Dallas—NAFCD and NBMDA announced the keynote and general session speakers for their 2026 Annual Convention running Nov. 3-5.
Opening keynote: Justin Forsett
Former NFL running back Justin Forsett will open the convention. Forsett is also CEO of personal care company Hustle Clean.
His presentation is titled, “Greatness Grows Best in the Shadows: A Playbook for Building Resilient Teams.”
Forsett will draw on his personal experiences to share lessons about perseverance and hope. He will discuss how professionals can get “knocked down” and still perform at a high level.
Wednesday general session: Meridith Elliott Powell
Researcher, thought leader and keynote speaker Meridith Elliott Powell will close Wednesday’s programming. Her presentation, titled, “Thrive: Turn Uncertainty to Your Competitive Advantage,” will discuss the “PROVEN Methodology,” drawing on quantitative and qualitative research. The session will focus on staying flexible while maintaining progress and identifying new opportunities.
Thursday general session: Grace Schatz
Grace Schatz, managing director of economic consulting at ITR Economics, will close the convention’s final day with an economic outlook. During her presentation, titled, “Setting Expectations for 2027 and Beyond,” she will examine key macroeconomic trends expected to affect businesses in 2027. She will also address factors carrying over from 2026.
Topics will include inflation, interest rates, labor and geopolitical uncertainty. Schatz will discuss how those forces could affect costs, workforce strategy and resource allocation. She will also address the risk of profitless prosperity and the timing of business investments.
Members can access special rates, while all attendees can save by registering before the Oct. 16 standard-rate deadline.
The collection won recognition in the Interiors: Flooring, Acoustics and Furnishings category.
Now in its eighth year, the FacilitiesNet Vision Awards recognize innovative products for commercial and institutional buildings. The program focuses on products that support efficient and profitable building operations.
A panel of facility executives evaluates the entries. Judges include FacilitiesNet Facility Influencers and members of the publication’s editorial advisory boards. Other facility management professionals also participate in the judging.
“We are honored to see CraftedConnections recognized with a FacilitiesNet Vision Award,” said Brian Rhee, director of decorative materials for flooring business and development at LX Hausys America. “The collection reflects HFLOR’s focus on delivering complete flooring solutions that combine nature-inspired design, TrueMatte finish advanced technology and long-term performance. This recognition reinforces our continued investment in innovative and responsible products that support durability, wellness and sustainability across a wide range of commercial and residential environments.”
CraftedConnections combines coordinated visuals
LX Hausys launched CraftedConnections at The International Surface Event (TISE) in January 2026. The high-performance LVT collection serves commercial and residential environments. It combines nature-inspired visuals with technology designed to support long-term performance.
The collection works across workplace, hospitality, healthcare, education and mixed-use settings. Its coordinated aesthetics allow flooring to transition across different areas of a project.
CraftedConnections includes two coordinated designs, CraftedWood and CraftedClay. The designs allow users to combine wood and stone looks within a cohesive palette.
LX Hausys offers the collection in 2.5 mm and 5 mm thickness options. A 10-year commercial warranty backs the collection. CraftedConnections also holds GREENGUARD and GREENGUARD Gold certifications.
For nearly five decades, Comp-U-Floor has focused on making customers more efficient and help them compete.
Over the past five decades, the flooring industry has changed dramatically with new product categories, evolving distribution models and technology reshaping how companies operate. Few businesses have witnessed that transformation as closely as Comp-U-Floor, which has grown alongside the industry since computers first began finding a place in flooring operations.
Comp-U-Floor entered the flooring industry in the 1970s, when founder and CEO Edgar Aya recognized that flooring businesses had operational needs that the technology of the day did not yet address. Aya, an engineer with a master’s degree in computer science, had already started several businesses and worked as an IBM partner when an opportunity in ceramic tile caught his attention.
What began as a solution for ceramic tile retailers soon grew into something much broader. Comp-U-Floor began attending flooring trade shows annually and expanded its technology to serve additional flooring categories. As computers became more important to business operations, the company grew alongside an industry beginning to recognize the potential of specialized software.
That growth accelerated in the 1980s when Shaw Industries selected Comp-U-Floor as its primary computer system. Aya traveled to Dalton where the two companies established a relationship that helped introduce Comp-U-Floor to a much larger portion of the flooring industry.
“When you get one of these big companies to sponsor you, finances change tremendously,” Aya said.
The credibility that came with the relationship helped Comp- U-Floor attract customers across different areas of the industry. Around the same time, Aya’s son, Alex, joined the company. The two developed a long-term business plan that helped establish Comp-U-Floor as a multi-generational family business. Alex Aya has now served as company president for roughly 20 years.
For Alex Aya, maintaining the relationships built during that growth has become as important as the technology itself. “We have a fantastic relationship with our customers,” he said. “We become their IT department.”
That level of support has helped Comp-U-Floor build relationships that span decades. Ed Lint, vice president of Lint Tile, Irwin, Pa., said his company has worked with Comp-U-Floor for many years and values both the platform and the people behind it. “Hands down they have the best flooring software in the industry,” Lint said. “It’s very advanced yet very user friendly. They also offer a strong and friendly support team that is always a phone call or email away.”
Built to evolve
Comp-U-Floor began by developing point-of-sale software before moving into Windows-based systems and, eventually, cloud technology. Edgar Aya said the company has approached those transitions as more than routine upgrades. As technology changes, Comp-U-Floor has repeatedly rebuilt its software to take advantage of new capabilities rather than layering new features onto an aging platform.
“As technology evolves, we rewrite the software for our customers from the ground up,” he said.
Comp-U-Floor relies heavily on feedback from the retailers, distributors and other flooring businesses using its systems every day. Customers bring different operational needs to the platform, and those requests often influence how the software develops.
“Our customers tell us what they want and need and we work that in,” Edgar Aya said. “Different customers want different features. The software evolves via each customer.”
That customer-driven approach also guides how Alex Aya views the company’s responsibility as new technologies emerge. “We never leave anyone behind,” he said. “We guide them and bring them into the new technology. We listen to our customers.”
That relationship is especially important in flooring, where the needs of a retailer can differ considerably from those of a distributor. Comp-U-Floor’s platform touches areas, including estimating, inventory, installation and financial management. That makes the software part of the infrastructure that keeps a flooring operation moving.
Steve Clamp, president of Great Britain Tile, Land O’ Lakes, Fla., has seen that evolution firsthand during more than 20 years as a Comp-U-Floor client. He said the software has helped his company grow while supporting functions across both the front and back office. In particular, Clamp pointed to faster quote development for retail and builder customers as well as accounting, vendor and subcontractor payments, purchase orders and margin tracking. “The staff is always a pleasure to deal with and very responsive with questions or issues,” Clamp said.
For Edgar Aya, that level of interaction remains one of the company’s most valuable sources of product development. When customers identify a need, the company listens. “Feedback is the most important thing,” he said.
Technology with a practical purpose
Despite the dramatic changes in technology, Edgar Aya said the basic reason flooring businesses invest in software has remained fairly consistent: They want to operate more efficiently. “At the end of the day, it’s the efficiency,” he said. “Solid software foundation allows you to be highly efficient with no mistakes so you can provide the best service to the client.”
That need has only grown as competition has intensified across both the retail and distribution sides of the industry. A strong technology platform can reduce mistakes and improve access to information. It can also allow employees to spend less time navigating disconnected processes.
Kevin Rose, president and owner of Carpetland USA, which operates nine locations across Iowa and Illinois, said those capabilities have remained valuable throughout his company’s more than 20-year relationship with Comp-U-Floor. “Comp-U-Floor has a very responsive team and a fluid accounting package that handles our flooring needs for projects of all sizes,” he said. “Our relationship extends over 20 years, and their support team is always friendly and expeditious.”
Cloud technology has expanded those possibilities by giving users access to their systems from different devices and locations. That accessibility has fundamentally changed what customers can expect from business management software.
“Being able to access software from any platform, anywhere, adds a deep level of convenience and accessibility,” Alex Aya said. “Plus, the cloud provides outstanding security.”
For a company that has already navigated the transition from early computer systems to Windows and then the cloud, the next major change is coming into focus. Management believes artificial intelligence will have a significant impact on both Comp- U-Floor and the broader flooring industry.
“AI is going to be so important to the world,” Edgar Aya said. “AI is going to change the industry drastically.”
Comp-U-Floor is exploring how it can incorporate AI into its systems, particularly on the back end. The company sees opportunities for the technology to reshape system design and make software more intuitive. It also believes it can improve how flooring businesses interact with information.
“If I am a business owner and am looking at ROI, I am seeing that AI is going to allow me to better compete in the marketplace,” Edgar Aya said.
For Comp-U-Floor, AI represents another chapter in a story defined by adapting to new technology without losing sight of the businesses using it.
That philosophy also extends to the company itself. Comp-U-Floor remains headquartered in the Orlando, Fla., area, something Edgar Aya views as an important part of its identity. He said the company regularly receives proposals from larger organizations interested in working together. Some of those opportunities could move operations outside the country.
Ownership remains committed to keeping the business rooted in the U.S.
“I am very proud that we are a U.S.-based company,” Edgar Aya said. “We believe our company is a U.S. asset. Today, more than ever we need to protect our assets.”
Dalton—The World Floor Covering Association (WFCA) released a new “Tuesday Tips” this week. In the series, WFCA experts present short video tips for improving customer service and optimizing staff performance. In the end, it’s all about understanding the importance of doing 100 things just 1% better than your competition.
In this week’s Tuesday Tips, Tom Jennings, retail training expert, looks at how attitude can shape the sales conversation and help customers decide for themselves.
Tyler, the robot, is designed to handle repetitive tile and plank placement while installers focus on the skilled portions of the job.
For years, the flooring industry has talked about the shortage of skilled installers. Contractors have more work than qualified people to perform it, especially in demanding categories such as ceramic and stone. Human Friendly Robotics believes part of the answer may come from a machine named Tyler.
Tyler is a robotic flooring installer built to work alongside a crew. The system handles repetitive placement across the main field of a floor. Installers remain responsible for work that requires judgment, experience and craftsmanship.
That distinction matters. Automation can make people uneasy, particularly in trades where skill has always been measured by what a person can do with their hands. Human Friendly Robotics wants contractors to view Tyler as another piece of equipment, not a replacement for the installer.
“We understand the concern, but the reality we see in the market is that contractors are struggling to find enough qualified installers, not looking for ways to eliminate the ones they already have,” said Shamoon Siddiqui, CEO of Human Friendly Robotics.
How it works: The company designed Tyler so contractors do not need a robotics specialist on site. Crews can typically unload the system, position it in the work area and complete setup in less than 30 minutes. An operator enters basic project information on an iPad, including material type and dimensions.
The installer establishes the first row, which sets the layout, alignment and squareness of the floor. Tyler then uses that installed material as its reference. Its vision system then calculates where each tile or plank should go next.
The process keeps critical layout decisions with the installer while Tyler handles the repetitive placement that follows.
Crews remain responsible for substrate preparation, material staging, cuts, edges, grout (when required) and jobsite conditions that demand experience.
“Tyler is a tool that makes existing installers more productive while shifting their time toward the parts of the installation where skill and judgment matter most,” Siddiqui explained.
Installing ceramic, in particular, can be challenging for human installers. The materials are rigid, heavy and less forgiving of placement errors. Here’s where Tyler excels, according to Siddiqui. The robot can control spacing, alignment and orientation while handling products that can crack or chip. Moreover, Tyler can install about 1,000 square feet of stone or tile in a day. With products such as LVT, output can reach roughly 1,500 square feet and Tyler can maintain that pace throughout a full shift. For contractors, that creates more predictable production and makes it easier to estimate how much work a crew can complete.
There is an ergonomic benefit as well. Tyler takes on much of the lifting, carrying and placement work that wears on installers over time. The installer can spend more time on layout, cuts, finishing and quality control.
“A crew using Tyler can install substantially more flooring in a day on the right projects,” Siddiqui noted. “That can lower labor cost per square foot and allow the crew to move to another job sooner.”
Changing the economics
Human Friendly Robotics designed the robotic portion of installation to cost less than $2 per square foot. Actual costs depend on the material, labor market and project conditions.
The bigger issue may be capacity. Contractors often turn down projects because they cannot staff them. If automation allows the same number of installers to complete more work, contractors can pursue additional projects without adding workers at the same rate.
“The skilled labor shortage is one of the biggest drivers of interest in Tyler,” Siddiqui said. “Flooring contractors regularly tell us they have more work available than they have qualified installers to perform it, particularly in technically demanding categories such as ceramic and stone.”
That is where the automation debate becomes more complicated. The same technology that helps address a labor shortage can also raise questions about the future of the people doing the work.
Siddiqui said the company sees robotics as a way to extend a skilled installer’s value. “Our goal is not to remove expertise from the installation process. It is to give that expertise more leverage,” he said.
New York, N.Y.—FCNews publisher Steve Feldman and his son, Harris, joined Mohawk executives Sunday to brave a Nor’easter and participate in the 25th annual Tunnel to Towers (T2T) 5K.
The event follows the route taken by FDNY firefighter Stephen Siller on Sept. 11, 2001, beginning near the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel and continuing toward the World Trade Center site. The run honors the 343 FDNY firefighters, law enforcement officers and civilians who lost their lives in the attacks.
The firemen who kicked off the 5k, retracing the steps of their brothers who ran through the tunnel in full gear before climbing the stairs in the World Trade Center on that fateful day.From left: Jamie Kim, senior vice president of sales for North America at Mohawk; Jeff Meadows, president of Mohawk residential; and Bill Gaddis, director of national accounts for Mohawk.Mohawk’s Bill Gaddis has served on the Tunnel to Towers board since the foundation’s inception. Mohawk has also supported the organization for years by donating flooring products for specially adapted smart homes.40,000 runners and walkers participated in this year’s event.FCNews publisher Steve Feldman and his son, Harris.
Naples, Fla.—Daltile and its nationwide dealer network raised $24,600 for the Floor Covering Industry Foundation.
The company launched the fundraising campaign during the Daltile Statements Dealer Conference here. The event took place Sept. 8-11 at The Ritz-Carlton Beach Resort.
Daltile Statements is a national dealer program with about 240 members across the country.
Charlie Dilks spoke at the event about FCIF’s mission and growing need for financial assistance. Dilks is chief product officer at CCA Global Partners and chair of the FCIF board.
By Aug. 31, FCIF had awarded 100% of its 2026 grant budget to qualified flooring families. Requests for assistance have continued. FCIF is relying on additional charitable support to help families facing medical crises.
Following Dilks’ remarks, Statements dealers contributed to FCIF. Daltile matched the donations generated through the campaign.
Together, Daltile and its Statements dealers raised $24,600. The funds will support flooring families facing difficult circumstances.
“I was amazed by the support of our Daltile dealers and their generosity in helping flooring families facing some of life’s most serious medical diagnoses,” said Patrick Warren, FCIF board member and vice president of sales, residential remodel, at Daltile. “Daltile is proud to support the important work of FCIF, and we are honored to match each of our dealers’ donations, bringing the total raised to $24,600. It is inspiring to see our dealer community come together to make a meaningful difference for families in our industry when they need it most.”
FCIF has provided direct financial assistance to flooring professionals since 1981. The nonprofit supports those facing catastrophic injuries, severe disabilities or life-threatening illnesses.
Dallas—NAFCD and NBMDA announced the keynote and general session speakers for their 2026 Annual Convention running Nov. 3-5.
Alpharetta, Ga.—LX Hausys America’s HFLOR CraftedConnections luxury vinyl tile collection earned a 
finish advanced technology and long-term performance. This recognition reinforces our continued investment in innovative and responsible products that support durability, wellness and sustainability across a wide range of commercial and residential environments.”
Naples, Fla.—Daltile and its nationwide dealer network raised $24,600 for the Floor Covering Industry Foundation.