It’s an exciting time at BNP publications! We have some new folks who are involved with both Floor Trends and Floor Covering Installer publications.
On the Floor Trends side we have our new Editor, Matthew Spieler who is a veteran of nearly 20 years on the flooring publication side, and on the FCI side you have me, Jon Namba.
But, we can’t forget those who have been there before us and those who are keeping things on a constant keel. My thanks to Michael Chmielecki—who’s last name I still have to look up each time I write it—and Lauren Forshee. I just want to say, a big thanks for all the support they bring to both me and Matt.
Mike is the Editor for FCI and the Associate Editor for Floor Trends. Lauren, who also writes for the publications, is in charge of Talkfloor.com and the techie stuff. She still needs to lead me through all the social media sites such as LinkedIn’s Talk Floor group.
And let’s not forget about Dave Foster and the work he does for “Talk Floor TV,” which can be found at Talkfloor.com. Dave has interviewed more people that just about anyone else in the industry, from installers and retailers to distributors and manufactures and everyone in between. His interviews are insightful and educational.
These sites are for retailers, installers, manufacturers, distributors, inspectors, designers and anyone involved in the industry, so if you aren’t receiving it go to Talkfloor.com and LinkedIn, and sign up, and if you are like me and don’t know how to do these things, contact Lauren at forsheel@bnpmedia.com and she’ll be happy to assist you.
The information is updated daily and it’s a quick read for those who don’t have a lot of time but want to know what in happening in the industry in which they work. And Dave Foster’s interviews are also to the point, sometimes broken into parts to make it easier for you to watch while sitting back having your first cup of coffee or when taking a break.
Although Floor Trends deals more on the retail side of topics I encourage installers to sign up for the publication as it helps installers understand what trends—from styles of carpet and types of yarns to species of wood to the latest in resilient styles and technology and more—are being introduced to the marketplace.
On the same note, I also encourage retailers and sales associates to read the FCI publication, as you can gain a tremendous amount of product knowledge of all types of floors and the ways in which they need to be installed. This will help assist you in your sales and help minimize headaches from a lack of knowledge of how flooring products get installed as well as give you a better understanding of the challenges mechanics face installing these products properly.
Matt and I have a passion for the flooring industry and both of us feel the two publications, combined with the online offerings, working together to educate and inform the industry gives the industry added value and knowledge and we invite you to contact us for any questions or comments about how we’re doing.
