More than 200 leading distributors and manufacturers of floor covering installation products attended the 2008 FIANA Convention, which was held October 16-18 at the Hyatt Regency Union Station in St. Louis, Mo. The convention featured a variety of educational seminars on various business and flooring installation topics, as well as a trade show featuring the latest installation products from 50 top manufacturers.

Attendees at the convention participated in a diverse educational program which balanced business and installation topics. Business seminars included: “Professional Aggressive Selling and Marketing” by Bob Janet; “Sales and Marketing to Hispanics” by Chrysanthe Georges; “Ten Steps to Improving Your Firm’s Profitability” by Robert Langdon; and “Capturing Your Competitor’s Customers and Keep Them” by Christine Corelli. Installation classes included: “Ceramic Installation Training” by Dave Gobis of CTEF; “Wood Floor Installation Training” by Rusty Swindol of NWFA; and “Carpet Installation Training” by Jon Namba of CFI.

At the 14th Anniversary Dinner on Friday evening, seven new board members were elected: Ken Wells of Futura Industries; Cathy Panagakos of Para-Chem; John Maddy of Carpet Shims; Jesse Davis of Ardex Engineered Cements; Debbie Lee of Professional Flooring Supply; Jeff Hudson of Girardeau Distributors; and Damon Brown of Victor Kemp Co.

The 2009 FIANA Convention will be held Sept. 10-13 at the Hyatt Regency Minneapolis Hotel in Minneapolis, Minn. For more information, visit www.fiana.org.