Hello. This is Mike Chmielecki, editor of Floor Covering Installer and senior editor of Floor Trends. We need to have a little talk. As editor of FCI, I have met with concerned installers at tradeshows, discussed the industry with them urgently on the phone and responded to their increasingly worried emails. One overriding theme to these conversations has emerged in the past year—the installation crisis is not going away without concerted effort from all sides.
I’m sure you’re well aware of the crisis. It’s been covered constantly by the trade media (including FCI), and has become the focus of many well-attended seminars. It also has more than a few businesspeople worried in the short-term about their jobs and in the long-term about the future of the industry. I’ve lost count of how many installers have told me they caution their children to get into any trade but flooring installation. The hours are long, the labor wears and tears at the body, and very few feel like they are truly appreciated for their efforts. That’s where you come in.