Columbus, Ohio—For the third and final time, America’s Floor Source (AFS), in conjunction with Broadlume, will be hosting a 48-hour retail bootcamp at the new, state-of-the-art, 265,000-square-foot AFS facility here. The event will take place June 4-5, 2024, is open to any and all specialty retailers looking to own and grow a thriving retail business.
“This is the last time we’re opening our doors to retailers to learn about what we’ve built at America’s Floor Source,” Jason Goldberg, company founder and COO, told FCNews. “If you like what we’ve built, you’re welcome to join. If I were a new or growing retailer, I’d be a fool not to take advantage of this opportunity.”
The new facilities itself is one of the largest training facilities in the country and was designed specifically for floor covering retailing. “They’ll get to see what the perfect flooring facility looks like,” Goldberg said. “Every inch of this campus was planned with intention. You’ll learn how and why we built this.”
Michel Vermette, AFS CEO, added, “This will save retailers thousands of dollars in mistakes—and give them the ability to learn from our mistakes.”
This third edition will differ slightly from the previous two. Firstly, the content. “This content and experience were crafted for growth-driven retailers,” Vermette explained. “The past bootcamps were much more process and fundamentals focused. This one will be growth-based to help retailers hit the next level of revenue.”
But that’s not all. Goldberg noted that the flow of event will change as well. “At the past two bootcamps, attendees would experience the content, get on the coach bus, tour the facility for 30 mins and then head back to the hotel. This year, not only is the content 100% new but it is a completely immersive experience at AFS HQ. Attendees will spend three to four hours at the campus with full access, a party and happy hour and the opportunity to network. We aren’t holding anything back; we’re going to give retailers the truth juice.”
The “truth juice” will be dished out by not only AFS leadership—including Goldberg and Vermette—but by over 100 AFS employees, all of whom attendees will have access to during various networking opportunities. “You’ll be learning from the best in the business—not just the people who plan and strategize, but from the people doing the work and living it,” Goldberg said. “There are great training, education and networking events out there, like FloorCon, but what makes this different is AFS and the facility.”
Vermette also noted that “beyond the content and networking, we’ll answer any questions retailers have. From the smallest to largest retailers, we will help everyone get their questions answered. From the networking side, this is a unique opportunity to pair ambitious retailers with each other that will pay massive dividends.”
And for those retailers who are already advanced in their strategies and looking at next steps, there’s something for you too. “If you come and impress us, we may acquire you, if that’s what you are looking for,” Goldberg said. “We’ve acquired businesses that attended FloorCons and past bootcamps. If that’s your desired path, Michel and I will be available to you if that’s something you’d like to discuss.”
The event will provide education opportunities to all attendees. Confirmed speakers include:
- Jason Goldberg & Michel Vermette
- David Sheehan, SVP – residential marketing and product at Mannington Mills
- Greg Wrenn, founder/VP, Canopy/International Flooring Company (IFC)
- Dub Newell, CEO, Louisville Tile
- Mohawk
- AHF
- JJ Haines
- Accu-Cut
- Centricity
- Todd Saunders, John Weller, Dan Pratt and Neil Daley of Broadlume
- And a special guest to be announced