The Long Island Floor Covering Association (LIFCA) announced a gala fund raising event to celebrate their 50th anniversary and raise funds for the Floor Covering Industry Foundation(FCIF).  The event will be held on January 21, 2009, at the Woodbury Country Club in Wood bury,  Long Island, and  will honor retail floor covering companies and flooring contractors in Long Island and New York City that have been in business for 50 years.

Originally formed as The Long Island Floor Covering Club, now known as the LIFCA, the organization was founded in 1958 with the mission of strengthening and improving the business practices, standards, professionalism and ethics of the region’s floor covering businesses.  They are an affiliate of the World Floor Covering Association with members across all sectors of the industry including dealers, flooring contractors, installers, Inspectors, cleaners and manufacturer and distributor representatives and management.

Like many volunteer organizations, LIFCA has gone through periods of intense activity and  high visibility, such as the 1990s when they were World Floor Covering Association’s “Affiliate of the Year” on more than one occasion.  They also were the driving force behind the formation of the Long Island Chapter of the Certified Floor Covering Installers Association (CFI).  The group  has also had  periods where there was less activity; as of late the current board of directors under the leadership of LIFCA President Arnold Graff of Montauk Carpet has been busy scheduling an increasing number of events and seminars over the past several years, including seminars on concrete moisture issues, taxes and insurance, as well as  the return of their “Tool Time” event this past May, which was geared to installers and dealers and drew both.  At Surfaces 2007, Mr. Graff presented a check for $3,000 to FCIF after a successful fund raising dinner and golf outing.   After several years hiatus, these activities and the re-birth of the newsletter, LIFCA News as a printed and On Line publication, have served to re-establish LIFCA as an active organization.

 “We’ve had our ups and downs,” said Executive Director Christopher Capobianco, “ but we are still alive and well, and our membership numbers and level of participation are on the rise.”

 “We invite everyone in our industry to help us  celebrate 50 years and honor retail and contract flooring companies that have been around as long as we have,” President Graff added.

For information, reservations, journal ads and to join the LIFCA mailing list, visit their website www.LIFloor.com.