Tips To Find and Refer Qualified Tile Installers
by Bart Bettiga For the past several years, flooring dealers and retailers consistently finding quality installers as one of their biggest obstacles to growing their business. This is especially true if you subcontract your labor or refer your customers to... read more
How Your Showroom Is Like Your Closet!
By Suzanne Winn, Lifestyle Trending Expert As a retailer living in California or Kentucky, it’s imperative to our survival as a species to get the biggest bang for your buck out of your showroom floor on a per square foot basis. So if you’re... read more
Floating Floors: False Assumptions and Keys to Success
by Christopher Capobianco I moderated a panel of experts at Surfaces 2016 in a 90-minute session on engineered “click” floating floors and learned a lot in the process. “Floating floor” is not a specific type of product; it’s an installation method for engineered... read more
Industry News Tracker
Follow the latest floorcovering, stone and tile industry news and alerts pulled from trade publications and news outlets in this industry news tracker.
Industry Influencers
The Industry Influencers listed below are individuals with powerful voices in their fields who offer insight and education to the floor covering, stone and tile industry community. Click on “Read More” to see their full biographies and opportunities to see when they are presenting to the industry.
Mark Fernandes
Chief Leadership Officer at Luck Companies
Having a passion for inspiring people to believe in themselves and become everything they are capable of becoming, Mark is charged with transforming Luck Companies into a global Values Based Leadership (VBL) organization. In his role as Chief Leadership Officer…
Brian Gracon, PhD
Owner & President at Brian Gracon & Associates, Inc
Brian Gracon, PhD has authored over 75 training programs in his 18 years of Training Strategy and Instructional Design experience, for delivery in instructor-lead, computer, print, keynote, seminar, Webinar and video formats. Brian also has extensive experience…
Kelly McDonald
Owner at McDonald Marketing
Kelly McDonald is a marketing and advertising expert and considered one of the nation’s top experts in multicultural marketing and consumer trends. Her client experience includes brands such as Toyota, State Farm, Nike, Harley-Davidson, Miller-Coors, and Sherwin-Williams.
Scott Perron
Principal at 24-7 Floors LLC
Scott D. Perron is the CEO of 24-7 Floors in Sarasota, FL. Over the past twenty five years he has worked in all facets of the floorcovering industry from sales to executive. From 1993 – 2008 he owned and operated three successful retail stores in New England when he joined Big Bob’s Flooring of America…
Chris Ramey
President at Affluent Insights /The Home Trust
Chris Ramey is the most quoted executive in the luxury segment. He specializes in helping service providers, retailers and manufacturers understand and penetrate premium and luxury markets. He is a highly sought-after professional speaker, sales trainer and consultant.
Robert Varden
CEO at CFI (Int'l Certified Flooring Installers Assoc.)
Robert Varden is the CEO of CFI (International Certified Flooring Installers Association) and has more than 30 years of experience in flooring installation, education and research. Varden lives in Rockwall, Texas, and is immediate past president of CFI, having…
Christine Whittemore
Chief Simplifier at Simple Marketing Now LLC
Christine B. Whittemore is Chief Simplifier of Simple Marketing Now LLC, an inbound marketing strategy consultancy, which helps organizations get found online using social media and content marketing. She has been active in the social media space since June 2006 when she…
Mark Woodman
Past President, Color Marketing Group; Owner, at Mark Woodman Design+Color
Mark Woodman CMG, a passionate, dynamic designer, writer and speaker, has contributed to the pages and airwaves of media, the stages of exhibitions and the product lines of international manufacturers. Through the world color and…
