Manchester, N.H.— CCA Global Partners announced plans to reconvene in person this summer during two virtual Power Connect sessions attended by members this month. This past summer’s convention was converted to a virtual event due to the ongoing COVID-19 situation.
According to the group, the lack of in-person connection is felt by members, but morale remains high following a year that’s been rife with challenges. Members of Carpet One Floor & Home, Flooring America, Flooring Canada and The Floor Trader plan to gather in Denver, Colo., for the 2021 Summer Convention. The convention will take place at the Gaylord Rockies from July 19-22.
Business is booming
Both Carpet One Floor & Home president, John Gilbert, and Flooring America president, Keith Spano, agreed that the cooperative’s collective sense of optimism remains high. Business has been strong and financing continues to drive traffic.
Howard Brodsky, CCA Global Partners chairman and co-CEO, echoed those sentiments. “There is a lot of wind at our back, and the desire to improve our homes has stayed steady and strong. While it’s been a dire time for many small businesses, the cooperative has provided its members with a virtual safety net.”
He stressed his confidence that the situation would continue to improve by summer, allowing company officials and cooperative members to reconnect in person. “The relationship aspect of our cooperative is so critical,” Brodsky said. “We feel very confident that this can happen safely.”
Rick Bennet, CCA co-CEO, credited the cooperative’s willingness to adapt to a mostly virtual format to its ongoing success: tools like the online Room Visualizer and customers’ ability to order Sample Boxes are two examples. Overall, Bennet said the cooperative had seen consistent growth over the past 120 days. “The customer has changed, and we have to stay ahead of her,” he added. “Our business has seen strong demand.”
Greg Gibbert, the owner of Carpet One Floor & Home of San Ramon, Calif., agreed. “Business has been more robust since our lockdown ended May 1,” he noted. “Many days we actually struggle to safely keep up with the number of customers in our store. We don’t take that for granted.”
Future convention dates
Additional conventions are scheduled as follows, all in person:
- Winter Convention will occur at Gaylord Palms in Orlando, Fla., January 16-19, 2022
- Summer Convention will occur at Gaylord Opryland in Nashville, Tenn., August 8-11, 2022