From the President

As I finish the first six months of my term as NKBA Manhattan Chapter President, I wish to thank each and every one of you for making it a success. Our newsletter subscription continues to grow as do our membership and Chapter sponsorships.

I am privileged to head up a great group of committed volunteers as they continue to plan great programming, networking, parties, vendor excursions, and new ways to keep our finger on the pulse of the industry, for you, our readers, members, and sponsors. 2018 is an exciting year for the NKBA. KBIS 2018 introduced the Global Launch Pad, a year-round initiative driven by the NKBA, and began a dialogue between international brands and designers looking to engage with the U.S. market, and connect North American brands and designers to the global marketplace.

Our NKBA National leadership has just returned from Kitchen Bath China in Shanghai, continuing this global initiative and living to up the website mission statement: The NKBA is the world's leading trade association for the kitchen and bath industry providing tools, research, certification, and events to thousands of professionals.

Thinking global is a reality. In April, Dawn DeLuca, Programs Chair, and I attended an NKBA party at Eurocucina in Milan, Italy, and were able to further the NKBA Manhattan sphere of influence. I was invited to the Cevisama, the international tile show in Spain, due to my involvement with NKBA Manhattan, and I am grateful to Frank Advertising and Tile of Spain for bringing a fantastic program as well as overseas manufacturers to our June chapter meeting at Royal Green Appliances.

The point simply is that our industry is global, and our chapter continues to bring our design community not only entertaining education but also opportunities to network and grow in this global arena of kitchen and bath. If you missed our last meeting, please take a moment to visit the Tile of Spain website, tileofspain.com, and investigate the Cevisama trade show. I found it to be amazing on every count.

Again, I thank you for being a part of our NKBA Manhattan community, and I hope to see you at the Summer Social. :)