FCICA, the
flooring contractors association, held Mid Year 2008, which included 3 great
educational sessions on Thursday, October 2, 2008 along with a reception and
dinner.
The first
educational session was “Business in China” presented by Dave Spreen of
David Spreen Enterprises. China’s
rapid effect on the US
flooring industry caught many in the trade by surprise. From sourcing and
installing products made in China
to opportunities and pitfalls in dealing directly in the import/export market,
this seminar covers what you should know to be successful. Dave Spreen’s photos
from exhibitions, mill tours and business trips punctuate insightful knowledge
about the Chinese trade.
The next
session was “Understanding, Avoiding and Correcting Moisture and Related Floor
Problems” presented by Howard Kanare of Construction Technology
Laboratories. Floor moisture continues
to be a major cause of installation schedule disruption and callbacks. Most manufacturers of floor coverings and
adhesives have embraced relative humidity using in-situ probes to evaluate the
true moisture condition of concrete floors.
Attendees learned about the state-of-the-art instrumentation, test
methods, relationship to other moisture tests, and best methods for corrective
actions.
The final
session of Thursday was presented by Tim Cole of Forbo and was entitled, “The
Case for Sustainability – Turning ‘Green’ into Green.” Making the case for sustainability is evident
all around, but how can you implement sustainability efforts in your business
environment and assist your customers during their shopping experience for
floor covering? This session elaborated on how embracing sustainable
efforts can in fact help you develop a new revenue stream by identifying
profitability drivers for your business.
Evaluate how you can increase productivity and the value of your company
by increased knowledge for you and your customers.
“All three
sessions covered topics that were important to our members,” says Kimberly
Oderkirk, FCICA’s Executive Vice President.
On Friday, the members and friends of FCICA gathered for committee
meetings and the Board of Directors meeting.
“We had the educational sessions and our business meetings at the new
downtown St. Louis Hotel and Casino, HoteLumière,” Ms Oderkirk continued, “a
beautiful new venue in a beautiful city!
This just made it a win-win for all.”
FCICA, headquartered
in West Bloomfield, MI, is an international association
organized to promote and protect the best interests of floor covering
installation contractors. Its mission is to provide its members with continuing
education, access to cutting edge technology, and networking opportunities so
as to assist them in achieving their business goals. FCICA currently has members in 36 states,
Guam and Bermuda. For more information about FCICA, please
contact the office at (248) 661-5015.
This website stores data such as cookies to enable important site functionality including analytics, targeting, and personalization. View our privacy policy.
Report Abusive Comment