BETHANY, CT - Carlos Gaona Guillen has been promoted to industrial sales manager for the Latin American region at Laticrete International, Inc. Gaona will continue to service the industrial projects he presently handles in Mexico. However, he will also be in charge of invest-igating new business opportunities in Latin America for the company's industrial product line. Gaona has been with the company since 1993.

In other company news, the U.S. Patent Office has issued Laticrete a patent for its Quick Screed Mortar Bed, the company reports. Dr. Francis X. Quinn, vice president of technology at Laticrete, said, "It makes our firm the sole supplier of this unique product, which allows ceramic tile to be installed over previously unacceptable surfaces and substructures." The product is a two-part system consisting of a nylon reinforcing mesh and a polymer-fortified mortar used to fill the mesh. It can be used on both concrete and wood surfaces, according to Laticrete.