Chicago—Day one of the 2025 North American Association of Floor Covering Distributors + North American Building Material Distribution Association (NAFCD + NBMDA) convention kicked off here at the Hyatt Regency in earnest this morning amid robust attendance. Organizers reported 7% higher attendance this year than the 2024 event, including 62 first-time attendees and 30 first-time exhibitors.
“We’re really excited about the engagement from the members who are here this week,” said Brian Green, NAFCD president and chief sales marketing officer of UCX, the industry’s No. 2 ranked distributor, in his opening remarks. “When you look at the amount of people we have signed up this year, it’s up about 7% from last year. We all know it’s a challenging year out there, so we really appreciate you taking the time to be here, be present and engaged throughout the event.”
This year marks the 16th year that NAFCD+NBMDA are co-locating the event. “The collaboration between the two events has been fantastic,” Green said.
Following are a few highlights of the day-one events:
New features, enhanced schedule
Michael Wilbur, NAFCD executive director, welcomed attendees to the convention. “Last year was my first year with this organization—my first ‘rodeo,’ as they say—and now it’s my second rodeo. The staff is always working to improve the member experience. Some of the things we’ve done over the past year have been visible; some things less visible. New this year is our monthly webinar series, which started back in February, and will be expanded into 2026.”
Wilbur also noted significant changes in this year’s convention schedule. Based on member feedback from the 2024 NAFCD conference, leadership made the decision to shake things up a bit. “In the past it’s been a whole day of education, followed by just a day at the exhibit hall, but that wasn’t serving the attendees or the exhibitors,” he explained. “We decided to mix it up by pursuing balance and interspersing some exhibit hall time and some education time. You’re definitely going to get your steps in!”
New NAFCD brand/logo
Wilbur said the group had a new logo designed to reflect the NAFCD’s dedication to growth and improvement. “We wanted to create a more grounded brand that still acknowledges the diverse range of products that our members manufacture and distribute,” he said. “To go along with that, we have just launched a brand new website. The functionality has increased and users will find what they need a lot quicker than before. None of this happens without the entire team here at NAFCD.”
Educational/keynote sessions
Alex Hendrie, vice president of government relations for the National Association of Wholesalers (NAW) helped attendees navigate through the complex subject of tariffs and how they stand to impact the wholesale flooring industry. Providing both an historical view and present-day developments, Hendrie demonstrated how both tariff and trade policies are having ripple effects across the entire supply chain.
Hendrie’s presentation was followed up by Robert “Cujo” Teschner, a former F-15 and F-22 fighter pilot and Squadron Commander, who delivered an inspiring opening keynote, “Debrief to Win.” Teschner, a bestselling author, shared his extensive experience in high-performance military teams to show attendees how to move beyond the “task-work trap” and build truly effective teams. His presentation focused on the fundamentals of teamwork, positive accountability and winning through disruption.
NAFCD cited this year’s education program supporters: Congoleum, Shaw Floors, Sika Titebond and USG.
NAFCD Awards
- All South Distributing (Community Service Award)
- Dennis Mohn, Triforest (NAFCD Member of the Year Award)
- John Sher, Adleta Corp. (Lifetime Achievement Award)
Green, citing his relationship with Sher going back 20 years, called Sher a “steward” of the industry and recalled how Sher was always willing to offer his help to anyone in the industry.
In accepting the award, Sher cited the influence of his colleagues, mentor, family and friends. “This award really came as a surprise to me,” he said. “I look out into the audience and I see all the people who supported me. I accept this award on behalf of Jack Adleta, who took a chance on me many years ago. He always had my back, and I wish he could be here today. One of the greatest awards he gave was he turned the company over to its employees; we’re now an employee-owned (ESOP) company.”
Executive board of 2026
At convention, NAFCD elected the following board members for 2026:
- Austin Starnes (BPI) incoming NAFCD president
- Sara Zacharias-Bentele (All Surfaces) NAFCD vice president
- Mike Kelley (Commercial Flooring Distributors) NAFCD treasurer
- Drew Mittlestaedt (Hallmark Floors) NAFCD supplier officer
As his first act as incoming NAFCD president, Starnes honored Brian Green, outgoing NAFCD president, with the President’s Award. “Under Brian’s leadership, NAFCD experienced strong growth this past year. His steadiness and dedication to this organization is a model for all of us in the industry.”
New supplier/distributor members
New supplier members include: Beasley Flooring Products; Better Tools; Diversified Industries; Finished Edge Technologies; Floor Source; Foam Solutions; Greenwell/Easiklip; Train Industries; Sekisui S-LEC America. W.C. Tingle Co. represents the new distributor member.
NAFCD also recognized the Emerging Leaders at convention—a talented group of individuals poised to lead the next generation of wholesale flooring executives.
(Look for more coverage of the NAFCD convention in upcoming editions of FCNews.)