Todd McDonald, owner, Maple Ridge Handscraped and regional instructor for the National Wood Flooring Association (NWFA), comes from a long line of hardwood flooring installers who served in the U.S. Armed Forces. Entering the Army Reserves at age 18, he signed on with a friend and both went in expecting to be trained as infantry but instead got an unexpected placement. He has worked in several positions within the flooring industry that forced him to pivot in his career. Listen to McDonald talk about his military career, what led to his return to flooring installation and the importance of education.
In collaboration with INSTALL, the United Brotherhood of Carpenters' Military Veterans Program provides free, comprehensive training to service members transitioning to civilian life. Floor installation is one of the options. In this episode, we speak of Mark Benacquisto, executive director of Millwright Pile Driver Labor Management, who spearheaded the program's development, and INSTALL Executive Director David Gross.
Cyncly is acquiring Broadlume. Learn more about what it means for flooring retailers as we speak with Mark Lukianchuk, the general manager for Cyncly Flooring, Todd Saunders, CEO of Broadlume, and Carole Cross, managing director of mobile marketing, a Cyncly company.
Todd Skidmore, senior director of e-commerce at Mohawk, joins us to discuss Mohawk's new digital health assessment program, designed to help stores optimize their websites, drive traffic, and convert online browsers into showroom buyers.
In December, Mohawk is hosting its Edge Summit 2025 in Denver, Colorado, for its Edge-aligned dealers. One of the advantages of participating in the Edge program is the finance options available through Mohawk’s partnership with Synchrony. Doug Ensley, Mohawk’s senior director of residential market development, details the partnership, how it benefits the Edge dealers, and how Synchrony’s trend reports help Mohawk keep its Edge program evolving to meet the needs of its dealers—even in shaky economic times.
Bill Blackstock, president and CEO of the Resilient Floor Covering Institute, projects a rebound in resilient flooring starting mid-2025. Listen in as he shares an update on RFCI's fall meeting, his outlook for single-family and multifamily housing, and the commercial flooring sectors.
Synchrony released a Future of Retail report that revealed data about consumers' shopping expectations for the future. Vince Lowe, senior VP and general manager home specialty and flooring with Synchrony, discusses the highlights and reveals how technology is shaping the shopping experience over the next several years.