Alfred I. Halpern, an industry leader who was instrumental in the drive to establish a new standard of quality and training for the floor covering industry, died Oct. 12, according to his family members. During his 50 years in the floor covering industry, Halpern greatly influenced many aspects of the floor covering business particularly those related to installation.
In addition to being a founding member of the steering committee for the International Standards and Training Alliance (INSTALL), he sat on the International Labor-Management Committee for the Floor Covering Industry when it was formed in 1990. The committee's purpose was to assimilate hard tile installation services into the existing United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America. Halpern played a key role in creating INSTALL as this committee's solution to raising the quality of floor covering installation professionals in North America.