Article Number : 1869 |
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| Date | 4/2/2007 8:34:57 AM |
| Written By | LGM & Associates Technical Flooring Services |
| View this article at: | //floorbiz.com/BizResources/NPViewArticle.asp?ArticleID=1869 |
| Abstract | By Louis Iannaco San Francisco—In April 1906 this city was hit with one of the worst earthquakes in recorded history. Just more than 100 years later, the Floor Covering Installation Contractors Association (FCICA) rolled into town celebrating a much happier milestone: its 25th anniversary... |
| Article | By Louis Iannaco San Francisco—In April 1906 this city was hit with one of the worst earthquakes in recorded history. Just more than 100 years later, the Floor Covering Installation Contractors Association (FCICA) rolled into town celebrating a much happier milestone: its 25th anniversary. Reflecting on the past quarter-century, focusing on the present and looking to the future were all part of the organization’s agenda during its three-day stay. “It is an honor to be chairman for an event like this,” said Christopher Capobianco. “To be the guy sitting in the chair during a big 25th anniversary, I feel very flattered to be here.” He noted the FCICA, like most groups, has gone through many highs and lows but feels the remains strong. “We aren’t the biggest in the industry, but we have a very strong group, a good nucleus of volunteers and a great, hard working staff that makes everything happen. I feel good about this group.” Among the many things Capobianco felt good about during the convention were the educational opportunities provided to FCICA members. “The educational sessions are well attended,” he said. “That’s why we’re here; it’s what we do. Our members come for the knowledge and training.” He added this year is the first where every session was focused on business topics as opposed to more technical areas like installation. Now with a total of 177 members, FCICA continues to grow. Several years ago the group’s long-range planning committee set a goal to raise membership to 250. This has proven easier said than done. “We always have a goal to increase our numbers,” Capobianco said. “But I’m cognizant of the fact that for our existing members, the ones who come to conventions, we try and provide as much as possible. We try not to lose sight of service to our current members in our goal to grow; we try to balance both.” According to Kim Oderkirk, FCICA’s executive vice president, a large part of the current focus for the association is its new tile initiative, which is part of its FIT (Floorcovering Installation Training) in-house installer program. With the new tile program, the group is turning its focus on involving and helping tile contractors. It also would like to bring in tile manufacturers. “This is a whole new avenue for us as we want to be all-inclusive in flooring,” Oderkirk explained. “We want to get the word out that we also handle tile. In different markets, a contractor may do only tile. So, in the past we haven’t been able to offer them anything. With the new tile program coming out, we are going to get the word out to those contractors, which is a great prospect base for us.” Another highlight of the convention was the introduction of the association’s new-and-improved Web site, which will be officially launched in May. “I’m very excited that we’ve been able to re-do our site,” Oderkirk said. “It’s one of our main items this year. We added some functions that we’ve been unable to do with the current site.” The new site will allow visitors to search within a given state for a particular contractor—carpet, resilient, tile or all three. It will also provide users with an article archive in which they can research news stories dealing with various areas. “It’s a brand new look,” she added. “The technology is always changing. We are going to add a forum, where we will be able to communicate more effectively with our members as well as our committee. It will be easier for people to join FCICA and buy our merchandise online, and they will be able to register for our mid-year convention.” It doesn’t matter how big or how small the contractor is, Oderkirk said, FCICA offers something for all. “We offer many things, such as Tech-Net, which is comprised of a group of volunteer industry experts who answer any flooring questions members may have. It’s a great group of people, leaders in the industry. They’re all here.” FCICA may represent the commercial side of the industry, but, according to Capobianco, when all of its members get together, be they manufacturers, distributors, consultants or inspectors, “we’re not thinking about what individual category we are in. We’re working together to better the industry, to better ourselves and to help ourselves grow our own businesses. “Someone told me recently that many people see this organization as representing the largest flooring contractors in the country, which is true, but I also think it is a great place for smaller contractors who are just getting started, or residential dealers who are just getting a commercial division up and running,” he continued. “There are a lot of resources here. There are many people who are so generous with what they know. I would recommend that many smaller, even one or two person organizations, get involved with FCICA, as it would be a great investment.” Capobianco noted the benefits of joining such an association are: 1. The knowledge one would gain from attending the member conventions. 2. The opportunity to interact with and learn from some of the industry leaders. Dave Stafford of Dave Stafford Associates and outgoing FCICA board member said he believes for all the trials and tribulations FCICA has gone through over the years, the association is only getting stronger. “I am absolutely convinced FCICA is in a unique position to really be a source for flooring contractors and for those who want to become flooring contractors. A surprising number of people start out as retail dealers but have aspirations to do mainstream commercial business. As they begin to do this, they say to themselves, ‘There is a wonderful new world out there; I’d like to do more of this.’ That’s really where the FCICA comes in.” |