San Antonio—Day one of the 2026 Starnet Fall Conference kicked off in earnest here Oct. 22 with scores of commercial flooring contractors, key vendor partners and special guests in attendance.
The theme of the meeting, “Age of Abundance,” reflected the group’s shared commitment to growth, opportunity and the wealth of possibilities within the commercial flooring industry.
“We’re in a strange time when incumbent companies and brands operating with proven methods can win,” Mark Bischoff, Starnet president and CEO, told attendees in his opening remarks. “At the same time, we have new disruptive forces opening doors for those same companies to take a different path. Disruptive companies with management that wants to challenge the status quo will change the industry. It’s a window of opportunity on commercial that might close for incumbents when interest rates fall and the residential flooring business improves. We’re in a sweet spot right now that we’re calling the ‘Age of Abundance.’”
In order to capitalize on these emerging opportunities, however, commercial flooring contractors and their manufacturing partners must put themselves in the best position to succeed. According to Bischoff, this requires embracing technology, innovation and collaboration.
“We don’t innovate enough in the flooring industry,” Bischoff stated. “And no innovation equals low demand generation—and low demand equals low margin. There are so many other cool things that clients spend money on. In order to increase our productivity, we must be better at talent, operations and technology. That’s why Starnet focuses so many resources on these topics. We need to emulate the best in the world at creating excitement and demand for our floor covering products and interiors.”
The good news, according to Bischoff, is it’s in Starnet’s capacity to amplify that demand. “Our story can’t be delayed with construction. We can’t be waiting for the electricians and the plumbers. Our current story is demolish, prepare, fabricate, install. We don’t have to wait for 19th and 20th century products or the people that regulate our industry. We should be able to create our own success in a 21st century world.”
Creating future pathways for success, Starnet noted, will require closer cooperation with the group’s vendor partners. That’s according to Steve Cloud, Starnet chairman and owner of M. Frank Higgins, a Berlin, Conn.-based commercial flooring contractor. In his opening remarks to attendees, he cited the importance of strengthening partnerships across the network.
“Over the 14 years that Higgins has been in the Starnet organization, we realized we stopped being an island in our own market,” Cloud said. “We had friends and we had family to help. The same is true for our vendor partners. Nobody here is an island. Starnet has always focused on its branded products. As the world changes, we need to better support each other or we risk being left behind. So, to our vendor partners, how do we impact this industry through the rest of the decade and into the 2030s to better serve each other? We don’t know what technology is around the next corner, but what we do know is people enjoy doing business with people they know and trust.”
With that, Cloud issued a challenge to every Starnet vendor partner: “Picture what success looks like to you, and then use the Starnet staff, committees and board of directors to plan for that future. We want to be part of that plan.”
As Starnet plans to participate in this emerging “Age of Abundance,” Cloud sought to put things in the proper perspective. “It isn’t about having more, it’s about what becomes possible when we do this together,” he stated in his closing remarks.
(Fore more on this story, look out for the upcoming issue of Floor Covering News.)