Bill Brown is president of W.J. Brown Communications, a consulting firm he began in October 2002. In that capacity, he is responsible for all media relations for Fishman Flooring Solutions, a leading distributor of flooring and flooring supplies celebrating 100 years of business this year.

Brown has more than four decades of experience in business and institutional communications. His firm’s clients range from large, publicly-traded companies to small and mid-sized businesses. He brings to this client base proven success in developing, executing and measuring efficient and effective strategic marketing communications, public relations, crisis management and public affairs programs designed to meet specific goals.

Away from the office, Brown enjoys sports, cooking and reading and invests considerable time in following the athletic careers of his two grandchildren. A graduate of the University of Michigan with a degree in journalism and a minor in political science, he also holds a master’s in journalism from Temple University.

Sonny Callaham is the technical director for Divergent Adhesives. His career in the floor covering industry—covering all aspects including installation, sales and training—spans more than 29 years. Callaham got his start in the industry installing multiple types of flooring in the commercial and residential markets and since then, he has been a project manager for one of the largest flooring contractors in Central Florida, as well as manufacturer’s representative prior to joining Para-Chem in 2006 as its application specialist.

During his career, Callaham has almost exclusively dealt with floor covering claims. Having been involved with claims from all sides—installer, distributor and manufacturer—he specializes in forensic investigation for complaints resulting in floor debonding.

Callaham serves on the FCICA board and is a contributing member of ASTM F06. He is also the director of education for NAFCT and is the TAC Chair for the ISSA Committee for the IICRC. He carries multiple industry certifications including Certified Flooring Installer through CFI and concrete slab moisture testing technician through ICRI.

Scott Carothers is the director of certification and training for the Ceramic Tile Education Foundation (CTEF) headquartered in Pendleton, S.C. In addition to providing training to others in the tile industry, he is responsible for the creation of the Certified Tile Installer (CTI) program and is involved in the creation of the Advanced Certifications for Tile Installers (ACT) program.

Carothers has been involved in the ceramic tile industry for more than 39 years and was the owner of a successful retail store and installation firm prior to joining CTEF. He has served as president and chairman of the NTCA board, chairman of the NTCA Technical Committee and was the 2005 NTCA Tile Person of the Year and 2013 recipient of the NTCA Ring of Honor. Carothers is also a voting member of the ANSI and the TCNA Handbook committees.

Eric Carr is vice president of commercial marketing and product management for Custom Building Products. Carr has been with Custom for more than nine years in various capacities in the marketing and product development areas. In addition to Custom, he has been in the building products industry for more than 20 years with companies including Black & Decker, Fluidmaster and others. Carr has a degree in industrial engineering from Purdue University and an MBA from the Anderson School at UCLA

Shane Jenkins has worked in the flooring industry for more than 25 years and is currently senior technical coordinator, Schönox, HPS North America. He joined the HPS North America team in 2015 as a regional business manager for the Louisiana, Mississippi and Eastern Texas regions.

Jenkins is an active member of several professional organizations, including ASTM, INSTALL, FCICA, ICRI, CFI, RFCI and NTCA, and is the past president of the American Subcontractors Association of Mississippi. Shane is committed to learning from and assisting customers by visiting with them, looking at their job sites, and hearing about their challenges first-hand. He is eager to share his knowledge about creating successful projects and working efficiently to achieve the best outcome.

When not at work or on a jobsite, Jenkins enjoys spending time with his family and LSU football.

John T. McGrath, Jr. is the executive director of the International Standards and Training Alliance (INSTALL), which is the construction industry’s leading floor covering installation training and certification program.

McGrath has helped to increase installation standards and expectations in the flooring industry by playing a leading role in facilitating communication and cooperation among mills, manufacturers, specifiers, contractors and installers. He was a significant contributor in creating the ANSI S600 Carpet Installation Standards and has served as a returning judge in the Starnet Awards, Canadian Apprenticeship Contest and the Schönox Worst Subfloor in North America Contest.

A three-decade flooring installation professional and accomplished speaker, McGrath conducts seminars regularly for architects, interior designers, building owners and facility managers to increase their knowledge of flooring installation issues. He has been a featured presenter for AIA, IIDA, IFMA and CSI professionals to help increase their knowledge and awareness of many floorcovering concerns.

As senior director of technical services at Laticrete, Arthur Mintie is responsible for overseeing the operations of the Laticrete technical services department which provides technical assistance to specifiers and construction professionals and is actively involved in global education and training for tile and construction industry materials and methods.

Mintie serves on various tile and stone standards development and technical committees including ANSI, ISO, TCNA, NTCA and NSI. He also authors industry articles and technical manuals and is a frequent speaker at industry events.

Independent industry consultant, trainer and speaker Jon Namba is the editorial director for Floor Covering Installer magazine and is actively involved in his business in Salt Lake City, where he owns and operates a family business doing consulting, inspections, trainings and installations.

Namba has been in the floor covering industry since 1976. As director of technical services for WFCA, he coordinated all aspects of training and education with the Regional Installation Training & Education (RITE) program and created partners in training with NWFA and CTEF. Namba was also the executive director of the International Certified Floorcovering Installers Association. Currently, he serves on the board of NWFA Certified Professionals, where he is a past president.

Kim Oderkirk is the owner of Association Services and has served as executive vice president for her sole client, FCICA, the Flooring Contractors Association, for more than 20 years. She manages the day-to-day operations of the association and organizes, directs and coordinates programs and activities of the association to assure that objectives are attained, plans are fulfilled, and members’ needs are met.

Oderkirk also holds the titles of senior editor of FCICA’s quarterly trade magazine, The Flooring Contractor, and secretary of the Floor Covering Leadership Council which “exists to identify issues and develop solutions that lead to the success of the floor covering industry and its professionals.”

Bill Treiber is the technical sales and education manager for Artistic Finishes, formerly known as Moldings Online. He began his career in the lumber industry and built a strong sales record in wood flooring distribution for more than 15 years before joining Artistic Finishes in 2009. His experience and in-depth knowledge is used to assist Artistic Finishes customers with all of their questions relating to the flooring industry.

Robert Varden is currently vice president of the International Certified Flooring Installers Association (CFI). He is the provider of vision, voice and operational oversight for the association which represents professional installation throughout the world. He started his flooring career as a commercial flooring installer and expanded his expertise into inspection, training, consulting, speaking, and writing, in addition to running a commercial workroom. With more than 40 years in the flooring industry, Varden brings a unique perspective to the trade.

Jim Whitfield is the director of technical services at MAPEI. He manages a strong technical services department that provides support for MAPEI’s products for tile and stone installation systems, floor covering installation systems and wood flooring. He is actively involved in the development of tile industry standards on TCNA, ANSI, ISO committees and a member of the NTCA Technical Committee. Whitfield is the current president of the Materials, Methods and Standards Association and was awarded fellowship from the Construction Specifications Institute (CSI) in 2001.