Dalton—Midwest, a wholesale building products distributor covering Utah, Colorado, Idaho, Wyoming, Montana and Nevada, is adding a new line of flooring from Welspun Flooring to its expansive offering. According to the company, these new products will help to support the floor covering industry and individuals beginning flooring craftsmen careers with donations to the Floor Covering Education Foundation (FCEF) based on the sales of this selection of products.
The FCEF was founded in 2019 primarily to address the shortage of installation craftsmen and the continued decline of qualified installers available to keep up with the demand for professionally installed flooring. “An extreme shortage of flooring installers impacts all business in the flooring industry,” said Jim Aaron, executive director of FCEF.
The FCEF currently offers scholarships to make getting training affordable. They are also working to make sure that flooring craftsman education is available in technical schools and other facilities across the nation.
Midwest supplies a wide range of building products including flooring, countertops, cabinets and supplies. Throughout its 84-year history, Midwest has taken pride in providing quality products and excellent service to its customers. “This simple program from Welspun Flooring is making it easy for us to step up and support FCEF—we simply add $0.01 to each square foot of flooring purchase from Welspun,” explained Clint Beckstead, VP, Flooring for Midwest. “We know our customers will purchase more when they have more installers to complete jobs. It’s not just a retailer problem. The shortage impacts us as a distributor and ultimately anyone who provides materials or supplies used in flooring installation.”
Midwest will be adding Welspun’s SPC and carpet tile products to its offering. Welspun and Midwest said they have chosen to support the FCEF with this charitable giving program because their purpose supports the entire flooring industry and positively impacts customers. “It is extremely important to us to support the industry and ensure that we have the craftsman needed to install our products professionally,” said Amol Naravane, vice president, Welspun Flooring.
Through this program, Midwest said it is also committed to spreading awareness about the opportunities that exist for individuals looking for a profitable and sustainable trade career. It is spreading the message that flooring craftsmen are highly skilled individuals essential to the flooring industry. Anyone interested in a career as a flooring craftsman should visit flooryourfuture.com to explore the career, discover training opportunities and apply for FCEF scholarships to support their training.
“We are excited to have the support of Midwest through Welspun’s giving program,” Aaron said. “They are stepping to be part of the solution and make sure that our industry is able to recruit talent and elevate the flooring installation trade.”