The Floor Covering Industry Issues Council (FCIIC) held its spring meeting in Chicago on April 16, 2013. An important focus of the meeting was an emphasis among the participating flooring trade associations on developing even closer ties and finding more ways to work together to benefit their members and the flooring industry as a whole.
“The last few years have been challenging ones for the flooring industry and the trade associations which represent its various segments,” said National Wood Flooring Association (NWFA) chairman John Lessick. “The leaders of the associations at the FCIIC table understand that the sum of the parts is greater than the whole and that, by continuing to work together, we can increase the value we provide to members, improve the efficiency and effectiveness of our organizations and help to strengthen the entire flooring industry.”
Among the important topics discussed at the meeting was an update on the progress of a highly anticipated carpet installation standard and how it will be administered. The development of the standard involves several of the participants in the FCIIC. The standard-writing process is being overseen by the Institute for Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC) and funded, in part, by the World Floor Covering Association (WFCA). And members of the International Certified Flooring Association (CFI) have provided significant input to the standard-writing body. The effort to draft the standard, which began three years ago, is anticipated to conclude by year’s end or in early 2014 with the publication of the standard.
Participants in the FCIIC, originally called the Carpet Industry Issues Council, have been meeting twice annually since 1994 to share information, define and address areas of mutual interest and build cooperation among the various flooring industry segments. Attending the April 16 meeting were representatives of CFI, IIICRC, North American Association of Floor Covering Distributors (NAFCD), NWFA and WFCA.
The next meeting of the FCIIC will take place on October 24, 2013 in Chicago.