The International Surface Event (TISE) National Installer of the Year Competition offers flooring installers the opportunity to showcase their talent on a world stage in Las Vegas in January 2026. “They get to show the world the best parts of installation,” said Dave Garden, master instructor, World Floor Covering Association (WFCA). “We, as installers, can show the world who we are and show off the gifts we have.”

Leading up to the National are four Regional Competitions held across the country where installers sign up to compete in either the carpet or engineered hardwood category. The winner from each category then goes on to compete in Las Vegas. Airfare, hotel and meals along with a stipend are provided to the Regional winners. 

“[The competition] is unlike anything that’s done anywhere else,” said Rachel Lesczynski, conference manager, TISE. “This is the only place [installers] can compete in something like this on as a big a stage as this.”

The Regionals

The first Regional Competition was held in Boston, Massachusetts on July 19, 2025, at W.J. Grosvenor, a Division of L. Fishman & Son, Inc. In the engineered wood category, Benny Powell, owner, Powell Flooring in Plymouth, Massachusetts took home the win. Doug Lamos, Jr. with Your Local Floor Pro out of Harland, Vermont took home the win in the carpet category.

The second Regional Competition will be held on August 23 at Hank’s Specialties in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Cartwright Distributing will host the third Regional on October 11 in Denver, Colorado, and the fourth Regional will take place at the Certified Flooring Installers (CFI) headquarters in Dalton, Georgia on October 25. Those interested in participating can register here. 

The Competition

Each Regional Competition as well as the National are structured so that participants are provided with a work order and floor plan for their respective flooring category. For the Regionals, these are designed so that installers can complete the install in six hours. The National competition is considerably more challenging, providing two and a half days to complete the work orders. 

 According to Garden, the work orders are tested and verified by a committee made up of Shane Jenkins with Sika USA/Schönox; Jerry Miller with Miller’s Flooring Consultants; Kevin Keefe, director of technical support, QEP/Roberts; Don Styka, director of field services, Tarkett; Val Chestohin, lead instructor at the International Union of Allied Painters and Trades (IUPAT) DC 16; and Sandon Carson, field service manager II—wood and laminate, Mohawk Industries.

It is important to note that the work orders don’t require the participants to work with complex materials such as woven carpets and high-end hand-scraped wood. “They’re working with products that people work with every day,” said Lesczynski. 

In addition to establishing realistic installation expectations with the work orders and materials, TISE and CFI—who helps organize the events, decided to drop the Regionals down to a single day. 

“One of the biggest obstacles we used to run into was installers couldn’t afford to take time off of work to travel and compete, so we have moved the competition to Saturdays to minimize any worktime loss,” Leslie Del Pozo, VP marketing communications, QEP, and CFI Advisory Board member. 

The Sponsors

Mohawk Industries and Performance Accessories are providing all of the flooring products—engineered hardwood, carpet, cushion and accessories. Sika USA is donating the wood adhesive.

QEP and Roberts Consolidated are providing the tools. “This competition is a celebration of the installer, and I am proud to be part of it,” said Del Pozo. “It is exciting to watch as installers put their skills to the test, especially at the Regional level when it is against other installers in their area. You can really see their pride and competitiveness come out.”

Additionally, the sponsors provide a technical representative to serve as a judge for each Regional as well as the National. 

“I strongly encourage everyone to sign up," said Del Pozo. "Every competitor that I have spoken to, including those that did not win, said that it was an amazing experience. They have told me that meeting so many other amazing installers as well as all the trainers and manufacturers was an unexpected bonus. When you get that many people in one place with the same passion about flooring, it is energizing.”