Deerfield Beach, Fla.–Mapei and the National Tile Contractors Association (NTCA) have announced an exclusive partnership to assist the Gary Sinise Foundation’s R.I.S.E. (Restoring Independence and Supporting Empowerment) program. Mapei and the NTCA will provide tile and tile installation systems where needed in the construction of specially adapted custom smart homes that the Gary Sinise Foundation has committed to building for severely wounded veterans.
The R.I.S.E. program was first brought to the attention of the construction industry by the National Wood Flooring Foundation (NWFA) as part of the “Play it Forward” theme for its 2015 NWFA expo. The NTCA, under the leadership of executive director Bart Bettiga, discussed the program with NWFA colleagues and arranged for the NTCA to provide the tiling needs for flooring and wall coverings, particularly in kitchens and bathrooms.
According to Mapei, it partnered with the NWFA earlier in 2015 after attending the 2015 NWFA expo. Under the direction of Jeff Johnson, Mapei’s business manager for Floor Covering Installation Systems, Mapei also reached out to Bettiga of the NTCA, offering to provide all of the needed installation materials for the R.I.S.E. smart homes.
“The NWFA started the ball rolling on a meaningful contribution our industry associations can make to the health and independence of our returning veterans who have been severely injured,” Bettiga said. “The NTCA, with contributions of tile from various tile manufacturers and installation materials from Mapei, is proud to strengthen this contribution as a way of telling our veterans how proud we are of them.”