In his new role, Kephart will collaborate with the eight Tennessee tile manufacturers, the State of Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development, the Tennessee Board of Regents and the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development (TNECD) to design and implement education and training programs. These efforts will leverage Tennessee’s historic $1 billion investment in workforce development, helping both students and career-changers prepare for high-quality opportunities in the tile industry.

Participating manufacturers include Crossville, Dal-Tile, Del Conca, Florim USA, Landmark Ceramics, Portobello America, StonePeak and Wonder Porcelain. These companies operate some of the most advanced tile manufacturing facilities in the U.S., producing world-class ceramic and porcelain tile.

“This Tennessee Workforce Development Project is a critical step forward in ensuring our industry’s future growth and success,” said Eric Astrachan, executive director of TCNA. “Michael’s deep industry knowledge, leadership experience and longstanding support of TCNA and the tile industry make him uniquely qualified to guide this initiative. His ability to connect business needs with workforce training strategies will provide tremendous value to the state and our member companies.”

The project will work closely with Tennessee’s network of higher education institutions, including the Tennessee Colleges of Applied Technology (TCAT), to develop trade-focused training programs that increase workforce readiness and enhance career pathways in ceramic tile advanced manufacturing.