In recent weeks, I’ve had several conversations with builders that have underlined both how deeply our industry relies on undocumented labor—and how vulnerable we’ve become as a result. As someone whose family is in construction—from my own work alongside licensed homebuilders to my husband’s role with one of the largest track builders in the U.S.—I’ve seen firsthand how critical every trade partner is to keeping projects on track.
Earlier this month, a friend shared with me that he had reached out to schedule warranty work through his go-to flooring contractor, only to discover that every installation crew had been deported over the weekend. This national flooring chain, once reliable for dozens of new-home installs in our region, now has zero crews available. A different friend confided that the recent mass deportation wiped out his builder’s entire painting workforce overnight. Jobs that were on schedule just days ago are now at a standstill.
While I won’t wade into the politics of these actions, the immediate impact is crystal clear: we are at risk, completion timelines are collapsing and homeowners are left waiting. You can’t simply “go back into the labor pool” when that pool has already been limited, and an aging workforce is retiring faster than we’re placing it.
However, I believe this labor crisis also presents an opportunity—a chance to build a better, talented and trained pipeline. We must invest in the next generation of young, talented tradespeople. And that’s exactly what the Floor Covering Education Foundation (FCEF) was created to do.
Over the past three years, FCEF has focused on three strategic pillars:
1. Raising awareness. We’ve partnered with high schools, community colleges and veteran transition programs to put flooring installation on the map as a respected, hands-on profession.
2. Clarifying financial potential. Growing up in a flooring family, I’ve watched talented installers struggle to understand their earning power and advancement options. Now we share transparent data on starting wages and the rapid progression that comes through industry certifications.
3. Mapping career mobility. Installation is just the starting point. From estimating to project management to sales leadership, flooring offers diverse career tracks. Our programs create “advanced helpers” who arrive on job sites ready to learn—and they develop into the skilled installers and supervisors our projects desperately need.
Critics sometimes dismiss introductory training as “not immediately valuable.” But this view overlooks the bigger picture: without a sustainable, trained workforce, our industry collapses from being under-trained, inferior and aging out workforce who disappear. Our college and high school programs aren’t producing 100% certified installers now, but they are nurturing passionate, skilled individuals who will fill those roles tomorrow.
As someone whose own family depends on the steady rhythm of construction schedules, I can’t stress enough the urgency of this moment.
Join FCEF today in building strong, sustainable pathways for a new generation of installers—because the future of our industry, and the livelihood of families like mine and yours, depend on it.
Kaye Whitener is executive director of the Floor Covering Education Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting recruitment, training and retention of floor covering installers. For more information, email kwhitener@fcef.org.
