By Kathlene Vercellino Prior Lake, Minn.—While some summer events are inclined to draw not as much interest as winter meetings, Floor To Ceiling’s first annual Dealer/Vendor Roundtable Meeting, Mini Trade-show and 7th Annual Golf Tournament set out to disprove this notion. The two-day event drew close to 200 dealers and vendors, “further strengthening an already hardy relationship,” said Ray Shrader, the buying group’s vice president of marketing. Those in attendance participated in sharing common and uncommon business strategies and personal stories of success. “One dealer talked about a new cutting machine he’d bought,” Shrader reflected. “He was able to cut costs and reconfigure his work force to allow his employees to work on other things. It was very cost efficient for him he said and he figured he paid the the whole thing off in about six months.”

One trend seen throughout the members was, “More people are getting into more product categories,” he explained. “Those who have always been hard line carpet guys are now getting into hard surface and area rugs. Businesses which are full-line floor covering stores are taking on kitchen and bath product lines and window treatments. Everyone is trying to get as many different categories as they can in order to offer a variety for their customers. And, that is the key to Floor To Ceiling’s success, because we offer so much versatility to the dealer.” One thing Floor To Ceiling really prides itself on is, “our strong vendor/dealer relationships. We go all out to promote our vendors’ products before we promote anything else,” noted Shrader. “They are our life blood and we make sure to put them front and center—they are definitely our lifeline. We take good care of them and, they, in turn, take good care of us. “An excellent example of this is Shaw Industries who cosponsored this event with us,” he added. “That alone shows how strong our vendor relationships are.”

Part of that relationship building included the group’s 7th Annual Golf Tournament held at the nearby Stonebrooke Golf Club in Shakopee, Minn. Along with the opportunity for members and vendors to interact in a non-business environment, participants had the chance to win an array of prizes, such as $25,000 cash, a 2002 Harley Davidson FXST motorcycle and round-trip airline tickets for two. The event was, “stronger than we had anticipated,” Shrader concluded. “Everyone enjoyed themselves, aside from all the hard work they accomplished during the meetings and trade-show. They were able to have a day of relaxation and fun during the golf tournament. The whole event definitely exceeded everyone’s expectations.”