The flooring installation industry has faced significant challenges throughout 2025. Key issues disrupting the sector include Trump administration tariffs, substantial supply chain disruptions, and an acute labor shortage. To gain insight into how the marketplace is responding to these pressures, Floor Trends & Installation recently spoke with Tyler Trick, sales manager of Fishman Flooring Solution's West Region, about current conditions and the outlook for the industry in the coming months.

Floor Trends & Installation: You are the regional sales manager for Fishman’s West Region. What does that include in terms of geography and branches?

Tyler Trick: Fishman’s West Region includes Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Cincinnati, Ohio. There are currently six branches in the region and we plan to open three more in the future. 

Floor Trends & Installation: How would you define Fishman’s customer base in your region? What would a typical customer look like in terms of sales and employees?  

Trick: Our customers all look different. They range from some of the biggest retailers and contractors in the country down to a family-owned retail business with just two or three employees. Our customers do have one thing in common. They are all easy to work with and all of them have a high degree of business intelligence. 

Floor Trends & Installation: What issues are your customers facing today?  

Trick: This has been an interesting year in our region because of the economic uncertainty caused by several issues, including tariffs. That can lead to constant price fluctuation, which is always challenging for our customers. They need to make sure their pricing is up to date daily when pricing jobs. These days, consistency in the marketplace is hard to come by, but appreciated when we can get it. 

There have also been supply chain issues for the past few months. They are always a concern and a headwind for us. Fortunately for Fishman, when the supply chain is disrupted, our installer customers don’t beat us up. We work together with them at our branches to solve supply chain problems. 

Floor Trends & Installation: Are the tariffs having an impact on Fishman in the flooring marketplace?

Tyler Trick, sales manager, West Region, Fishman. Photo: Tyler Trick. 

Trick: Yes and no. First off, nothing has happened yet. So far, the tariff talk has just been noise, but it does affect buying, selling, and stocking habits. Tarriff uncertainty is definitely adding to consumer spending hesitancy, which is not helpful. The 90-day pause is actually making it worse, because it is prolonging the uncertainty.

Ultimately, I think that tariffs will not be too disruptive from a pricing standpoint. LVP/LVT will be most affected, but over the last five years or so that production has really moved away from China.  I honestly think once all the tariff talk settles, consumer confidence will rise, which will lead to increased buying and spending in the flooring marketplace.

Floor Trends & Installation: How would you characterize the flooring economy in your region?  

Trick: Business has been off some, but the second half of the year is looking promising and we are banking on that. The residential/retail segment is hoping for lower interest rates or the realization that they are not going up, which should lead to more consumer confidence and increased spending. We believe the commercial flooring segment will improve in the second half of the year. Backlogs are healthy right now.

Floor Trends & Installation: From your vantage point, which commercial flooring segments will strengthen in the second half of the year? 

Trick: The education segment is looking for higher-quality products that are longer-lasting, which is good to see. At Fishman, we are always advocates of putting higher-quality products in any space. The healthcare market also continues to grow.

Floor Trends & Installation: Are there any recently introduced flooring and/or flooring installation products that stand out as game changers in the flooring marketplace?  

Trick: Fishman is all about providing new solutions to our customers, so we are constantly bringing new products to market. I think that laminate is the most interesting. It is the new trend and talked about a lot. The key regarding laminate at the retail level is to ask the right questions. We need to understand what environment the floor is going into and what kind of activity is going to occur on top of it.  I am always about finding the right solution, not just pushing what is popular. 

Floor Trends & Installation: Is the labor market an issue for flooring contractors in your region? How hard is it for flooring contractors to hire and/or train installers?  

Trick: There is more work than workers in our marketplace. In particular, there is a massive shortage of trade labor. 

I’m a member of the Kentuckiana Floor Covering Education Committee (KFCEC), where we are working with local high schools to start trade schools and host education and demonstration sessions to encourage the next generation of workers to get into our trade. I would love to see some form of licensing or certification process for workers to install floors. That will not only increase our pool of installers, but will validate the trade and the craft of which we are proud. 

We need to welcome any and all younger people to our industry, not push them out or discourage them. The flooring industry has provided a great living for a lot of people and we need to make sure potential workers are aware of this great career opportunity.