Orlando, Fla.—Bradford Denny has joined the Ceramic Tile Education Foundation (CTEF) as executive director, effective Nov. 1, 2021.
Most recently, Denny was vice president of Nichols Tile and Terrazzo, a family-owned tile contractor business in Nashville, Tenn. He has a proven track record of success as a contractor and leader in the National Tile Contractors Association (NTCA), having served as a board member of NTCA. He became a certified tile installer in January 2016.
In 2021, Denny received the NTCA Tile Person of the Year Award for his volunteerism. According to CTEF, he is passionate about the tile industry, the importance of proper tile installation methods and standards and serves as a respected mentor in the installation community.
Denny takes on the role that Bart Bettiga, executive director of NTCA and member of the CTEF board of directors, has played on an interim basis. “It is time the foundation has dedicated leadership to take CTEF to a new level utilizing all the tools put in place in the past few years,” Bettiga said. “We are excited to have found the individual we are confident will make that happen.”
As CTEF executive director, Denny will manage CTEF from his home office in Nashville. According to the company, he will be in regular contact with CTEF volunteers, board members and CTEF Staff. Scott Carothers, CTEF director of certification and training, will mentor him as he grows the program and trains evaluators while continuing to lead educational and training classes and programs offered by the foundation.
“I am honored to join CTEF as executive director and excited about getting the word out about CTEF programs so we can significantly grow the community of certified installers who respect tile installation methods and standards, and enthusiastically promote them with customers and specifiers,” Denny said.
Bettiga said the most significant threat to the growth of the tile industry is the lack of qualified and trained tile installers. “The success of the CTI and ACT certification programs, as well as the training courses offered by the CTEF, is a vital component to solving this problem,” Bettiga said. “Having a leader like Brad Denny on board is a significant step in building on the mission of CTEF. Please join us in welcoming Brad to CTEF as executive director.”