Forney, Texas—Attendees could not stop talking about this year’s Certified Flooring Installer Association’s (CFI) Convention, which took place Aug. 15-17 at the Rosen Shingle Creek Resort in Orlando. This year’s Convention included festivities surrounding its 25th anniversary celebration.
For decades, the CFI Convention has been widely recognized as the one destination drawing people from across the country and overseas. The event delivers a stand-out lineup of today’s top business leaders and presenters covering all of the issues that matter in the industry.
The opening session was given by Robert Varden, vice president of CFI, which included an overview on CFI’s progress throughout 2018. He touched on topics including the organization’s new training facilities in Shanghai and Toronto, as well as addressing key issues on the minds of all professionals whose lives are touched by flooring installation. In the course of the presentation, Varden cited how far CFI has come since its inception.
Keynote speaker Josh McGinnis, business coach of Unlock Your Biz, delivered a motivating speech entitled, “Why most business plans are worthless.” Following McGinnis, Geoff Gordon, executive director of Fuse Alliance, hit the stage to give a brief update on his company’s recent partnership with CFI, which took place earlier this year.
Phil Zolan of fcB2B followed and revealed some long-awaited news on the “Installation Crisis: Research Project,” which was commissioned by the Floor Covering Leadership Council (FCLC). FCLC commissioned this independent research firm to conduct a multi-phase study to quantify the scope and severity of the lack of installation professionals on the flooring industry’s sustainability and growth. Zolan, who unveiled the results exclusively to attendees at the show, concluded that not only is the problem real, but its financial impact on the industry is significantly more than previously understood. Further details of the study, along with the next steps, will be released over the next few months.
Many awards were given out at this year’s show as well.
CFI also cumulatively raised over $6,000 through raffles and auctions on site. The proceeds of these fundraisers were split between the Buckhardt Memorial Foundation and the Floor Covering Industry Foundation. All donations help those in the industry who do not have the means to help themselves due to medical expenditures.
The next CFI Convention will be held in San Antonio at La Cantera Resort and Spa, Aug. 21-23, 2019. Registration will open October of 2018. For more information, visit: cficonvention.com.