Dalton, GA –– The World Floor Covering Association (WFCA) will host an educational conference, Empower 2018, September 20-21 at the La Cantera Resort & Spa in San Antonio, Texas. The program will provide attendees with new and refined strategies and peer-to-peer connection opportunities designed to propel their companies to new levels of success.

WFCA is offering Empower 2018 as part of its core initiative to ensure members access to the best professional training and a second-to-none professional tool kit. 

The speaker lineup is a veritable “Who’s Who” of current stars on the professional business executive circuit. Empower 2018 will kick off with a keynote presentation delivered by Steve Hillis, chief executive officer of Empower Partners in Canton, Ga. He has been in the flooring industry for more than 30 years and has spent portions of his career fulfilling senior roles at Milliken & Company, Floor Focus Inc, Beaulieu Group, LLC, and The Mohawk Group. His presentation at Empower 2018 will focus on management leadership and the impact that best practices can have on employee retention, gains in efficiencies, and team empowerment.

Jon Newman, owner, JLN Business Development based in Atlanta, will lead a discussion entitled “The Way to Wealth”. His focus will be on the positive effects of increasing both close rates and average tickets. As foot traffic continues to decline in retail stores, it is imperative that sales executives maximize opportunities with every customer who does come through the door. Newman will shed light on how many dollars actually leave with those customers—even when you make the sale – and how to optimize in-store sales by identifying and addressing the needs and wants of those customers.

Additional speakers include: Debra Trueman, president of Manitzas Trueman Consulting Services based in San Antonio, who will be talking with audience members about the rapidly changing landscape of workplace sexual harassment and effective methods for the prevention of abusive behavior by supervisors and co-employees. Steve Abernathy, WFCA’s chief financial officer, will shed light on how to prepare for succession planning. Additional roundtables, panels and discussions will include: Why Certification Matters moderated by Robert Varden, vice president, Certified Floor Covering Installers Association, and Tom Jennings, vice president professional development, WFCA; and Managing Your Online Reviews, presented by Jon Newman and Sam O’Krent, owners of O’Krent Floors.

WFCA members can utilize their trade scholarship funds for 100% of the registration fee to attend this event.

For more information, visit here.