San Diego—Saturday, April 14 was an exciting day for flooring installation here. Presented by the San Diego County Floor Covering Association (SDCFCA) and under the direction of Gary Bedrosian of The Kuske Co., more than 150 installers from across the region and Mexico arrived to enhance their knowledge and skills.

“Working together, everyone benefits from the wealth of installation knowledge in this format,” Bedrosian said. “Success in business is based on skill, attitude and adaptability. Floor Excellence offers lessons that can positively contribute to each of these.”

Jim Walker, CEO of the International Certified Floorcovering Installers Association (CFI) encouraged the group to be proud of themselves, their career and to be excited every day because of the opportunity to create another custom installation. “Installation starts in your heart. You must want to be the best. If you are not excited about this career, you need to find something that motivates you because this industry needs proud professionals. By attending this outstanding event, it is evident you care about your work.”

During the patterned carpet workshop, CFI’s executive director Jon Namba said, “Installing this type of carpet requires the finest hand skills and knowledge. Patterned carpet requires more time and expertise to do the work correctly. Working in small groups, we’ll install carpet in modules and keep the patterns aligned on all sides. This isn’t easy work and it’s not for beginners.” At the conclusion of each session, the patterns were checked for alignments and more information concerning installation was available.

During his demonstration, CFI Master Installer Scott Parks stated, “Installing some of the more difficult vinyl patterns requires skill. If you make a mistake, it can be costly. The industry desperately needs experienced installers who know how to flashcove vinyl.” He also demonstrated board replacement and guided the installers through each step. “Installation of any type of flooring is an art of which you must be proud. Anybody can do it wrong, but we’re here to help you learn the correct methods.”

SDCFCA members were enthusiastic about the number of installers, sales associates and manufacturers that attended the annual event. “As a salesperson, the more you know at the front end, the better the job will come out at the backend,” said Tauna Rodarte of JW Flooring Design Center.

“This is a great opportunity for installers and we thank the association and the manufacturers for supporting those of us who seek to be the best in our field,” said Joe Amituanai, a CFI installer from The Kuske Co.

Sylvia Hanson, SDCFCA’s president, summed up the event. “It provided a venue for attendees to advance their skills through targeted topics. As I viewed the classrooms and spoke with individuals, it was clear they were absorbing the materials, challenged in the hands-on assignments and thoroughly enjoying the experience.”

In addition to the training sessions, each attendee received the Floor Excellence 2007 Spring Training Resource Guide filled with hundreds of pages of installation information.

For more about SDCFCA, call 888.259.2960, ext 103.