The Floor Covering Leadership Council (FCLC) hosted a Flooring Executive Summit on March 12, 2019 at the Dalton Convention Center. Scott Humphrey, FCLC member, and Kathi Rose, The Blackstone Group, updated the group on the labor shortage challenge, presented the research collected by the Blackstone Group and asked for signed pledges to collaborate on taking the industry to the next step.
After the presentation, the following pledge was read:
“We the undersigned acknowledge that shortages and gaps in the floor covering installation workforce pose serious challenges to the well-being of the floor covering industry as a whole. We hereby pledge ourselves and our organizations to provide the leadership, funds, and/or other significant support required to undertake a long-term initiative that will generate a sufficient and sustainable installation workforce.”
The pledge was signed by the following:
Advanced Adhesive Technologies Greg Wood
AHSG/Commerical One Joe Weber
Amaz Floors Luxia Hong
American OEM Don Finkell
CFI Robert Varden
Divergent Adhesives Sonny Callaham
Emily Morrow Home Emily Finkell
FCICA Kim Oderkirk
Flooring Success Systems Jim Armstrong
FUSE Alliance Geoff Gordon
IUPAT Mike Heinz
Loba-Wakol Ashley Carter
MAPEI Charlie Nielson
Metroflor David Altman
Mohawk Industries Tom Lape
NWFA Anita Howard
Protect-All Jerry Lee
QEP Kevin Keefe
RFMS Terry Wheat
Roberts Tracy Muller
Tarkett Len Ferro
Wagner Meters Jason Spangler
WFCA Scott Humphrey
WFCA Tom Jennings
WFCA Steve Abernathy
Anyone else who would like to sign the pledge and show their support may do so on the FCLC website: www.fclcouncil.org/key-initiatives. The executive summary and quantitative assessment of the research is available there as well.
FCLC plans to reach out to those who have signed the pledge and host a meeting in San Antonio at La Cantera Resort & Spa in August in conjunction with CFI’s 2019 Convention and discuss the next steps needed to help resolve the industry shortage.
About:
The FCLC was established in 2015 as a coalition of flooring industry trade associations committed to identifying issue and developing solutions to the industry’s most pressing challenges. Currently, the following associations support the FCLC including: American Floorcovering Alliance, Inc. (AFA), International Certified Flooring Installers Associations Inc. (CFI), Floor Covering Installation Contractors Association (FCICA), North American Association of Floor Covering Distributors (NAFCD), National Institute of Certified Floorcoverings Inspectors (NICFI), National Tile Contractors Association (NTCA), World Floor Covering Association (WFCA). For more information, visit www.fclcouncil.org.