Tile Council of North America (TCNA) presented its prestigious Tile Person of the Year award to Mr. John Bruce at Coverings 2012 in Orlando, FL.

Mr. Bruce, currently with the Baker Hostetler law firm in Washington, DC, represented the U.S. ceramic tile industry as general counsel and antitrust and trade counsel for 43 years.

“I am greatly honored to have been nominated to receive the Tile Person of the Year award,” remarked Mr. Bruce. “It means a lot after these many years. I have enjoyed working with this fascinating industry that makes such a beautiful product, which is both a uniquely distinctive and decorative art form and a lasting historic building material that has endured through the centuries. I am especially flattered to have been considered for this recognition being aware of some of the true industry giants and leading creative contributors that have received this honor.”

“Since 1968 John has worked tirelessly to represent and protect the interests of the U.S. ceramic tile industry,” commented TCNA Executive Director, Eric Astrachan. “His numerous accomplishments have directly and indelibly shaped our industry, and he is very deserving of this award.”

John Bruce graduated from George Washington University with a BA in political science and economics, from the University of Virginia Law School with an LLB degree, and from the George Washington University Law School with a Masters in International Law.

After clerking on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit and serving two years active duty from 1966-68, Mr. Bruce served in the Army JAG Corps Reserves for 16 more years, retiring as a major. In 1968 Mr. Bruce went to work for what would be his law firm for the next 43 years, Howrey & Simon in Washington, DC, where he practiced mainly antitrust and complex commercial litigation law.

While representing Tile Council, in addition to his general counsel and antitrust duties, Mr. Bruce staunchly defended the industry against unfair and illegal competition by overseas manufacturers and ensured the U.S. International Trade Commission was well-aware of the industry’s needs.

He also consistently and successfully opposed the Generalized System of Preference (GSP) duty-free petitions repeatedly filed by some of the large overseas exporters of ceramic tile to the U.S.

The award to honor Mr. Bruce was a beautiful, framed tile mural handcrafted by Mr. Marc Holm of AD Studios (Elgin, TX).

“This year’s tile award depicts a white knight upon a horse, which well represents John’s loyal service to and defense of the U.S. tile industry,” concluded Mr. Astrachan.