Monday - Wednesday, March 11 - 13, 2024 Education Sessions + Plant Tours
Monday, March 11 at 3:00 pm | Dead Level Floors – Learn How to Go From Flat and Smooth to Dead Level
Presented by Seth Pevarnik, Director of Technical Services, ARDEX Americas
This education session is sponsored by a generous contribution from ARDEX Americas.
For substrates to receive the installation of finish flooring, they must be flat and smooth so the flooring can perform as intended and the finished flooring is aesthetically pleasing. The common specification for flatness of a substrate to receive finish flooring is 3/16” in 10’. In most cases, a 1/4" to 3/8” application of a self-leveling underlayment can meet the flatness specification and create a smooth surface for the finish flooring. However, sometimes there is a need to pour a super flat / dead level floor to meet the needs of the area. In this presentation, you will learn the difference between flat smooth and level. You will also learn about the types of tools, equipment and application methods to achieve a dead level floor.
Seth Pevarnik has worked for Ardex Americas in the Technical Service Department since 1991 and is currently their Director of Technical Services. His areas of expertise are Concrete, Moisture in Concrete, Proper Substrate Preparation, Underlayments, Toppings and Decorative Applications. He has been certified in Substrate and Subfloor Inspection and well as Substrate and Subfloor Preparation. He has presented information on moisture in concrete, proper substrate preparation, flooring adhesives and tile and stone to industry groups including FCICA, ICRI, INSTALL, NAFCT, NFCA and STARNET. He is active in industry associations and standards organizations including ASTM, FCICA, STARNET, INSTALL, IICRC, NAFCT, NFCA and MMSA. Seth sits on the boards for FCICA and NAFCT and serves as the IICRC Chair for the ISSI Certification; he also is on FCICA's Education and CIM Committees. He helped develop the newly published ANSI S220 Hard Surface Floor Covering Inspection Standard, is helping to develop the ANSI S230 Standard for Professional Inspection of Flooring Subfloors and Substrates and is a voting member of the ANSI S800 Standard and Reference Guide for Professional Inspection of Textile Floor Covering.
Tuesday, March 12 - 8:30 - 9:30 am | Keynote Speaker - Kelley Fain, Executive Vice President, Commercial Division, Shaw Industries
Kelley Fain's Keynote Address is generously sponsored by a generous contribution from Shaw Industries.
Kelley Fain, Executive Vice President of Shaw’s Commercial Division, brings profound company and customer insight to his role. Throughout his 29-year tenure, Kelley has made significant contributions across various departments, from customer service teams to the Custom Design Studio, and from field sales to leadership positions. Kelley's diverse experience has enriched his understanding of Shaw's customers and their needs, leading to business growth across all divisional areas. With comprehensive knowledge and expertise spanning education, government, hospitality, corporate, retail, and healthcare sectors, he leads with a commitment to excellence and innovation, instilling a culture of action and accountability within the Shaw teams. Kelley's leadership has been instrumental in supporting customers across each market segment and positioning Shaw’s commercial business for future success and expansion.
Tuesday, March 12 - 9:30 - 10:30 am | Recruiting and Retaining the Next Generation of Flooring Professionals - Panel Discussion
Moderated by Ed, Metcalf, President, Metcalf Advisor Services. Panelists - James Lockwood, CIM, Quality and Productivity Manager, Consolidated Flooring, Ben Walker, Director of Client Services, Go Carrera and Jose Gonzalez, CIM, Partner, Preferred Flooring MI.
An ongoing challenge in the flooring industry is the recruitment of qualified installers – and retaining them, once hired. What can those in management do to improve their recruitment efforts and land well-matched hires? How can management impart to younger new recruits the benefits of a career in flooring and change their mindset from 'it's just a job' to seeing it as a long-term, financially beneficial profession? Creating a career plan – mapping the steps and future opportunities is one way to decrease turn-over and improve retention. Including them in decision-making and pairing an apprentice with an experienced mentor are other ways to tackle the problem. Hear from this panel of professionals as they discuss their challenges, ideas, success stories and solutions to hiring committed candidates to the trade and bridging the generational ‘work cultures’ to foster the next generation of flooring professionals.
Ed Metcalf is a flooring industry veteran whose leadership roles have included executive positions at major manufacturers and numerous terms as Director on many industry association boards. Service to the industry awards from Ceramic Tile Distributors Association, National Tile Contractors Association, and Tile Contractors Association of America are testament to Metcalf’s commitment to the growth and stability of the flooring industry. Metcalf Advisory Services is a consulting firm offering assistance to commercial organizations and trade associations, primarily focused on data analysis, strategy, and business development.
James Lockwood, CIM, is the Quality and Productivity Manager for Consolidated Flooring and is a flooring veteran, having been in the flooring industry and with Consolidated Flooring for 36 years. He is a member of the NYC District Council of Carpenters, going on 32 years. James has experience in all aspects of flooring: as an installer, foreman and for the last 8 years, the Quality and Productivity Manger. James sits on the FCICA Board of Directors and serves on the Membership and Education Committees. Consolidated Flooring is a service-oriented, commercial floor covering contractor with over 80 successful years of operational and incremental growth in the industry. As one of the nation’s largest and most recognized full-service floor covering contractors, we serve our clients from planning and specification through installation and maintenance on all the latest product options and innovations. Consolidate Flooring is also a 42 year FCICA member!
Jose Gonzalez, CIM, Partner, Preferred Flooring MI, started in the flooring industry in 1998. Together with his brother and sister, they formed Preferred Flooring, a full-service flooring contractor company. Preferred Flooring provides highly skilled installers in the Grand Rapids, MI area. Jose's believes hard work, a great work ethic and an entrepreneurial mindset has led his team to success.
Ben Walker has been in the construction industry for over 10 years. Currently, he is the Chief Operating Officer for Go Carrera. Previously, Ben led a commercial tile contracting company to 6X revenue growth over just 3 years and has experienced, first-hand, the difficulty of finding quality installers. He has now made it his mission to help companies navigate the flooring industry installation crisis by scaling Go Carrera’s network and ensuring both company and installer members receive maximum value from Go Carrera's ecosystem. Go Carrera is a labor management platform that empowers independent installers and flooring companies to track work and perform their best with labor management tools and resources. Its mission is to put installers in control of their success and tackle the labor crisis by ensuring companies can find quality installers for their projects.
Tuesday, March 12 - 2:45 - 3:30 pm | Recycling in the Flooring Industry – How it's Done
Presented by Rachel Palopoli, Director of Circular Economy, Tarkett and Bob Peoples, Executive Director, C.A.R.E
Recycling old flooring is a commendable effort to reduce waste and promote sustainability. But is it easy? How much does it cost? What can be recycled? Learn from two industry experts who will explain specific guidelines and options for recycling. Combined they have over 50 years in the recycling industry, they will share what can be recycled and how to identify, the process, logistics and how to create a recycling process plan for your business. Learn about the state of the flooring recycling industry, legislation, and what we are hearing in the marketplace.
Rachel Palopoli, Director, Circular Economy, manages Tarkett’s Restart® program for take back and recycling. She is responsible for setting strategic goals and milestones to meet customer needs, address legislative changes, and achieve corporate targets for recycling. Rachel has over 20 years of recycling experience within the built environment and earned her Bachelor of Business Administration degree at Hofstra University. Prior to joining Tarkett, Rachel held leadership roles with Planet Recycling and Aquafil where she led both organizations to strategically grow their recycling programs.
Robert Peoples, Ph.D., is Executive Director of the Carpet American Recovery Effort (CARE). In this capacity, he works to implement market-based solutions for the reuse and recycle of post-consumer carpet. Prior to rejoining CARE, he was Director of the ACS Green Chemistry Institute in Washington, D.C. and served as the founding Executive Director and board member of The Carpet America Recovery Effort (CARE) and the Sustainability Director for the Carpet & Rug Institute. He also serves as President of the consulting firm Environmental Impact Group, LLC. Dr. Peoples was a key driver in the development of the NSF 140 Sustainable Carpet ANSI Standard. Dr. Peoples has over seen the growth of the CARE organization from its beginnings in January 2002 to what is a $25M operational enterprise today.
Tuesday, March 12 - 3:45 - 4:45 pm | The Evolution of Estimating
Presented by Kathy Case, Director of Business Development, Quantify North America and Anastasia Adams, National Estimating Manager, Diverzify
This education session is sponsored by a generous contribution from H.B. Fuller / TEC.
An estimating-centric walk through time: Explore the evolution of the estimating process from traditional paper takeoffs and manual document access through electronic data and processes into the latest advancements in AI technology. Understand the variation in roles and responsibilities for estimators. Our goal is to encourage you to learn and embrace the technology that is available. Most importantly, you will learn how embracing technology can make the industry more appealing to younger generations, ensuring its stability and relevance in an increasingly digital world.
Kathy Case is a third generation flooring professional. With over 45 years in commercial construction, she has filled many roles - estimating, installation, project management, sales and executive management. Currently, Kathy's focus is estimating - working with technology-based companies to develop estimating solutions for the industry. Quantify North America Inc. supports flooring industry estimating departments, customizing their systems with technology to improve the accuracy and ease of the estimating process. Kathy also serves on the FCICA Education Committee.
Anastasia Adams is the National Estimating Manager for Diverzify. An army veteran, Anastasia has over 12 years in the construction industry. She has held positions in the industry as both a designer and estimator. She is the author of Diverzify Estimating Training Manual, a comprehensive 170-page instructional manual and a 33-page Flooring Glossary guide. Complementing these materials, Anastasia built the accompanying estimating website and created RFI forms for all Diverzify brands. In her current position, she also serves as the Measure Square and Estimating Trainer. Diverzify is the nation’s most comprehensive commercial flooring and facility services provider. It is a first-of-its-kind resource that unifies preeminent experts, services and resources in a way that has never been done before.
Proper attire is required - long pants, no open-toed shoes, no jewelry. Everyone MUST sign the online Mohawk waiver to attend the tour.
- Mohawk Pilot Plant Tour - Contractors will tour the Mohawk Group + Durkan’s largest sample plant where the soft surface mini tufting machines are housed and the product development team create new products and colorways.
- Mohawk Carpet Manufacturing Tour – Contractors will tour the Broadloom, Tufting and PDI Lab and Production where state-of-the-art machines run - in what was once in the industry called ‘Print’ but now is called Precise Dye Injection. Visitors will learn how important lighting is in this process and how Mohawk’s market innovations create better products and faster production times.
Shaw Plant Tour Experience - 4 Plant Sites / Lunch - Meet at the Hilton Garden Inn parking area at 8:00 - 8:15 am. Busses leave at 8:30 am sharp.
Please note Shaw site tours have been assigned in advance. If you responded to the tour selection ask, we assigned your first choice, when feasible. Proper attire is required - long pants, no open-toed shoes, no jewelry. Everyone MUST sign a hard copy of the Shaw waiver to attend the tour.
- Shaw Plant RP - Resilient
- Shaw Plant WM - Extrusion
- Shaw Plant 30 - Carpet Distribution
- Shaw Plant WD - Carpet Manufacturing
ARDEX Feather Finish Self-Drying, Cement-Based Finishing Underlayment - 1 pallet (208 bags) - Donated by 
