When it comes to the typical floor covering store, many times the owners think of themselves as simple mom-and-pop operations. 

With all the major and secondary markets in the U.S. now covered, along with 80% of the tertiary areas and, most recently adding members in the top four markets of Canada, officials for Fuse Alliance told the membership at the group’s recent convention the time is now to start thinking as a national organization and not just as a group of individual companies serving their local markets.

Yes, I’m talking about social media. But before you turn the page, I’m not writing to you, the individual. 

No matter the category, technology has been playing a major role in the types of products manufacturers are able to produce, and the tile industry is no different. In fact, many would argue there’s a technological revolution taking place in the category—some would call it an evolution—as companies are creating products with looks and textures never before seen.

There was a time when the typical floor tile used in the U.S. was under a foot. Today, a 12-inch tile is considered small, as Americans have discovered the unique styling attributes of large format tiles. 

If there was any doubt as to whether the industry is starting to bounce back from the deep pit it fell in due to the Great Recession, one only needed to attend this year’s Surfaces, as both exhibitor and attendees expressed the kind of optimism and hope that had been absent for the last six-plus years.

Keith Spano, president of Flooring America, said conventions take place in every industry and all levels and generally speaking they are generic affairs—generic businesspeople, suits and strangers getting together once or twice a year. 

When it comes to buying group conventions, they are generally about the organization showcasing new products, programs and services it has developed—usually in tandem with their member advisory boards—to help the membership differentiate themselves in the marketplace and become more profitable.

While I admit the title of this column may seem a bit strange to our readers in Southern California and the Southwest, for everyone else around the country who has experienced a cold, snowy, miserable winter, you’ll understand.

The first month of the year is already passed us and so has some of the industry’s major markets and conventions—from the all industry type of affairs such as Surfaces, the Atlanta Area Rug Market and Domotex Germany, to major manufacturers and distributors holding their winter markets around the country, to some of the main buying groups.