What happened in Vegas...

By Amy Rush-Imber

I hope won’t stay in Vegas. Because a lot happened and much of it likely to build good momentum for the year. 

I'm not a fan of Vegas as a city, I really never have been — I don't gamble and in all the years I've attended Surfaces, I haven't had time to even take in a show. In fact, we are so busy during the three-day affair seeing product, interviewing executives and attending events, that one night I was reduced to having cereal for dinner.

Enter Jonas — the wicked winter storm that swept the East Coast and dumped upwards of 26-inches of snow in New York, our home base. Myself and much of the FCW team were forced to spend a few extra days in Sin City — three to be exact, but who’s counting? No one was thrilled about the additional time away from their families, especially after logging in long, at times intense, days.

But something special happened during those three days — we got to "see" Vegas. We took in a show, we sat down together for dinner and laughed — a lot — we shopped, a couple brave souls did the zip line off the Stratosphere and the roller coaster at New York, New York.

I felt a bit protective of my crew stuck in Vegas, a bit “mama bear.” I worried about their safety, their morale. But even worn out from months of travel and a busy few days here, they rallied, they made the very best of a bad situation. And the truth is, I couldn’t have made it through those extra days without them and the great spirit they all exhibited.

The show itself had a great spirit as well. It too was different than in years past. It wasn't just that the format had changed to one floor or that several companies came back to the show floor after several years away or even that the showrooms all seemed to be bigger footprints.

New product, as always, abounded, and there were a few innovations being touted — Armstrong debuted its all new Vivero luxury vinyl flooring with its proprietary Diamond-10 performance finish. And, USFloors' Coretec received its third patent that is broader based. The company also sealed licensing deals with Valinge and Unilin giving it strong patent-oriented alignment.

Distributor Haines took the opportunity to launch its first Supplier Reliability award to Mirage. Bruce Zwicker, president and CEO, addressed the industry’s complexity against the consumers need for certainty.

There were milestone anniversaries celebrated here as well — Mannington's 100th, Herregan's 50th and Elias Wilfs 50^th. Think about that. In this somewhat small industry, an industry that battled a significant financial storm, to have companies celebrating 50 and 100 years in business — that says a lot about what this industry is made of. It was indeed a good show, and not just because of the shiny new things, but because of the tenacity and perseverance this industry has always had and chose to celebrate here.


Amy Rush-Imber