The Certified Flooring Installers (CFI) association and the Floor Covering Installation Contractors Association (FCICA) came together to “elevate” the flooring installation and contractor communities at the CFI FCICA Convention, held at the Rosen Shingle Creek Resort in Orlando, Florida.

This year’s conversations focused on industry challenges and commitments. Addressing the national shortage of professional flooring installers was at the top of the list. Among the many issues regarding recruiting new flooring installers, awareness is first and foremost.

“We realized that as we started trying to recruit new people to become flooring installers—well, guess what—they can't choose to become a flooring installer if they don't know the flooring career exists," said Jim Aaron, executive director of Floor Covering Education Foundation (FCEF). "We're all about increasing the career pathways and awareness of those career pathways.”

Adding to that is the issue of maintaining the current installer pool.

To retain your labor force, “you have to treat your labor well,” said Geoff Gordan, executive director of the Fuse Alliance. “We want to support them and understand that what they do is not easy. You have to continue to offer training and keep investing in them.”

Emphasis was placed on the importance of qualified installers to ensure the industry's success.

“Invest in yourself and invest in the right tools,” said Sandon Carson, field service manager wood and laminate, Mohawk. “We are trying to reach the installers who are not certified, who need more education.”

Mohawk and Shaw demonstrated their commitment to supporting installer education and recruitment by sponsoring the convention and developing products based on installer input.

"By continuing to sponsor the CFI and FCICA Convention, we reaffirm our commitment to empowering installers and fostering collaboration within the industry," said Alfredo Donjuan, vice president and general manager of Performance Accessories. "This event is not just about showcasing products—it is about building lasting relationships and driving innovation together."

During the opening ceremonies, Charles DiSano, president of wood and laminate, Mohawk, spoke about the importance of partnerships between manufacturers and trade organizations like CFI. He showcased a video highlighting the weight of these partnerships, which included clips of the Mohawk wood, laminate and Performance Accessories team participating in a CFI certification course.

TotalWorx, the flooring accessory brand of Shaw Industries Group, unveiled a new Spanish-language catalog and shared its latest innovations for professional-level flooring installations at the show.

"Installers are so critical to our business," said Marcus Guy, TotalWorx director, Shaw Industries. "We cannot do what we do without the people in this room."

“Growing up in the business, my father was a specialty retail owner,” said Jon England, senior VP of residential at Shaw. “I grew up in the warehouse and I grew up installing—and that is a trade that is struggling. If that struggles, we can’t do what we do...We want to lead in the space, add simplicity, and add a lot of confidence to what happens in the installation space.”

The discussion emphasized the importance of continuous training, education, and certification in the flooring industry.

“I can't tell you how many certifications or trainings that I've been to where [students] said, ‘I'm only here because our company made us come,’” said Danny Sherman, southeast sales manager, Uzin Utz North America. “At the end of that training, they would come up and say, ‘Hey, I actually learned something, thank you.’ To get the installers to attend the training is very important because our industry products change daily—the tools we're utilizing. We have to keep up on it.”

Speakers highlighted the need for companies to invest in their employees' skill development to stay competitive and ensure high-quality installations.

"The world is changing, technology is changing, products are changing, so it's very important for all of us to train and invest in people because if they are not learning new skills, then it puts your company at risk,” said Marlene Morin, senior director of floor coverings, Sika.

Gordon gave the opening keynote on how to build a healthy commercial flooring contracting business.

"Building a healthy and sustainable commercial flooring business requires a combination of strategic planning, operational efficiency, customer relationship management—and also very important—continuous learning," Gordon said.

CFI Update

Steve Abernathy, COO of the World Floor Covering Association, updated the audience on the CFI association's achievements over the past year. Highlights included a new 22,000-square-foot facility in Dalton, Georgia, which includes a warehouse, office space, and a permanent training center. The organization also trained over 500 people at over 50 events over the last 12 months.

In addition, CFI provided technical training for non-installers (e.g., product managers, customer service representatives) including Mohawk, which invested in training for its hardwood, engineered wood and laminate divisions.

“As the world's leading flooring manufacturer, Mohawk is committed to helping find solutions for the installation crisis,” DiSano said. “We are actively building relationships with skilled installers from across the country to learn how we can best help them succeed in their markets. And we proudly support CFI as members working side by side to help recruit and educate a new generation of installers.”

“Donating flooring and accessories for our training courses, offering education sessions and sponsoring industry events,” Abernathy said. “Mohawk helps energize the whole industry to get behind our initiatives and it's going to take the whole industry coming together to rebuild a robust network of expert installers.”

CFI revealed that it conducted an exclusive training session for Empire Today, which included over 200 team members.

In a grassroots and community-building effort, CFI also revitalized its chapters program, which includes 10 active chapters with five more ramping up.

FCICA Update

FCICA added 19 new members this year, bringing total membership to 278 members. FCICA Board Chair Pat Kelly gave an update on the Certified Installation Manager (CIM) program, created for the commercial flooring installation manager. There are currently 278 active CIMs with 60 new CIMs added this year.

Kelly, who is president of Synergy Flooring, promoted the FCICA's two-day CIM training, which brings candidates on-site for in-person learning. This year, FCICA held two-day events in New Jersey. “Our FCICA manufacturer and distributor members are continuing to make the commitment to educate our contractor members,” Kelly said.

Continuing Education 

The convention featured a robust schedule of well-attended hands-on educational sessions and product demonstrations. 

"It's my first time here, and I've learned a lot and met a lot of great people," said 18-year-old Edwin Martinez of Northwest Commercial Flooring in Fairmont, Georgia. "I'm second generation, and my dad has done this pretty much since I was born. He taught me, he took me out to work job sites and taught me techniques. I was certified before I got here, but I learned new techniques here." 

Ralph Falavinha with Supreme Floors in Fort Myers, Florida, said he benefited from an education session by Togal.AI, software that detects, measures, compares and labels project spaces and features on architectural plans and drawings.

"This is my second year, and I'll tell you, from last year to this year, the level of excitement is phenomenal," Falavinha said. "The breakout sessions are great. My only miss is I wish I brought my crew with me, and that it would be great for them to experience this. So next year, 100% we will be here."

Ardex demonstrated SD-T, a self-drying, self-leveling, no-troweling, Portland cement-based topping for fast-track resurfacing, and CD-Fine, a concrete dressing that can produce a new wear layer and repair small defects.

Mathieu Dekens, president of i4F North America, demonstrated the technology company's drop-lock flooring installation technologies, which are up to 30% faster to install than basic angle/angle systems, and CeraGrout technologies, which mimic the aesthetics of rectified ceramics with integrated grout.

Mohawk and Performance Accessories held two sessions: one focused on how Performance Accessories stair solutions allow for the quick and easy installation of LVP flooring, and another on efficient techniques for installing printed and patterned carpet, featuring Aladdin Commercial products.

During the hand-sewing education session, presented by P.J. Arthur, Kevin Keefe, national technical sales manager, QEP/Roberts, demonstrated how to hand-sew carpet through a "birdcage" at the end of a stair railing. 

Shane Jenkins, senior technical advisor, discusses Schönox MBL, a two-part moisture-blocking self-leveling compound. 

TotalWorx showcased its SpeedLink Spline, which cuts installation time by up to 45% for resilient flooring products, such as SPC and WPC. This technology allows installers to work in two different directions. The brand also showcased the Shaw Shower Wall System. This system comes with everything needed to build a shower installation, waterproof and prep it for tile.

Floris Koopmans, sales director intellectual property, Unilin, talked through the proper way in which to install the Uniclic locking system while Sandon Carson, field service manager wood and laminate, Mohawk, provided a demonstration.