Flowood, Miss.—The National Tile Contractors Association (NTCA) recently named Martin Brookes its president for 2021 and 2022 and its 2020 Tile Person of the Year. The announcement was made by Bart Bettiga, executive director of NTCA, at its annual meeting, held virtually on Dec. 3. The award has traditionally been given at the Coverings trade show but was canceled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I am humbled and honored to receive this award and be recognized by my peers in an industry I have been active in for almost 40 years,” Brookes said in the virtual meeting. “It’s a privilege to be so recognized by my colleagues and friends. I am overwhelmed. Thank you.”
Bettiga said Brookes was being recognized for 10 years of work for NTCA behind the scenes, and accepting the role as president is a commitment for another 10 years of service. NTCA presidents move up through the chairs in two-year term increments, from 2nd vice president to 1st vice president to president, and then serve two years as chairman of the board and afterwards as advisory board members.
Brookes has built a resume of achievements and activities that represent commitment and passion for the tile and stone industry. His career began in England in 1978 when he attended the Chesterfield College of Technology, earning a City and Guilds of London Institute diploma in Masonry Construction. Brookes left the United Kingdom for San Francisco in 1994, where he started work for a masonry company as superintendent and, in 1997, obtained a California State License for Masonry (C29) and Tile (C54).
In 1996, Brookes became a principal at Heritage Marble & Tile, a premiere tile installation company with a focus on detail, in Mill Valley, in the San Francisco Bay area. Brookes is committed to his installers’ training through continuing education and product manufacturer seminars.
Heritage employs Ceramic Tile Education Foundation (CTEF) Certified Tile Installers (CTIs) with Advanced Certifications for Tile Installers (ACT) crew members. The company is a current member of the NTCA Five-Star contractor group of elite tile installation contractors. Heritage Marble & Tile is known throughout the San Francisco Bay area for quality installations and being willing to take on the most challenging projects, the group said.
Brookes is also a recognized industry consultant and currently sits on the NTCA Technical Committee as part of the Methods and Standards Committee and serves on the ANSI A108 Committee. He is a member of the Institute of Inspection, Cleaning & Restoration Certification as an inspector for stone and ceramic tile.
Brookes served as regional director for NTCA from 2012–2015, as well as the NTCA Membership Committee chairperson. He served as stone ceramic inspector chair for the Institute of Inspection Cleaning and Restoration Certification from 2011–2019.