The Magic of MUD!

The annual MUD event (this year called MUD6) is being held this week in Idaho Falls, ID.

Tile installers will attend from all over the country. What is particularly interesting is that this event attracts:

• solo contractors that have to be choosy about which events they attend
• industry outsiders that haven’t attended other events
• young installers that the industry is desperate to connect with

What is the appeal of this event?

Grassroots beginnings

It started on Facebook with a group of tile setters led by Mario ‘TileGuy’ Garcia and aided by others including Lance Latham of Desoto Sales in Fresno, CA., Joe Lima, Lima Tile of Sacramento, CA, and later Mike Foster of Tile Trends in Idaho Falls, ID.

They noticed a need that wasn’t being fulfilled and decided to hold an event to remedy this.

Manufacturers then scrambled to assist once they knew a bunch of their customers were going to be in one place.

Yes, there’s been growing pains and drama. You can’t assemble a bunch of Facebook friends without drama.

But Mud has pushed through and grown every year.

Teaches a difficult-to-learn skill

First of all, it makes no sense for manufacturers to teach installers how to mud.

Why would they show you how to mix raw materials and use them in a way that makes them no money?

Additionally, the products they produce are what is taking away the demand for mudding.

Consequently, mud work is exactly the type of thing the tile industry should teach in-house. But the industry missed seeing the demand.

So, a couple of guys with initiative took charge.

It’s all about the little guy

What makes MUD unique is that it specifically caters to the little guy: the individual installer.

Most industry events cater to the ‘off-the-knees’ tile executives whereas MUD targets the solo contractor.

Other industry events are held in prestigious 5-star resorts while MUD is held in a warehouse and guests stay at the local 2-star motel.

MUD helps better the installer at the ground level. It takes a bottom-up approach.

The Red-Headed StepChild

Although the industry establishment supports the event’s efforts, MUD isn’t an official industry event.

It didn’t start with their permission or their money. The result is that the tile industry supports the event but keeps a distance.

It’ll be interesting to see how MUD continues to evolve in the future. As long as it keeps true to its roots it will always continue to be a relevant event in the tile world.