In 2020, we started a new digital column on TileLetter.com called Contractor Perspective. The idea was to give contractors a place to share their experiences of working (or not) during the pandemic, how they were structuring their routines to keep themselves and their customers safe and what frustrations, fears and struggles they were dealing with – economic, practical, physical and mental.
When that crisis waned, we ceased publication of that column.
But the current economic climate presents a new range of challenges to our industry, with conditions that seem to change day to day, or hour to hour.
So, it’s time again to give you a place to share your thoughts, experiences and strategies for weathering the current conditions in a new occasional digital feature called Industry Perspective. And as serendipity would have it, Ron Nash, COO and President of LATICRETE North America, recently posted this inspiring and candid message to his Facebook page, and gave us permission to share it here. It calls the industry to unity across borders and reinvigorates our imagination with the determination of what can be accomplished when we join together to create solutions. And it’s the perfect opener for this column:
OK – someone needs to say it.
Good friends and fellow doers and makers of things.
I’ve traveled quite a bit over the last 21 years.
More than I ever thought I would have as a boy from Southern Ohio.
I’ve been blessed to travel all 50 U.S. states and every Canadian province—from the rugged coasts of Newfoundland to the vast plains of Montana, from British Columbia’s forests to Texas highways. I’ve sipped coffee with workers in Nova Scotia and marveled at the stone quarries of Vermont. I love these lands, their people, their spirit. And I know you do, too.
I have many friends and loved ones in our lands.
But today, a trade war is pulling us apart. Canada is our neighbor and our partner, yet we’re slapping 25% tariffs on their goods, and they’re hitting back on over $107 billion of ours.
To our leaders, I say – do better. Lead better faster.
Now to you, my friends:
For companies like LATICRETE, higher raw materials costs, tangled supply chains, and strained partnerships across the border are a reality. You feel it, too—prices creeping up, delays, projects stalled. It’s not just numbers; families are separated, friendships tested, and futures clouded.
I don’t know about politics. I’m a Citizen—a Subject to the Law. I know my place. I’m not going to tell you how to think.
But hear this – If I’ve learned anything in my travels, I’ve learned this – We’re stronger together — our history proves it. One continent bound by incredible stories. Think of the roads we’ve paved, the buildings we’ve raised, the homes we’ve tiled — side by side. I’ve seen American stone in Canadian cathedrals and Canadian steel in U.S. skyscrapers. But divisive politics—and yes, threats like China and Russia eyeing our Arctic — push us down. It’s time for us, the doers, the makers, to lead.
Picture this one small example: Canada’s got a shipbuilding legacy — icebreakers that once ruled the Arctic. We’ve got the steel, the tech, the grit. What if we partnered with our industry to build 20 icebreakers? Their yards hum again, our plants supply the materials, and we secure the North from intrusion together — jobs flow — construction jobs, manufacturing jobs, good jobs. Costs drop as Canada eases tariffs on our cement and aggregates, shrinking that $50 billion surplus — trust rebuilds. Projects move.
This isn’t a pipe dream—it’s what we do. At LATICRETE, we’ve innovated across borders for decades. You have to. We don’t need Washington or Ottawa to handshake for us. We can start the talks from industry to industry. Push for tariff relief — pitch joint ventures. Show the world what North America builds when we’re united.
So, who here hasn’t felt the sting of these tariffs? Who doesn’t want more straightforward trade and stronger ties? We’ve built this continent together — roads, rails, dreams. When politics pulls us apart, we — the makers — must stitch it back. I’ve walked our lands, met our people, and believe in us.
Let’s lead, not divide. For our families, our friendships, our future—together.
If you’ve read this far, thank you for listening to me.
I needed to get that off my chest.
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Please consider this first installment in Industry Perspective as an open invitation to share your perspective, your outlook, your concerns and how you are preparing to address them.
This is not a column about politics — it’s about how we as an industry – in every sector — supplier, manufacturer, distributor, seller, designer, artist, artisan, installer, setter, contractor, importer/exporter — are positioning ourselves to weather the turbulent economic realities we face. These are just a few of the questions you may consider sharing your thoughts on:
- How have tariffs affected your business? Do you expect them to?
- How are you addressing or preparing for the impact of economic changes?
- What adjustments are you making to marketing, pricing, staffing, sourcing materials?
- How are you maintaining mental fitness through this time of upheaval?
Want to participate? Send your thoughts in a Word or Google Doc to [email protected]. Please limit them to a maximum of 1000 words. And include your head shot or selfie.
This is a place for you to reach out with your thoughts and ideas to connect to others in this industry and strengthen the community we all share. I look forward to hearing from you. And our readers will too.
Lesley Goddin has been writing and journaling since her first diary at age 11. Her journey has taken her through a career in publishing and publicity, landing her the editor position of TileLetter and its special publications in 2006. Her goal is to educate, inspire, recognize and encourage those in the tile industry -- especially the tile and stone contractor.
