James Woelfel, vice president of Artcraft Granite, Marble and Tile of Mesa, Ariz., has been elected president by the National Tile Contractors Association's (NTCA) membership. Woelfel will serve a two-year term which will run until November 2016. He succeeds outgoing president Dan Welch, president of Welch Tile & Marble in Michigan, who becomes chairman of the board for the NTCA.

Woelfel stated, “I am honored to become the next president of the NTCA. It is humbling for me to become the first son of a former president of our association's history. My father, Butch Woelfel, served in this capacity from 1985-1987. In my tenure, I hope to raise the awareness of our association to even stronger international recognition, as we continue to play a leading role in the development of installation standards for tile and stone installations. We want to celebrate our past and embrace the future of a global tile industry."

James Woelfel is the current NTCA Technical Committee Chairman, a member of the TCNA Handbook Committee and the ANSI A108 Committee. In 2011, Woelfel was the recipient of the NTCA Tile Person of the Year award.

The NTCA board of directors is elected by members at its annual meeting. It is comprised of the executive officers of the association, representatives of 12 geographic regions, and allied members from distribution and tile and installation material manufacturers. Terms for the board of directors are for two years. 

Executive officers also include: 

·         Bart Bettiga:Executive director and chairman of convention planning and finance committee. Bettiga is also on the Coverings board of governors and is the executive director of the Ceramic Tile Education Foundation.

·         Jim Olson:Assistant executive director.

·         Martin Howard:First vice president.

·         Chris Walker:Second vice president.

·         Nyle Wadford:Executive officer and past president.

·         John Cox: Executive officer and past president.

Walker is the newest addition to the executive committee. Along with his role as second vice president he will continue to serve on the ANSI A108 Committee and as chairman of the NTCA methods and standards committee.

“This executive team is comprised of some of the most successful tile contractors and leaders in our industry,” Bettiga stated. “They represent both commercial and residential contractors, participate in every single important standards committee in our trade, and they have dedicated many years to the growth of our association. Their support of the direction and efforts of our staff has been instrumental in the incredible growth NTCA has experienced the past several years. Our future is secure under their leadership and guidance.”

Pictured: James Woelfel.