Jackson, Miss.—The NTCA has hired Luis Bautista, owner of Master Tilesetter, LLC in Arlington, Texas, as its newest workshop trainer/presenter. Bautista, originally from Honduras, is a native Spanish speaker, and will present nine NTCA Tile & Stone Workshops in 2017 to Spanish-speaking attendees.
NTCA committed to bringing on a Spanish-language presenter to attract attendees who may not be fluent in English to workshop events. This initiative was galvanized when NTCA took part in the Installation Summit in Dallas over the summer, and the lack of installers was explored.
“At this Summit, one key area identified to help the growth of flooring installers was the Spanish community,” said Jim Olson, NTCA assistant executive director. “As a response, the NTCA translated the Trowel & Error video and the NTCA Reference Manual into Spanish. In 2017, the NTCA will offer Spanish Workshops for the first time.”
NTCA Tile & Stone Workshops provide free opportunities for attendees to stay informed of the latest techniques, developments and systems for tile and stone installations. The Spanish-language workshop schedule is as follows.
- March 14, 2017: Daltile, Anaheim, Calif.
Contact Chi Troung at 714-634-2546 or email chi.truong@daltile.com
- March 15, 2017: Daltile, San Diego, Calf.
Contact Scott Hambor at 858-565-7767 or email scott.hambor@daltile.com
- June 20, 2017: D&B Tile, West Palm Beach, Fla.
Contact Wendy Ready at 561-478-4242 or email wendy@dbtile.com
- June 21, 2017: D&B Tile, Sunrise, Fla.
Contact Martha Alvarez at 954-846-2660 or email marthaalvarez@dbtile.com
- June 22, 2017: D&B Tile, Doral, Fla.
Contact Maddy Diaz at 305-592-9340 or email maddy_diaz@dbtile.com
- Sept. 12, 2017: American Olean/Marazzi, Phoenix, Ariz.
Contact Joe Schipper at 602-253-5551 or email jschipper@marazzitile.com
- Sept. 13, 2017: Daltile, Flagstaff, Ariz.
Contact Shawn Tipton at 928-556-0583 or email shawn.tipton@daltile.com
- Nov. 14, 2017: Daltile, Dallas, Texas
Contact Kevin Foster at 972-728-7034 or email kevin.foster@daltile.com
- Nov. 15, 2017: Daltile, Haltom City, Texas
Contact Scott Routzong at 817-332-4161 or email scott.routzong@daltile.com
In addition, Bautista will present in Spanish during the Coverings 17 conference program at the Orange County Convention Center, April 4-7.
Bautista has owned NTCA-member Master Tilesetter for 20 years, specializing in custom bathrooms and kitchens. He also works in the mission fields in Spanish-speaking countries and will make several trips to Honduras and Guatemala with his wife, Susan, in 2017.
Reach Bautista by calling 817-454-2407 or emailing eljefebautista@sbcglobal.net