This year Ken Ballin, owner, Skyro Floors, plans to create awareness surrounding tradeshow events and highlight what's important for installers. He will be at the JLC Live Residential Construction Show and NWFA Expo to demo a number of Bostik products, and he has plans to join iQ Power Tools at Coverings.

“There’s a huge segment of installers that not only have never been to one of the shows but also don’t even know that they exist,” said Ballin. “So, if I can show them some tidbit [about the show], maybe that will spark some interest.”

JLC Live Residential Construction Show

Ballin will be joining Jon Namba, editorial director, FCI Magazine, and owner, Namba Services, at the JLC Live Show to demo Bostik products during their flooring installation sessions. Ballin will also do a social media takeover where he documents the demos on various social platforms.

The JLC Live Residential Construction Show is running March 23 to 25 at the Rhode Island Convention Center. It focuses on everything related to building, including flooring, decking, roofing, windows, tools and more. The show is primarily attended by contractors. It offers a wide range of education sessions and is an opportunity to connect with companies like Bostik, Milwaukee and Sola Measuring Tools. 

Coverings

According to Ballin, “If you’re predominantly a tile contractor, [Coverings] is the show to be at.”

It is the premier tile and stone exhibition in North America with over 1,000 exhibitors from 40 countries, running April 18 to 21 in Orlando, Florida. This year, Ballin will be a brand ambassador for iQ Power Tools. He will be in their booth the first two days of the event, posting to various social platforms about new tools and equipment. 

“Everything is focused on tile and stone,” said Ballin. It’s strictly tile and stone and the tooling that goes with it. It’s a great chance to be around like-minded people, interact with others in person and have a real conversation.” 

NWFA Expo

The NWFA Expo, taking place May 2-4, is another opportunity for Ballin to demo products and promote the industry. He points out that this year is different in that the Expo is being held in Milwaukee, Wisconsin—the location of Bostik’s U.S. headquarters. 

According to Ballin, the relationships are what is important. They have afforded him the opportunity to travel to these events. But what Ballin wants is for other installers to make these opportunities for themselves and to see the tradeshows as a way to make that happen.

“The more of these opportunities that I take advantage of, the more opportunity I have to help others,” said Ballin. “That’s really what it is for me. I want to get out there and show younger installers what’s possible. Yes, you can do awesome work. You can develop these relationships, and you can do what I’m doing right now because I’m no more talented than any other installer in the country. I’m just willing to put myself out there in front of everybody.” 

For more on Ken Ballin, click here.