ORLANDO, FLA.—The tile and stone industry got a rare glimpse of “the man behind the cubes” when the National Tile Contractors Association (NTCA) honored Dr. Giorgio Squinzi of Mapei with the Joe A. Tarver Cornerstone Award for Lifetime Achievement earlier this year. Mapei is well known for the colorful “cubes” present on all of its packaging which represent the chemicals that bring innovative advances to flooring installation and concrete restoration systems.
A video shown during the award ceremonies traced Squinzi’s involvement in shaping the global face of the tile and stone industry. It highlighted events from the time of his birth into a family that owned a small flooring and coating business in Milan, Italy, to the role he plays today as the owner and CEO of a major global manufacturer of tile and stone installation systems.
In support of standardizing installation practices in the tile and stone industry, since 1989, Squinzi has served as the Convenor of the International Organization of Standards (ISO) Technical Committee TC-67-WG- 3. This committee developed the European norms on tile-setting materials, now transformed into ISO 13007. These standards have recently been adopted by the Tile Council of North America (TCNA) and will appear in its 2010 handbook.
Bart Bettiga, executive director of NTCA, presented the Cornerstone Award to Squinzi with thanks for the continued support and investment he has provided to the tile and stone industry in North America and around the world. In response, Squinzi replied, “I feel very privileged to receive this award from the tile contractors of North America, who play such an important role in our business. They have made me a part of their family, and I hope they will all continue to share our future as a part of the Mapei family.”
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