vegas Feb. 25-27.
9:59
Trainers from the National Tile Contractors Association (NTCA) will be visiting five different states offering regional training sessions on gauged porcelain tiles and panels (GPTP) during March.
This series of programs aims to equip industry professionals with new skills and knowledge while fostering connections with peers and industry experts. The sessions are free and made possible through the support of sponsors dedicated to elevating the industry through education.
Each session will be presented by NTCA Technical Trainers with extensive experience in tile installation, ensuring that participants receive firsthand knowledge from seasoned professionals.
Topics for the all-day sessions include: GPTP/Slabs Training, which equips attendees to install porcelain panels while teaching new industry standards and methods for installing GPTP.
March dates and locations for these sessions are:
n March 15, Dallas
n March 20, Fort Worth, Texas
n March 22, Colorado Springs, Colorado
n March 27, Tulsa, Oklahoma, and
March 29, Tempe, Arizona
To register, go to www.NTCAtraining.com
11:18
The Flooring Sustainability Summit has announced the list of speakers for its keynote event. The summit is scheduled for July 17-18 in Washington and is the first-of-its kind conference, aimed at facilitating discussion of sustainability and green building practices.
Leading off the event will be:
Alexander Cochran, Chief Advocacy Officer of the American Institute of Architects (AIA). He previously served as an advisor to the federal Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, and more recently worked for the governor of New York.
Cheryl Durst, Executive Vice President and CEO of the International Interior Design Association (IIDA). She oversees the strategic direction of IIDA, which has 15,000 members in 58 countries. She is also a member of the International WELL Building Institute Governance Council.
Peter Templeton, President and CEO, of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). He joined USGBC to direct the launch of the LEED Rating System, which has become the most widely-used and -respected green building program in the world. And
Vicki Worden, President and CEO, of the Green Building Initiative (GBI). At GBI, Worden has spearheaded the creation of a decarbonization rating system for commercial buildings.
Additional speaker information and a preliminary program can be found at www.FlooringSummit.com. Registration is now open and those registering before March 15 will receive a reduced rate.
The Flooring Sustainability Summit is co-hosted by the Tile Council of North America, the Natural Stone Institute, the National Wood Flooring Association, and the North American Laminate Flooring Association.
In other news around the industry….
13:17
Jennifer Gee has joined the staff of GI Stone as director of special projects. Gee, who has worked in the Chicago construction scene for more than two decades, will oversee GI Stone’s institutional projects. GI Stone President Sandya Dandamudi said, “As a female entrepreneur in a male-dominated industry, it’s been rewarding to invite more women to take a seat at the table, especially when, like Gee, they bring so much to said table.”
Gee holds a Master of Project Management from DeVry University’s Keller Graduate School of Management and has worked as a project manager for several Chicago-based firms. She has been with McHugh Construction since 2012. While there she managed a variety of interior renovations, hospitality projects, commercial construction projects and adaptive reuse projects.
14:17
Louisville Tile Distributors Inc., which does business as Louisville Tile, has named Kristine Gaines as the new Chief Financial Officer. Gaines previously served as controller for the materials-solutions company. As CFO, she will oversee financial operations, driving fiscal strategies and providing insightful financial guidance to support the company’s growth and success.
In promoting Gaines, Dub Newell, Louisville Tile’s CEO, praised Gaines’ proven track record of financial acumen, strategic thinking, and collaborative spirit. Gaines is the first women to serve as CFO in Louisville Tile’s almost 70-year history.
Currently Louisville Tile has 16 branches in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Minnesota, Michigan, Ohio, Tennessee, and Wisconsin, and is a leading independent distributor in the Midwest.
15:11
And, the National Tile Contractors Association (NTCA) announces the hiring of Randy Crowder as the new Membership and Five-Star Sales Director. Crowder brings nearly three decades of experience in the tile industry to his new position. Prior to joining NTCA, Crowder served in various roles with Dal-Tile for more than 13 years, culminating in his position as general sales manager for the Mid-South region.
In his new role, Crowder will be based in Nashville, where he will work with tile manufacturers and distributors to expand NTCA’s membership. Crowder said he was excited about his new position. “Together with the NTCA team, I am confident we will make a significant impact in the tile industry,” he said.
16:01
Remember, our electronic newsletter, Slab & Sheet, comes out on alternate Wednesdays. For a transcript of this broadcast, go to www.radiostoneupdate.com. For Radio Stone Update, I’m K. Schipper, and we’ll see you here again soon.