Women in the Flooring Industry (WIFI), a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization announces its partnership with the Women of Starnet for a panel on Advancing Women in Flooring at the upcoming Starnet Annual Meeting to be held on Amelia Island, Florida, on Friday, May 17 at 8 a.m. EST. The panel will be moderated by WIFI board member Tanja Kern, associate publisher and editorial director of Floor Trends & Installation. Those interested in attending can register here.

Meet the Advancing Women in Flooring panelists:

Kaddy Hamilton, President, WC Carpenter

Hamilton was born and raised in a family business, working part time through high school and college. She was named president in 1989 when her father retired. Hamilton noted, “Through the years we have adapted to change as our customers were continuously changing. From a wholesale flooring distributer in 1968, we evolved into a class A contractor, which more recently has enabled us to do much more than just flooring.”

Erin West, National Accounts Manager – Commercial Buying Groups, AHF

West's remarkable journey in the flooring industry began in 2012 as a spec representative. In March 2023, West joined AHF as a business development representative, making a transformative impact. Within six months, she was promoted to national accounts manager for commercial buying groups. This role was created to drive focus with Starnet. Her success in Dallas, Texas, led to the hiring of two additional representatives, and she received the AHF Maple Award in November for her pivotal role in opening the Plano, Texas, showroom.

Kathleen Cloud, President, M. Frank Higgins & Co., Inc. (Higgins Flooring)

Cloud is the president and co-owner of M. Frank Higgins & Co., Inc., one of the largest commercial flooring specialists in the Northeast. M. Frank Higgins is a fourth-generation family business since 1952 and is located in Berlin, Connecticut, with over 75 full-time employees. At Higgins, Cloud promotes strong family and community values and helps create a company culture that honors service to the customer through relationship building, employee development through workshops and educational opportunities, and involvement in community service opportunities.

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