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WORLD FLOOR COVERING ASSOC.
HAS 50TH ANNIVERSARY BASH
Retail icon Haig Pedian, left, former principal of Chicago's Pedian Rug Co., joins WFCA friends Carolyn and LeRoy Nelson, chairman of Columbia River Carpet One, Rainier, OR, and Pat and Joan Kerns of Kerns Carpet One, Milwaukee.
By Pat Terry
SCOTTSDALE, AZ -- Business and pleasure — mostly pleasure — marked the World Floor Covering Association’s 50th anniversary celebration at a cocktail
party, dinner and dance here on Oct. 2.
The industry group saluted its past with a memory-filled
video presentation and homage to past presidents, executive directors and CEOs.
The World Floor Covering Association was formed through a merger of the Western Floor Covering Association and the American Floorcovering Association (Formerly the Retail Floorcovering Institute).
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Peter Spirer
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Peter Spirer, founder of Horizon Industries and former head of the Horizon Pacific rug and furniture stores in Atlanta, nominates Marvin Berlin to the WFCA Hall of Fame. Spirer is now national rep manager for Max Windsor Floors in Rancho Cucamonga, CA. |
During the evening, the legendary Marvin Berlin of New York Carpet World, was inducted posthumously into the WFCA Flooring Industry Hall of Fame. With partner Irving Nusbaum, Berlin spearheaded the aggressive and innovative New York Carpet World chain, based in Southfield, MI.The nomination was made by Horizon Industries founder Peter Spirer who is now national rep manager for Max Windsor Floors, Ranch Cucamonga, CA Before moving to California, Spirer was also president of Horizon Pacific Home, the rug and furniture retailer in Atlanta.
Area rug dealers, both active and semi-retired, were
sprinkled throughout the packed dining room and included such father-son teams such as Lavone and Aaron Pirner and Pat and Bill Kerns of Milwaukee.
Bob Ellis (left), a partner in the new Rug Decor LLC, Jacksonville, Fla., which purchased seven stores from CCA Global in August this year. The new operation also has 15 franchisees. He is joined by Evan Hackel, founder and principal of Ingage Consulting, Woburn, MA. Hackel is former president of Carpet One Floor & Home.
Terry L. Wheat and wife, Elaine tear up the dance floor. Wheat is president and ceo of Wheat's Carpet One, Tuscaloosa, AL., and president and ceo of RFMS, Inc., a floor covering software developer. He was inducted into the 2008 WFCA Flooring Industry Hall of Fame.
Paul and Karla Pumphrey of Cleaver Carpet Center, Pueblo, CO. Pumphrey is the only person to serve as president/or chairman of both the Western Floor Covering Association and the RFI.
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Aaron Pirner, top, ceo of Cap Carpet, Wichita, KA and dad Lavone Pirner were among several
industry leaders saluted as past presidents/chairmen of the World Floor
Covering Association, Western Floor Covering Association and the
American Floorcovering Association (formerly the Retail Floorcovering
Institute).
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 Aaron and Lavone Pirner |
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TIME LINE OF THE WFCA
1959
Western Floor Covering Association was founded
1973
National Home Furnishings Association formed a floor covering specialty store division in with Bill DiPaolo as executive secretary, on staff of NHFA
1973
Charles Monnett, Monnett Carpets & Draperies, formed the National Association
of Dealers in Carpet
c. 1976
RFI breaks away from National Home Furnishings Association and become an independent entity. Charles Monnett's group merges with RFI
1987
RFI changed its name to the American Floorcovering Association (AFA).
1994
The American Floorcovering Association merged with Western Floor Covering Association to become the World Floor Covering
Association (WFCA). Chris Davis is named CEO.
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ED NOTE: Pat Terry is a veteran reporter for newspapers and magazines. She began her career as a reporter for Home Furnishings Daily (Now HFN).
In 1977, Terry was named executive director of the Retail Floorcovering Institute. She has been an independent journalist and communications specialist since leaving the RFI in 1980.
"When I took over, the RFI was struggling, with only about $3,000 and fewer than 200 stores -- and they counted each of Carpetland USA's stores in that total," said Terry.
"Sam Yonan and I went out in the field, button-holing retailers at every trade show we could find, and selling them on the benefits of membership," she recalled.
"In 1978, when I resigned the top post and assumed the job of communications director, we had raised the number of stores to nearly 1,000 and our budget to $77,000. We did that by listening to what members and prospective members wanted and then implemented the services, such as negotiating a 2% discount rate on credit cards for our retailers who had been paying up to 5%; developing and funding a highly regarded Operating Results Study, the industry's first such retailer study, and a number of other benefits and services needed by members. "
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10.12.09
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