November 20/27, 2017: Volume 32, Issue 12
By Steven Feldman
The holiday season is now in full swing, and hopefully all our readers had a joyous Thanksgiving and kept the weight gain in check. You know, Thanksgiving is a time to reflect on everything for which we are thankful, something we should be doing regularly, not solely on the fourth Thursday of November.
Anyway, I thought it would be fun to share some of the things for which I am most thankful—along with some of the things I am not.
First and foremost, I am thankful for my life and the people in it. It may not be exactly how I drew it up on the blackboard 30-plus years ago, but it’s hard to imagine being more fortunate. I remind myself of that every day.
I am thankful for the flooring industry and the people who comprise it. Its health supports all of us here at Floor Covering News, and I am lucky to have more friends inside this industry than outside.
I am thankful for Randy Merritt’s 40-plus years of service to this industry. While I have only been around for 23 of them, I can say few people have walked this path and garnered more respect than Randy.
I am thankful for all our advertisers, large and small, for without them there would be no FCNews.
I am thankful for all the members of the NAFCD. Aside from being great people, distributors work on the tightest of margins, yet the most successful continue to find ways to grow and innovate.
I am not thankful for the management of NAFCD, who failed to secure a large enough room block for its recent convention for all the attendees, including the press, who always have rooms set aside for them. First time in 23 years we were shut out of the site hotel for any event. Even the satellite hotels were sold out, and we found ourselves 20 minutes away amongst homeless people. Sorry, NAFCD; I must call it as I see it.
I am thankful for my business partner, Dustin Aaronson, and my team here at FCNews. Not many people in this world can count their business partner among their closest friends, and I challenge anyone to find a better, more experienced group of people at any trade publication.
I am not thankful for the latest wave of technology at America’s airports: ordering food from iPads vs. humans. This takes customer service and customization completely out of the equation. Just try to have cheese mixed in your scrambled eggs. Not even a degree from MIT will solve that.
I am thankful for Piet Dossche pioneering the WPC and rigid core craze. It has breathed new life into what was a rather stagnant industry and has given retailers a new profit center.
I am not thankful for delayed tax cuts. The clock is ticking on 2017. Tick, tick…
I am thankful for all the people who make Surfaces the premier trade show in the industry. Their hard work often goes unnoticed.
I am not thankful for Eye Candy, the bar in the middle of Mandalay Bay, where much of the industry congregates when we all should be in our beds. My liver does not appreciate.
I am thankful for all the people who would rather wait in the drive-thru line for 15 minutes at Dunkin Donuts rather than get their butts out of the car and walk in. This virtually assures me a straight shot to the counter and no waiting for my coffee.
I am not thankful for people like Harvey Weinstein and the like, who feel they are above reproach. It’s a different world today; get used to it.
I am thankful for the bevy of online dating sites. Without them, my future sit-com will never hit the airwaves and you won’t see me accepting my Emmy. You think “Seinfeld” was funny?
Enjoy the holiday season.