Chicago—The North American Association of Floor Covering Distributors (NAFCD) has launched its 2020 programs and member offerings in support of its strategic plan. The NAFCD’s strategic plan includes serving as the conduit for annual member interaction, strengthening educational offerings around key issues, collaborating with related industry organizations to address overarching industry challenges and expanding the NAFCD member base.
“We envision 2020 to be a breakout year for NAFCD,” said Kevin Gammonley, executive vice president, NAFCD. “We have invaluable resources, programs, educational offerings and strategic partnerships designed to equip floor covering distributors with the tools they need to be successful. Our goal is to ensure every distributor can capitalize on these resources.”
Strategic Goal 1: Serve as a conduit for annual member interaction.
NAFCD’s Annual Convention has developed into the premier event for connecting decision-makers within the flooring distribution channel. The association continues to invest in this event with its strongest line-up of programming ever and unique attendee experiences planned for its November 2020 event in Colorado. Additionally, NAFCD facilitates in-person member interaction at major industry events throughout the year by providing distributors a place to connect and deepen their relationships at these events. Finally, NAFCD recently launched the NAFCD Distributor Member Map, an interactive tool for exploring the breadth of the NAFCD distributor member network from across North America, allowing members to connect electronically year-round.
Strategic Goal 2: Strengthen educational offerings around key issues.
NAFCD has developed an educational and research menu focused on top distributor issues and trends that impact members. New in 2020 is the launch of an online, video-based training program designed exclusively for branch managers within a flooring distributorship. In the spring, the association hosts its University of Innovative Distributionconference, a four-day event featuring 40 expert-led educational courses per day, covering distribution strategy, leadership, professional development, management, human resources, marketing, operations and sales. An abundance of benchmarking data will be provided to distributors to measure their success against industry averages through its annual Financial Benchmarking and Compensation and Benefits surveys.
“NAFCD is in a very good place because of the hardworking Board of Directors that have served the organization over the last few years,” said NAFCD president Dunn Rasbury, A&M Supply. “There are extremely valuable programs currently available for distributors.”
Strategic Goal 3: Collaborate with related industry organizations to address overarching industry issues and challenges.
In an effort to effectively support the industry and bring value to members, NAFCD collaborates with a variety of allied industry associations including the North American Building Material Distribution Association (NBMDA) and the World Floor Covering Association (WFCA). In 2020, a new partnership with the International Wood Products Association (IWPA) has been introduced to help members navigate the complexities of rules and regulations as it pertains to the import and distribution of wood products.
Strategic Goal 4: Expand the NAFCD member base.
NAFCD aims to expand membership across all segments of the flooring distribution channel including its ongoing growth within flooring supplies, accessories, tools and equipment.
For more information, visit: nafcd.org.