The Certified Flooring Installers (CFI) headquarters and training facility in Dalton, Georgia, was the backdrop for the third regional 2025 Installation Competition, in which flooring installers compete for the title of Installer of the Year.
Matt Bowles of Stairrods in the United Kingdom won the luxury vinyl plank category, and Allen Lewis with Eagle Floorcovering Supplies in Phenix City, Alabama, won the carpet category.
The International Surface Event (TISE) National Installer of the Year Competition spotlights the best flooring installers as they compete for the coveted award. Each of the regional competition winners will be flown to Las Vegas to compete for the title of National Installer of the Year. Competitors will win $3,000 and a championship belt.
There were eight competitors this round, with support from family, friends, the installation community, and manufacturers. Judges consisted of Sandon Carson with Mohawk Industries; Kevin Keefe with QEP/Roberts; Shane Jenkins with Schönox; Val Chestohin with the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT); Scott Bohaker with BoMont Flooring Services; Roy Allen Lewis, Sr. with Eagle Floorcovering Supplies; Jerry Miller with Miller’s Flooring Consultants; Andrew Smith with Engineered Floors; Gabe Carrell with Engineered Floors; Kenny Miles with Nourison; John Cox with Tarkett Home; and Paul Carrell with Shaw Industries.
Competition sponsors include Mohawk, Performance Accessories, QEP/Roberts and Schönox.
“It really makes you a better installer because you see the guys that are around you," Lewis said. "The guys judging the competition are some of the best in the business. You're trying to do your very best, and you're pushing your limits up, and you're pushing your quality up when you get around guys like that. Iron sharpens iron.”
LVP winner Bowles encouraged others to participate in the competition.
“I think the competition is good for the guys that are entering to network with other like-minded people," he said. "You never know who you're going to meet and what doors will open for you. If you're thinking about it, get signed up and go and do it.”
Leslie Del Pozo, marketing communications manager of QEP/Roberts and CFI board member, noted that competitions are critical to the installation community and its growth.
“It's so important, and it's not about who wins," she said. "They're gonna better their skill. They're gonna meet new people. They're gonna have a network of people that they can reach out to, and it's just so important to put your skills to the test."
The last regional competition will take place in Phoenix, Arizona, at Big D Supply on November 9, 2024. To apply for entry and make your mark in the industry, submit photos of your best work through the form available here.
See additional TISE competition coverage here.
