Jacksonville, Fla.—The National Tile Contractors Association (NTCA) declared its 2021 Tile Setter Craftsperson of the Year Award in both the residential and commercial categories.
Gary Fox of Fox Ceramic Tile, St. Marys, Kan., took home the commercial tile setter award; Jay Cerda of Cox Tile, San Antonio, Texas, was the winner in the residential category.
Fox entered the trade at 14, launched his career after graduation and was already running his own commercial projects in his early 20s. Cerda got his start in the tile industry right out of high school at Cox Tile, where he transitioned from helper to apprentice to setter, all the way up to Master Tile Setter. Both winners are affiliated with NTCA Five-Star contractor member companies.
Winners receive round-trip airfare and hotel accommodations for two to Coverings 2022, scheduled to take place at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas next April. They will be officially recognized during the NTCA annual meeting at Total Solutions Plus, scheduled to take place in Jacksonville in October.
Judges included Matt Blood of Paragon Tile and Shannon Huffstickler, Schluter Systems (residential); commercial judges were Adam Abell of Bostik and Kent Klaser, Klaser Consulting.
