Joint CTDA, NTCA & TCNA Conference -

A Total Success!

Review, Speaker Information, & More!

“I truly saw a spirit of networking to bring key issues into focus and resolve.”  “One of the best conferences that I have attended.” - Total Solutions Plus Attendees

Review

CTDA, NTCA and TCNA have teamed up and created Total Solutions Plus. Total Solutions Plus integrated each association's meetings, provided several educational sessions and networking opportunities, and featured table top exhibits!

With attendance topping the 450 mark, the conference leveraged the best of each association while also eliminating duplicate programs, travel, and expense. In addition, Thursday afternoon's tabletops featured eighty-five (85) manufacturers, distributors and industry allies meeting and networking with counterparts throughout the industry.

Highlights of the schedule included keynote presentations by economist Don Reynolds and producer and historian Michael Uslan.  A variety of break-out sessions featured topics tailored to meet the needs of the tile contractors, distributors and manufacturers in attendance. They included:

• James Dion on Creating a Store.
• The Materials and Methods and Standards Association on Everything You Ever Wanted to KNow about Memberans.
• Jason Bader on Finding the Balance: Managing Inventory in a Tough Economy.
• Stephanie Samulski on the 2011 TCNA Handbook Overview.
• Kevin Burnett on Best Practices for Securing Federal Government Work.
• Pamela Bowe on Learning How to Use B2B/EDI For A Competitive Advantage.
• Larry Mersereau on Growing Your Business in Challenging Times.
• Shauna Causey on Social Media: Get The Results You Want.
• Michael Stone presented the Contractor's Forum: Running a Financially Effective Company.
• Gerald Sloan on Ceramic and Porcelain Tile vs. Stone Tile Installations: Similarities and Differences.
• Fred Jackson on Marketing Green in Today's Over Saturated Green Market.
• Bill Griese on Understanding Tile's Role in Green Building.

In addition to these presentations, CTDA awarded the First Annual CTDA Showroom Design Competition Award to TILEAMERICA. Brian Knies, president of TILEAMERICA accepted the award.  NTCA president John Cox awarded that association’s prestigious Tile Person of the Year honors to Frank Canto of Canto Tile and Stone in Tampa, Florida. Canto is chairman of the NTCA Board of directors; a member of NTCA’s Technical Committee, as well as several other committees, and an NTCA Five Star Contractor and industry-recognized consultant. 

"If attendee response is any indication, Total Solutions Plus was a huge success and worth every hour of planning and preparation," said Tom Carr, CTDA president and president of Pan American Ceramics, Inc. "Many people have already told me they will be back next year." In fact, more than 98% of respondents to a post-conference survey said they would be back in 2011!

Thank you for those who attended the conference and making it a huge success! We hope to see you again at next year's Total Solutions Plus!

Plans are already underway for Total Solutions Plus 2011 which is scheduled for November 7-11th at the Sheraton Wild Horse Pass Resort & Spa in Phoenix, Arizona.

Lastly, thanks again to our 2010 Total Solutions Plus sponsors, without whom the conference would not have been possible!

Photos

Partners in Progress Total Solutions Plus is brought to you by the Ceramic Tile Distributors Association, the National Tile Contractors Association, and the Tile Council of North America. To learn more about these organizations, click on their logo to the right.