Fred Williamson, executive vice president of Starnet, has announced that he will retire from the partnership at the end of 2018.
Williamson, who joined Starnet in 2005, came on board at a time when 30+ flooring contractors, “The Environmentalists”, formerly franchisees of DuPont Flooring Systems, joined Starnet. In his role, Williamson was asked to spend the balance of 2005 facilitating the transition of the group into Starnet members. In 2006, Starnet’s board of directors asked Williamson to stay with the partnership.
“The years since have flown by as I have thoroughly enjoyed the interaction with the Starnet membership and our vendor partner/service provider network,” said Williamson. “Plus, I have had the pleasure of working with the great people that comprise the Starnet staff.”
Williamson has also been actively involved with the Carpet America Recovery Effort (CARE) for the past 12 years, 11 of those years serving as a member of its board of directors. In retirement, Williamson looks forward to enjoying time with his family (his grandchildren especially) and improving his golf game.
But first, Williamson plans to optimize the time he has left with the partnership before retirement. “Starnet still has much to accomplish in the balance of 2017 and throughout 2018,” he said. “I will be focused on it and insuring a smooth transition for Starnet.”
The news of Williamson’s retirement was announced at Starnet’s Fall Membership Meeting, held last week in Atlanta, where roughly 140 members gathered in the world capital of flooring for networking and best practice sharing. Now in its 25th year, Starnet remains a valuable resource tailored to help members meet the complex demands of operating a full-service commercial flooring contractor business.
“We feel that our role with our members is to support them through education and best practice sharing,” said Jeanne Matson, president and CEO of Starnet. “Speaking for the staff, what we try to do is look at every program that we offer members and make sure it’s valuable and that the cost of the program makes sense, and then we come up with other ideas that we can continue to share.”
From a comprehensive general session covering timely issues affecting the commercial industry, including building profitable and sustainable business relationships, OSHA silica compliance, ransomware and financial best practices, to a tailgate-themed preferred vendor tabletop display, meeting attendees were immersed in two days of programming and networking that encouraged business growth and development.
For more information, visit starnetflooring.com.
