As part of its ongoing effort to stay abreast of the latest advances in flooring, H.J. Martin sent Commercial Installation Coordinator Gary VandenLangenberg to the Floor Covering Installation Contractors Association (FCICA) Annual Convention, held Feb. 24-26 in New Orleans.  VandenLangenberg was able to attend due to H.J. Martin’s association with the Starnet buying group.

“It was very beneficial,” says VandenLangenberg.  “I was exposed to a lot of great ideas during the educational sessions that I’ll be able to share with the H.J. Martin staff, along with our customers.”

VandenLangenberg found the educational session on Technology to be particularly valuable in his role with H.J. Martin.  More and more, those on the job site are able to communicate instantly with H.J. project managers, keeping them up to date with any issues that arise.

Others sessions focused on topics such as moisture testing of concrete (required for all commercial flooring projects) and Luxury Vinyl Tile (LVT).  LVT is utilized extensively by H.J.’s expert flooring installers.  Among the Green Bay-area locations with Luxury Vinyl Tile installed by H.J. Martin are the bakery areas of Festival Foods stores and the Kress Family Library in De Pere.

“The opportunity to meet and visit with other Starnet installation managers from across the country also was invaluable,” VandenLangenberg adds, “especially in terms of how they dealt with common problems in the industry.  It also was helpful to learn about the computer systems they’re using to coordinate their work crews.”

Another highlight of the meeting for VandenLangenberg was the keynote address of Wally Adamchik, a nationally known speaker on leadership.  Adamchik also presented on jobsite negotiations in a follow-up session.  Later, VandenLangenberg had the opportunity to meet with representatives of 18 of the country’s top flooring manufacturers.

H.J. Martin was one of the largest installation groups represented at the FCICA convention, according to VandenLangenberg.

With more than $2 billion in annual sales, Starnet is the most influential force in the contract flooring industry.  It is comprised of over 170 locally owned full-service flooring contractors, including H.J. Martin & Son, and represents more than 300 locations throughout North America.