Record Attendance, New Program at 2016 Starnet Annual Meeting

The Tarkett and Antron booths offered network opportunities at Starnet’s Annual Meeting.

Starnet members meet with Masland Contract during the tradeshow.

Attendees discuss NeverStrip Floor Coatings’ products.

Milliken and Roppe booths — Milliken’s and Roppe’s booths were busy during the Annual Meeting.

Starnet’s Annual Meeting offered ample opportunities for business building and networking.

Starnet saw record attendance at its 2016 Annual Meeting in Miami, with more than 675 commercial flooring professionals attending. According to Rob Starr, Starnet’s director of marketing and member services, the attendance is in step with Starnet’s continued growth. “We have more than 70 vendor partners. Our growth is exceeding the growth of the industry. We’re outpacing the market and we’ve had an exceptional year,” he said.

The group hosted several events during the show—among them the 18th annual Starnet Design Awards (see more at www.floortrendsmag.com/articles/99883-starnet-recognizes-design-award-winners) and a brand-new program, the Dream Team Celebration, which honors outstanding partnerships between Starnet members and the group’s Preferred Vendors network (see more at www.floortrendsmag.com/articles/99956-starnets-dream-team-flooring-celebration).

Also at the show, Starnet recognized three commercial flooring businesses for their environmental stewardship: Lippert Tile Co. (gold), H.J. Martin & Son (silver) and Vortex Commercial Flooring (bronze).

Starnet held two, two-hour workshops for members. “Developing a Long-term Plan to Perpetuate Your Business” covered succession planning, and was led by Andre Gien of Global Financial Bridge. “Jump Start Your Revenue Growth” was taught by sales trainer Duane Cashin, with insights about breaking into the ceramic tile business led by Les Lippert, president of Lippert Tile Co., and Danielle Hunsicker, Dal-Tile’s general manager for commercial and national account sales.

Starr noted, “Our Annual Meeting is traditionally a celebratory event, so we usually have more owners and proprietors there. Our Fall Meetings dive deeper into the organization, working with project managers, estimators, sales personnel, etc. It’s where we roll up our sleeves and get down and dirty, providing training and education.”

Additionally, three Starnet Board of Directors incumbents won re-election to the board during the Annual Meeting. They are: Cheryl Acierno, chairperson; Paul C. White, vice chairperson; and Les Lippert, director.

For more information, visit starnetflooring.com.

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Michael Chmielecki wrote about the floor covering industry for BNP Media for more than ten years. As editor of Floor Covering Installer and senior editor of Floor Trends, he always sought ways to better connect and inform the installation and contracting community. Mike has a degree in journalism from the University of New Hampshire.