Hicksville, N.Y.—Floor Covering News has announced that Steven Feldman has joined the publication as executive editor/associate publisher. In a related move, Matthew Spieler has been promoted to senior executive editor. Both are newly created positions.

Feldman is no stranger to the industry, having being involved in it for more than 11 years. It was in June of 1994 when Janet Morgan Daly, then the editor of Floor Covering Weekly, hired him as the publication’s managing editor.

Spieler has been with FCNews for more than 12 years, starting out as senior editor.

During his time at FCW, Feldman was an integral part of the management team that led the magazine to significant increases in both sales and profitability. He played a key role in the conceptualization and execution of its 50th anniversary issue in 2002, an edition he fondly calls “the highlight of my career.”

Along with his accomplishments within the publication, Feldman participated in a number high-profile industry events, from speaking engagements at Surfaces to the Resilient Floor Covering Institute’s annual meetings and various regional retail associations. In addition to Surfaces, he has been involved in many trade show educational programs as both a speaker and moderator of panel discussions.

Prior to entering the flooring trades, he spent 10 years serving as managing editor of three publications in the horse racing industry, with the last four being the Eastern edition of Daily Racing Form.

As Floor Covering News begins its 20th anniversary celebration (see Editorial on page four), Feldman will play a crucial role in taking the paper to the next level. In his new role, he will work closely with both Spieler and Dustin Aaronson, national sales manager, on a variety of projects, programs and services designed to further increase the publication’s value to its readers and the industry. He will also work in concert with industry suppliers to make sure their marketing messages get the full impact and notoriety they deserve.

“Having a person with Steve’s industry knowledge and contacts is an invaluable addition to our staff,” said Al Wahnon, FCNews’ editor and publisher, “especially as we embark on our next 20-year journey. He has earned a tremendous amount of respect within the industry because he understands this is a people business, and building close relationships is an integral part of being successful.”

“That’s what brought me back,” Feldman said. “This is a relationship business and we can never forget that. I’m looking forward to renewing the relationships I forged while beginning a host of new ones.

“Plus,” he added, “to have the opportunity to work side-by-side with an industry legend like Al Wahnon [who celebrated his 50th anniversary covering the industry last April], is something to which anyone involved in floor covering publishing would aspire.

“And,” Feldman concluded, “most people don’t realize this, but besides Wahnon, FCNews has more experience on its staff than any other industry publication, bar none. We can take that experience and do even greater things as the magazine enters its next 20 years. One key reason is, as a privately-run small business, we have the ability to be flexible in how we approach the business. That is to our advantage. We can and will do things that a magazine owned by a corporate giant simply cannot do.”