The Fuse Alliance 2025 Annual Conference in Orlando attracted nearly 500 attendees, including many first-timers. Under the theme "Innovate to Elevate," the event featured keynotes on leadership, economic outlook, and difficult conversations while emphasizing AI applications, sustainability, and creating a welcoming community for flooring professionals.
Commercial flooring contractors face shrinking margins and volatile demand due to traditional bid-based processes. Starnet President and CEO Mark Bischoff recommends strategic transformation, highlighting opportunities in the growing flexible workspace market and responding to design firm consolidation through specialized services and innovative business models.
Sika's complete acquisition of Schönox HPS North America creates a single-source provider of flooring installation solutions for residential and commercial projects. Sika Senior Director of Floor Covering Marlene Morin discusses the strategic move, which combines two industry leaders, and what it means for flooring contractors in 2025.
In September 2024, ASTM approved a new standard (F3513) for single-component, fluid-applied moisture mitigation membranes, expanding moisture protection guidelines for concrete slabs more than a decade after the two-component resin-based product standard. Here is a snapshot of how they compare.
Much of the $100 billion flooring industry remains archaic and fragmented—precisely what makes it Amazon's perfect next target. With superior logistics, AI-driven inventory, and ruthless efficiency, Bezos' empire could transform flooring distribution while squeezing competitors and rewriting industry rules.
While homeowners hit pause on 7% mortgages, the flooring industry hit fast-forward at TISE 2025. From AI innovations to major tech mergers, industry leaders revealed how they're using this market lull to revolutionize the business – all while doubling down on diversity with a repeat $50,000 investment in women's leadership.
From anti-slip ergonomic systems to rapid-install tile solutions, healthcare facility designers find new options to enhance patient environments while minimizing downtime.
