JACKSON, Miss. – Total Solutions Plus – the first joint meeting between three tile-industry associations – proved to be enough of a hit this year to earn a repeat in 2011.

After the initial meeting in Naples, Fla., on Nov. 1-6, the three groups – the National Tile Contractors Association (NTCA), the Ceramic Tile Distributors Association (CTDA) and the Tile Council of North America (TCNA) – announced plans for a Total Solutions Plus next November in Arizona.

This year's Total Solutions Plus gained high attendance, and also leveraged the best of each association while also eliminating duplicate programs, travel and expense. A number of attendees simply described the event as “one of the best conferences that we have attended.”

A post-conference evaluation program, it was evident that attendees found the format with CTDA, NTCA and TCNA was outstanding and something to build on in the future.

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, including:

• NTCA’s Gerald Sloan on Ceramic and Porcelain Tile vs. Stone Tile Installations: Similarities and Differences;

• The Materials and Methods and Standards Association on membranes;

• TCNA’s Stephanie Samulski on the 2011 TCNA Handbook;

• Michael Stone and the Contractor's Forum: Running a Financially Effective Company;

• Fred Jackson on Marketing Green in Today's Over Saturated Green Market; and
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• Bill Griese on Understanding Tile's Role in Green Building

Tabletops featured eighty-five (85) manufacturers, distributors and industry allies meeting and networking with key contacts throughout the industry.