by David WilliamsAs I begin my term as president of The North American Association of Floor Covering Distributors (NAFCD), I can’t help but feel enormous pride in representing a great organization and industry. As I embark on this exciting role, I want to take this opportunity to outline some of the plans I have for the year ahead.
NAFCD recently completed a member survey, and the information we received from that survey helped us put together programs to make sure NAFCD is doing the right things for the membership. Among the useful information we gleaned from this survey was that members want more educational and networking opportunities.
I think we can learn from each other—and we have to learn from each other to get through these tough times. It’s a new environment for us, and we need to learn how to not only survive but to prosper.
I’m always looking for people who do something differently or better than I do, and I think the future of NAFCD is going to heavily involve people looking toward each other for best business practices.
In the year ahead, I plan to focus on using education and networking opportunities to help our members through these challenging economic times. It has been a rough road for several years, and it’s easy to become negative. Don’t let the challenges of others become your own. Focus on your own tasks at hand, but try to maintain the balance of awareness that must go with it.
Our job as leaders in the industry is to forge ahead and be fearless when it comes to bringing value to our companies. My message to our members is to stay positive and focused.
Know that you are not alone during this time. NAFCD is a strong resource for you—one that will deliver educational opportunities to help foster ideas and solutions, and provide networking events to allow members to discuss and share those ideas.
I look forward to serving as your president. When I turn the gavel over next year, my goal is to leave behind increased access to educational and networking opportunities for all of our members.