T’was the night before Christmas, a.k.a. Christmas Eve,
FCNews was rejoicing, led by Dustin and Steve.
Advertisers came to the table, some did much more,
Only a few don’t get it, for example, Next Floor.
The team all snug in their offices, avoiding late-nighters,
Wondering why in the world they chose to be writers.
Ken, Reggie and Megan doing their schtick;
Dustin ecstatic AF having finally paid off Mike Blick.
And Krystal in her kerchief and Eliud in his cap,
Steve grabbing himself a much-needed nap.
When out on the lawn there arose such a noise,
These days can’t tell whether girls or boys.
I sprang from my couch now awake from my doze
Dreaming of Sydney Sweeney—we know how that goes.
The sound I heard was so strange and unique,
So I went to the window to grab a peek.
Then what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But an object that was airborne and growing quite near.
Eight coursers from Calhoun and a miniature sleigh;
The driver was Jeff Meadows, sadly not Tate McRae.
More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,
And he whistled and shouted and called them by name:
Now Randolph, DeCock, Oberschlake and Hicks,
Walma, Gaddis and Bartley, who is now in the mix.
Looking down from my window in shock and awe;
It was a St. Jude 10k with many runners from Shaw.
Included among them on the front lawn below
Was CEO Tim Baucom with his execs in tow.
Liebert and Haicl were among the eight;
The Upton was still Herb, will I ever get Kate?
So up to the housetop those coursers they flew
With the sleigh full of toys, and St. Nicholas, too.
Awaiting them all was a man who was tweeting
And barking out words that don’t bear repeating.
“That bag of yours has foreign-made stuff.
It’s time you were tariffed, America’s had enough.
You take us for fools, as if we don’t care.
It’s time you and your elves paid your fair share.”
As I drew in my head and was turning around,
Down the chimney St. Nick came with a bound.
Instead of nice, he asked who did good work,
And rather than naughty he asked who was a jerk.
As always I’m never in a position to judge
Especially because I may hold a grudge.
I’d rather just recap the year in flooring,
But let’s start with the world, which needs some exploring.
The U.S. still has some economic despair,
The government just spends; they really don’t care.
All we’re doing is racking up debt,
Surpassing $38 trillion and it ain’t stopping yet.
Interest rates have been a drag on housing;
People aren’t buying, they’re hardly browsing.
There’s no end in sight to the war in Ukraine,
Why it’s lasted four years I just can’t explain.
The conflict in Gaza saw a moment of hope;
A Cardinal from Chicago became the first American Pope.
Republicans and Democrats waged political fights;
The U.S. launched strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites.
Many of the freeloaders felt some pain,
Because the wheels fell off the old gravy train.
There were complaints from one side—who really cares,
But I like all the outfits Sabrina Carpenter wears.
Illegal immigrants faced mass deportations,
Mexicans, Venezuelans, Guatemalans and Haitians.
Homeland security is directed by Noem;
Many remote workers can no longer work from home.
There were LA wildfires and Texas flash floods;
The gang war rages on between the Crips and the Bloods.
The national guard was deployed to clean up the crime;
We got rid of the penny but still have the dime.
A Gaza ceasefire yielded Middle East peace;
North Korea’s Kim Jong Un is really obese.
Shohei Ohtani’s was baseball’s best player;
New York City has a socialist mayor.
P Diddy’s friends went out of their heads,
Hoping they’d never be found out by the feds.
There were drones in the air no one could explain
But the McRib is back, so can we really complain?
The smuggling of Fentanyl is less of a crisis;
We’re bombing Venezuelan boats but at least not Isis.
We need senseless killings to stop, not slow down,
As we remember Rob Reiner and two kids from Brown.
There are lots of things I purposely missed;
I’m not talking politics because people get pissed.
So rather than anger many or few,
Let’s now pivot to flooring in review.
The Southwest Market was the year’s first show,
Attendance was compromised by rare Dallas snow.
Roomvo bought QFloors and went on a mission
To give industry leader Cyncly much-needed competition.
At Shaw Flooring Network the theme was ‘Believe,’
There were lofty sales goals, which the mill did achieve.
An incredible event, but I have one critique:
Can we find a better spot than Rosen Shingle Creek?
At January roadshows Mohawk came to the table
With a focus on PureTech and Karastan’s Black Label.
There was SolidTech R and Pergo Extreme,
Here’s wishing a speedy recovery to Nicole Priem.
We traveled to Vegas once again for TISE.
Hung out at Eye Candy much more than twice.
The industry’s top trade show continues to thrive
With the best video program known as FCNews Live.
Stanton rebranded as Stanton Design;
A few months later saw Brian Carson resign.
Ray Anderson and Charlie Dilks would soon gain acclaim
With their inductions into WFCA’s Hall of Fame.
Tariffs forced some prices to jump,
It evens the playing field, said President Trump.
There is great debate if it creates inflation
When you tax laminate and SPC from every nation.
The Artisan Design Group was acquired by Lowe’s;
Saw Kemp and Amy at most of the shows.
The Big Beautiful Bill was signed into law;
I still can’t get used to Seth Arnold at Shaw.
The spring season began with a Wellmade raid,
Which found Chinese workers were not so well paid.
There were claims of trafficking, maybe some abduction,
Now AHF owns all that domestic production.
Major mills snatched up some familiar names:
Jamie Welborn went to Shaw; EF got Trey Thames.
NWFA has a new CEO in Stephanie Owen,
Stanton’s still thriving under Jonathan Cohen.
America’s Floor Source turned 25;
Raskin Industries failed to survive.
Tariffs remained the talk of the town,
United shut their doors, what happens to Nick Brown?
Here’s one thing that was kinda foreign:
Me finally cashing in a golf pool run by Patrick Warren.
We watched Bitcoin prices soar on our screens;
Can someone please tell me what “6-7” means?
The competition cried foul and called it improper
When Ken Walma and I took a ride in a chopper.
We took to the skies for an aerial tour,
Melissa Stocks came aboard but not David Moore.
Joined Mohawk in Denver for Komen’s walk for a cure,
Did 20 miles, could not have done more.
Two months later we hung ‘til wee hours
When the team came to New York for Tunnel to Towers.
The NFA trip to Alaska required many flights,
Was totally worth it when I saw Northern Lights.
Another adventure required some spikes—
When I joined the Roomvo folks on glacier hikes.
Pierre Thabet passed the reins onto his son;
When it comes to quality, Mirage is second to none.
Mannington closed Phenix, all for the better;
Hard surface is the only focus for designer Marchetta.
And with that St. Nick sprang to his sleigh,
And away he flew to be on his way.
But I heard him exclaim, as he drove out of sight,
Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and to all a good night.
Final thoughts as we close the books on 2025. First, it was sad to say farewell to two legends in Roger Marcus and Michael Goldberg. Both not only left indelible marks on this industry, but they were personal friends and mentors for 30 years, playing significant roles in my life. So guys, thanks for everything. I will miss you.
Next, all of us here at FCNews want to extend our heartfelt gratitude for reading and supporting this publication throughout the year. We couldn’t do what we do without you.
Finally, happy holidays to everyone; we’ll catch you on the other side in 2026.
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Birmingham, Ala.—Central Alabama Flooring announced it has concluded its membership with the Floors & More and Big Bob’s Flooring Outlet group, effective Jan. 1, 2026.
T
Anderson Tuftex
Stanton
Dalton—Certified Flooring Installers (CFI) announced a new strategic partnership with TradeTap, formerly known as Go Carerra, marking a significant step forward in strengthening installer education, workforce connectivity and access to modern professional resources.