At the trade show, fifty leading manufacturers demonstrated the latest floor covering installation products.


FCI columnist Dave Gobis explained the importance of standards for the installation of ceramic tile during his presentation at the 2008 FIANA Convention.

More than 200 of the nation’s 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.