Registration opens for 2027 SFN convention

Orlando—Shaw Industries has opened registration for the Shaw Flooring Network (SFN) 2027 Convention. The event will take place Jan. 17-20, 2027, here at Rosen Shingle Creek Resort. Registration is open through Dec. 4, 2026.

The theme of the SFN 2027 Convention, “Better Together,” celebrates partnership, shared success and the relationships that have shaped the Shaw Flooring Network.

“As we reflected on what makes SFN special, one message continued to rise to the top: we’re simply better when we come together,” said Annie Cowart, senior vice president of Shaw Flooring Network. “Whether it’s sharing ideas, solving challenges, supporting one another or celebrating successes, the strength of this network has always been rooted in partnership.”

Sneak peek 

Shaw said the 2027 convention will celebrate the network’s history, relationships and shared experiences. The convention will also continue to support member success through business-building resources and peer connections.

“Better Together captures what has always set SFN apart,” said Ryan Powell, vice president of retail. “When retailers, Shaw associates and industry partners come together with a common purpose, we create opportunities that are difficult to achieve alone. That spirit of connection and shared success will be woven throughout the SFN convention experience.”

Attendees will have access to business solutions, coaching and educational sessions. The convention will also feature an expo with new product introductions, general sessions, networking opportunities and special events designed to help members strengthen their businesses and build industry connections.

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Tuesday Tips: What’s your story?

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, explains why the right story can shape the customer experience.

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Crossville earns McDonald’s supplier award

Mountville, Pa.—McDonald’s named Crossville its 2026 U.S. Construction Supplier of the Year.

McDonald’s presented the award during its USRD External Partner Summit in Las Vegas. The company recognizes suppliers that demonstrate exceptional quality, reliability and collaboration across its development supply chain.

“We are honored to receive this recognition from McDonald’s,” said Scott Crandall, vice president of national accounts for AHF Products. “Crossville has supported McDonald’s restaurant design vision for many years with durable, American-made porcelain tile and a commitment to consistent quality. This award reflects the dedication of our teams and the strength of a partnership that continues to grow.”

More than 25 years of partnership

Crossville has supplied McDonald’s for more than 25 years, providing porcelain tile for restaurant projects across the U.S.

“We have been proud to support McDonald’s for more than 25 years,” said Heidi Vassalotti, director of strategic accounts for AHF Products. “Our focus has always been to provide reliable supply, consistent quality and tile solutions that help McDonald’s build durable and efficient restaurants across the United States. It is a privilege to work alongside their design and construction teams and contribute to a system built on collaboration and long-term success.”

Crossville manufactures its porcelain tile products in Tennessee. The company supports national quick-service restaurant programs with products built for heavy traffic, fast-paced construction schedules and long-term commercial performance. Crossville added that its domestic manufacturing and supply chain help provide consistent product availability and responsiveness for large-scale restaurant development.

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NFM, Shaw celebrate Dallas store grand reopening

The Nebraska Furniture Mart store in The Colony, Texas, spans 1.8 million square feet, including a 1.3 million-square-foot warehouse and distribution center and 560,000 square feet of retail space.

The Colony, Texas—Top executives from Nebraska Furniture Mart (NFM) and Shaw Industries gathered here this week to celebrate the grand reopening of its 1.8 million-square-foot mega-store in this suburb of Dallas. Originally opened in 2015, the grand reopening features enhancements throughout the sprawling 560,000-square foot showroom. A key highlight being the unveiling of the third Shaw Anso Gallery, the curated retail flooring concept from Shaw Floors.

“It was kind of shocking to realize that it was just four years ago we opened our very first Anso Gallery in Omaha, Neb.,” David Chambers, director of flooring, NFM, said in his opening remarks to attendees. “We saw an opportunity to create something different. We wanted to create a distinct destination where a consumer shopping for carpet could find an area that was more inspiring and easier to shop and navigate and, more importantly, had products and features that resonated with the consumer today. The response from our consumers exceeded our expectations in Omaha, which allowed us to then take the concept to our Kansas City market. Now we’re bringing the next generation of the Anso Gallery to our customers here in Dallas-Fort Worth.”

The 3,500-square-foot Anso Gallery—the standard footprint for the galleries in Omaha and Kansas City—is much more than an assembly of Shaw’s top-selling carpet brands, according to Chambers. “As you walk the showroom today, you’ll see more than just carpet fixtures; you’ll see a thoughtfully designed shopping experience where consumers can visualize, compare and really shop with confidence about carpet,” he said.

Like the two prior Anso Gallery locations, this latest installation represents the culmination of collaboration and partnership between NFM and Shaw Industries—companies that share a common connection with Berkshire Hathaway, the parent company. That was a key point of emphasis by Benjamin Liebert, president, Shaw residential, in his remarks to attendees.

“Thank you, David, for your partnership, and thank you for pushing us to be better,” Liebert said. “We really appreciate where we’re going. I think this is a great product of that.”

Liebert also acknowledged Tony Boldt, NFM president and CEO, as well as scores of NFM managers and associates. “Thank you, Tony, for your leadership and your trust, and to the entire NFM team for your trust in our brands. Thank you for allowing us to really invade and take over your showroom with these great products and brands. We’re very excited about the opportunity to work with you.”

Liebert also took the opportunity to recognize Shaw team members. “Thanks to our Shaw leaders, whether that be in sales or in marketing. And most importantly, our VPs and our territory managers who make it happen every day—the ‘last three feet’—and support the NFM team here. Thanks for being here and thanks for all your support.”

Shaw’s Aaron John and Benjamin Liebert join NFM’s Tony Boldt and David Chambers for the grand reopening ribbon-cutting ceremony.

More importantly, Liebert stressed the importance of the true meaning of partnership. “To have a great partnership, you have to truly understand one another,” he said. “That means we have to understand NFM’s strategy and what they’re trying to bring to life with their customers. Similarly, they have to understand where we see the business going and where we would like to be. The best partners debate that, they challenge that. I think Dave and his team do a great job of really challenging us to be better every day. That’s the first tenant of a great partnership.”

Lessons learned

The Colony Anso Gallery is not just a carbon copy of the existing Shaw showrooms within NFM. Rather, it incorporates enhancements based in lessons learned from the previous locations.

“With each Anso gallery we have opened, we have had the opportunity to learn, improve and refine the experience,” Boldt stated. “From Omaha to Kansas City, and now here in The Colony, we continue to enhance the fixtures, layout and overall presentation to make this space even better for our customers.”

Part of that entailed tweaking the overall product mix since the first Anso Gallery showroom was unveiled. “We went pretty heavy with Pet Perfect in Omaha, but since then we’ve balanced Anso and Pet Perfect—that was a good learning lesson,” Chambers said. “We’ve also learned how consumers want to see how stairs are going to look with products. Another lesson we’ve learned is patterns have to be displayed in larger samples. The trick is showcasing these large samples without having these tall walls blocking sightlines throughout the department. That led us to create our Luxe display.”

But perhaps the biggest lesson learned, according to Carolyn Haicl, senior vice president, marketing and brands at Shaw, was that you don’t have to inundate the customer with product to seal the deal. “We learned how to offer fewer SKUs  so it’s not so overwhelming to the customer,” she said. “It’s about displaying the products that matter, finding that right balance and helping RSAs walk customers through the benefits. It’s just an easier process and hopefully easier for the consumer to make a decision.”

(Look for more on this story in an upcoming edition of FCNews.) 

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NFM, Shaw celebrate Dallas store grand reopening

The Nebraska Furniture Mart store in The Colony, Texas, spans 1.8 million square feet, including a 1.3 million-square-foot warehouse and distribution center and 560,000 square feet of retail space.

The Colony, Texas—Top executives from Nebraska Furniture Mart (NFM) and Shaw Industries gathered here this week to celebrate the grand reopening of its 1.8 million-square-foot mega-store in this suburb of Dallas. Originally opened in 2015, the grand reopening features enhancements throughout the sprawling 560,000-square foot showroom. A key highlight being the unveiling of the third Shaw Anso Gallery, the curated retail flooring concept from Shaw Floors.

“It was kind of shocking to realize that it was just four years ago we opened our very first Anso Gallery in Omaha, Neb.,” David Chambers, director of flooring, NFM, said in his opening remarks to attendees. “We saw an opportunity to create something different. We wanted to create a distinct destination where a consumer shopping for carpet could find an area that was more inspiring and easier to shop and navigate and, more importantly, had products and features that resonated with the consumer today. The response from our consumers exceeded our expectations in Omaha, which allowed us to then take the concept to our Kansas City market. Now we’re bringing the next generation of the Anso Gallery to our customers here in Dallas-Fort Worth.”

The 3,500-square-foot Anso Gallery—the standard footprint for the galleries in Omaha and Kansas City—is much more than an assemblance of Shaw’s top-selling carpet brands, according to Chambers. “As you walk the showroom today, you’ll see more than just carpet fixtures; you’ll see a thoughtfully designed shopping experience where consumers can visualize, compare and really shop with confidence about carpet,” he said.

Like the two prior Anso Gallery locations, this latest installation represents the culmination of collaboration and partnership between NFM and Shaw Industries—companies that share a common connection with Berkshire Hathaway, the parent company. That was a key point of emphasis by Benjamin Liebert, president, Shaw residential, in his remarks to attendees.

“Thank you, David, for your partnership, and thank you for pushing us to be better,” Liebert said. “We really appreciate where we’re going. I think this is a great product of that.”

Liebert also acknowledged Tony Boldt, NFM president and CEO, as well as scores of NFM managers and associates. “Thank you, Tony, for your leadership and your trust, and to the entire NFM team for your trust in our brands. Thank you for allowing us to really invade and take over your showroom with these great products and brands. We’re very excited about the opportunity to work with you.”

Liebert also took the opportunity to recognize Shaw team members. “Thanks to our Shaw leaders, whether that be in sales or in marketing. And most importantly, our VPs and our territory managers who make it happen every day—the ‘last three feet’—and support the NFM team here. Thanks for being here and thanks for all your support.”

More importantly, Liebert stressed the importance of the true meaning of partnership. “To have a great partnership, you have to truly understand one another,” he said. “That means we have to understand NFM’s strategy and what they’re trying to bring to life with their customers. Similarly, they have to understand where we see the business going and where we would like to be. The best partners debate that, they challenge that. I think Dave and his team do a great job of really challenging us to be better every day. That’s the first tenant of a great partnership.”

Lessons learned

The Colony Anso Gallery is not just a carbon copy of the existing Shaw showrooms within NFM. Rather, it incorporates enhancements based in lessons learned from the previous locations.

“With each Anso gallery we have opened, we have had the opportunity to learn, improve and refine the experience,” Boldt stated. “From Omaha to Kansas City, and now here in The Colony, we continue to enhance the fixtures, layout and overall presentation to make this space even better for our customers.”

Part of that entailed tweaking the overall product mix since the first Anso Gallery showroom was unveiled. “We went pretty heavy with Pet Perfect in Omaha, but since then we’ve balanced Anso and Pet Perfect—that was a good learning lesson,” Chambers said. “We’ve also learned how consumers want to see how stairs are going to look with products. Another lesson we’ve learned is patterns have to be displayed in larger samples. The trick is showcasing these large samples without having these tall walls blocking sightlines throughout the department. That led us to create our Luxe display.”

But perhaps the biggest lesson learned, according to Carolyn Haicl, senior vice president, marketing and brands, Shaw, was that you don’t have to inundate the customer with product to seal the deal. “We learned how to offer fewer SKUs  so it’s not so overwhelming to the customer,” she said. “It’s about displaying the products that matter, finding that right balance and helping RSAs walk customers through the benefits. It’s just an easier process and hopefully easier for the consumer to make a decision.”

(Look for more on this story in an upcoming edition of FCNews.)

 

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Retailers React: How are things fairing in your market?

Every two weeks, FCNews seeks out flooring retailers across the country to offer their advice on hot topics of the day. How are things fairing in your market?

Here are their responses:

“Our market continues to allow us to be aggressive with marketing strategy and gain share. Our forecast for 2026 is 5% growth in revenue over last year. Currently, at the halfway point, we are up 11%. We have spent 2.5% more on marketing year to date. We are pushing for more networking, Google reviews, referral and repeat customers and vendor leverage.”

—Mitchell Parton

Frazier’s Carpet One Floor & Home

Knoxville, Tenn.

“Both the retail and contract sectors are on track with our budget numbers. I am hopeful that the third and fourth quarters will surpass the budget. We have spent the better part of this year focusing on training our flooring consultants and design professionals to make us the best in the business.”

—Kevin Rose

Carpetland USA

Rockford, Ill.

“Our market is OK. Main Street commercial, remodel and some new homes are keeping a steady pace. We are clipping along at about the same pace as last year. The past oil boom and pandemic years taught us to handle more customers than we are currently dealing with now, so it feels slower.”

—Jon Dauenhauer

Carpet World

Bismarck, N.D.

“There are so many positive indicators in the economy that we feel will translate into greater flooring sales in the second half of the year and continuing into 2027.”

—Sam O’Krent

O’Krent Flooring

San Antonio

“Our market has been steady. We have experienced nice growth through the first six months of this year; however, July has started off a little slow. Regarding what is selling, we still are experiencing high interest in flatweaves and some of the fashionable designs we see in the Prestige and Bellbridge lines. We are also witnessing a resurgence of stair rods, which we haven’t seen in quite a few years.”

—Tom Connell

M&M Carpet Showroom

Houston

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Artificial turf finds its footing in residential spaces

Products like Ecore’s premium turf surfaces remains in-demand for putting greens and athletic fields.

Artificial turf is no longer reserved for putting greens and athletic fields. What was once considered a niche product has become an increasingly viable landscape solution, driven by changing consumer lifestyles, water conservation efforts and advances in turf technology that have dramatically improved its appearance and performance.

“The category has evolved from a niche application, primarily associated with sports and specialty uses, into a mainstream residential solution,” said Josh Martenn, vice president of commercial sales at Ecore. “Turf has demonstrated strong staying power and is no longer viewed as a short-term trend.”

Expanding into residential

Over the last several years, turf has steadily made its way into residential applications as homeowners rethink what they want from their outdoor spaces. Today, homeowners are viewing turf as another outdoor surface option—one that eliminates much of the maintenance associated with a traditional lawn.

“Residential turf has experienced remarkable growth across the U.S. as homeowners increasingly seek beautiful, low-maintenance outdoor spaces that conserve water and remain attractive year-round,” said Neeraj Shah, vice president – product national, MSI. “Factors such as drought concerns, water restrictions, rising maintenance costs and a greater emphasis on outdoor living have all contributed to this trend.”

Suppliers agree the product’s low maintenance is helping fuel its popularity. “It’s consistent in any kind of climate, any kind of weather, any kind of shade conditions,” David Gross, executive director, INSTALL, told FCNews. “When you’re talking about residential areas, you have very sunny parts of the yard, very shady parts of the yard, and it’s pretty tricky to get consistent grass across that. Synthetic turf doesn’t have that problem. You can cut down on the maintenance demand by having synthetic turf. There are a lot of angles that are contributing to why synthetic turf is growing.”

Product design, too, continues to advance and influence homeowner decisions. “Over the last few years, turf has improved in terms of color, texture and overall realism, which has helped change perceptions and driven interest in turf,” said Travis Cramer, vice president and general manager, Tarkett Home. “For families who love to spend time outdoors, pets that love to run around and anyone who wants a beautiful lawn without the upkeep, turf is a great option. We see homeowners looking for outdoor solutions that are easy to maintain, attractive and practical. Turf checks all of these boxes.”

New markets

Drought-prone states remain among the category’s strongest markets, but suppliers agree residential turf is no longer confined to one region of the country.

“Residential turf continues to have appeal in the West and Southwest, where drought and heat are major considerations, but we are starting to see adoption across the United States,” Cramer explained.

MSI’s Shah noted that demand is expanding throughout the Sun Belt, Florida and rapidly growing suburban communities nationwide, where homeowners value low-maintenance landscapes that remain beautiful throughout the year.

Ecore’s Martenn added that demand is increasingly driven by lifestyle factors—busy households, pet owners and second-home owners—rather than geography alone.

The future of turf

Turf products like Tarkett Home’s GreenSpace Natural are growing in demand across residential markets.

Manufacturers say they expect residential turf to continue evolving as both product innovation and consumer expectations advance.

For MSI, that evolution is closely tied to the continued growth of outdoor living and sustainable landscape design. According to Shah, homeowners and designers are increasingly looking for complete outdoor solutions that combine attractive, low-maintenance materials with lasting performance. “Turf will continue to play an important role alongside products such as porcelain pavers, natural stone and outdoor wall systems to create multifunctional spaces that are beautiful, durable and easy to maintain,” he said. “Continued innovation will also drive improvements in realism, comfort, drainage and overall performance.”

As homeowners continue to view their outdoor spaces as extensions of the home, manufacturers expect demand to follow suit. “Homeowners now think of their yard as an extension of their home, and are using the space to relax, play and entertain,” Tarkett Home’s Cramer said. “Turf makes it easier to create an outdoor space that is always ready to enjoy without having to spend the time on lawn maintenance.”

Alongside evolving lifestyles, sustainability is expected to play an even larger role in the category’s future. “The next phase of the category will be shaped by continued advancements in sustainability and performance,” Martenn said. “There is increasing focus on infill materials, PFAS-free systems, recyclability and improved drainage. Manufacturers that address these priorities will differentiate themselves in the market.”

Finally, to reap the benefits of increasing demand across markets, experts agree it’s also important to focus on supporting the labor market. “There is a bonafide shortage of skilled tradespeople and that includes landscapers,” Gross explained.

Chuck McClurg, president of Shaw Turf, said that capturing that growth will require a model designed around how the landscape professional operates and what they need to succeed.

“Landscape professionals continue to drive the landscape market, influencing the bulk of product decisions. As a result, the brand is focusing on what installers and contractors need most: speed, simplicity, local availability, residential delivery and consistent support.”

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