Cedar Creek, Texas—Alliance Flooring’s 26th annual national convention continued Wednesday morning with keynote speaker Scott Sandlin, executive vice president of the residential division, Shaw Industries, addressing members about the health of the flooring industry. Sandlin began his presentation with a sobering statistic: within the building products industry, flooring delivered the lowest return in profitability of all 10 sectors in the last decade.
“We’ve got to change that because it matters to everyone in this room,” Sandlin said. The good news is that specialty retailers have great opportunities within their grasp. For example, the average age of homes in the U.S. is 41 years, meaning millions of homes are in need of updates and renovations. Sandlin went on to praise members for their entrepreneurial spirit and encouraged them to create a new legacy.
Alliance Flooring also announced it is partnership with Joni & Friends, an international ministry that helps people affected by disability through programs and outreaches. Alliance co-CEOs Ryan Dunn and Kevin Logue presented a check for $15,000 to Joni & Friends representatives. The money was raised by Alliance retail members. Dunn and Logue said they plan to visit the Georgia location of Joni & Friends to take part in one of their retreats.
Carole Cross, founder and CEO of Mobile Marketing, and David Geisel, vice president of sales and marketing, attended Alliance Flooring’s national convention and met with Alliance retailers to demonstrate new digital programs available to members including Samplesapp, which has received rave reviews from dealers for the way it streamlines the sales journey.
Versatrim was also among the suppliers exhibiting at the show. Versatrim offers moldings in any color, at no minimums while offering short lead times with free shipping options. The company also prides itself on superior customer service, striving to make sure customers get a high-quality product at a reasonable price in a quick production time. All of Versatrim’s moldings are also made in the USA.
Versatrim’s innovative approach to molding solutions and its ability to coordinate with most of the top colors in the vinyl, LVT, WPC and laminate flooring industry, has guided the company to the forefront as a leading manufacturer of floor moldings.
(Visit fcnews.net and see the Floor Covering News April 3 edition for more on the Alliance Flooring 26th annual convention.)