Installer & Inspector Workshop

[Peter Kodner]

Chris, we are working on it. Hope to post a progress report shortly. It may have to wait until the weekend before I can type up my notes.

Any new ideas are welcomed- this is everyone's conference!!!!

[rusty baker]

I would love to go, but due to health problems, I won't know until close to time. I will check then to see if you still have openings. I only live a few hours drive from Tulsa.

[rgfloor]

Chris, perhaps you have a couple of topics you could suggest. We are open for all to give input.

Thanks

[Chris Mha]

Some things that I have thought about recently. It seem as though I am seeing the same stupid mistakes over and over. Seam sealer on carpet (lack of). Improper power stretching or none at all. Glued down carpet installed with a vinyl trowel and I have been told by installers that they do it because of cost. Laminates being installed over sub floors that should have been taken care of. Consumers pay a lot of money these days for flooring and they deserve to have these products installed properly and in a lot of cases they are not. Installers need to educate themselves on new products and procedures. It seems that there is no pride in workmanship anymore and that needs to change. Just some thoughts. I'll come up with more.

[rgfloor]

Great ideas, we'll incorperate some of them.

Who else would like to submit ideas?

[selvalee]

well, how about, each of you send me 150 dollars each? and draft a resolution I am the smartest, and best looking inspector working today! :ro lleyes::ro lleyes:: cool:

[Peter Kodner]

With all due respect Lee,

NO CAN DO

(we still love you tho )

[Dan Schultz]

Ok.......one suggestion.......mirrors are off the list as door prizes. We want Lee to make it home in one peice.

[Chris Mha]

Just a few other thoughts that I came up with. Acclimating wood and laminates. Not seeing it much. Installers and retailers need to be doing this but they are not for waht ever reason.

[selvalee]

ok Roger,
something I think is very important,
I was saving it for myself,,,, but, maybe we can all do it together at the workshop,

Industry Myths,,,
what are they?
how did they come about?
What contributed to them? sales or lack of training and understanding the product,,
who should know better ? installers or sales persons?
Give examples of industry myths. You should have at least 10, more would be nice,
who also wants industry myths to stay "alive" in the mindset of the industry.
for example, one carpet mill selling wood had in their instructions wood should be acclimated for 48 hours, when question, they stated they could not sell it if people had to wait for full acclimation,,,,, so, their sales put in the installation instructions that only 48 hours was needed,,,, now, that is an industry myth also based upon some laminates saying acclimate for 48 hours prior to installation,,,, so, now, an industry wide Industry Myth,,,,
that help?
so now, SO NOW! someone, not me, will have to research asking guys about different industry myths, or practices that are wrong but believed to be true, write them down, attempt to find out how they came to be, and report them to us for discussion,,, so, there you go, you can assign that task to someone,,, but not me,,, Mom at almost 84 is more than this old man can keep up with and work also,
slt

[selvalee]

and guys, email Roger or whoever he asigns it to! don't post them here or there will not be anything to talk about there!
all topics are not for discussion here! but there!

[Peter Kodner]

Great topic and it is going on the list of ones to consider!!!!!
I'm sure the folks here can come up with a couple dozen without even straining their intellects

[Bud Cline]

I'm still not sure what the objective of this Workshop effort is.

We can all learn traditions and techniques and procedures by the book, but we can do that here.

We can learn about manufacturers standards and recommendations and what not to do, but we can do that here.

We can pit manufacturers against installers and inspectors against installers and sales staff against field staff, but we can do that here.

We can bitch about low installation compensation and regional installation pay variances and discuss the need for price structure parody, but we can that here.

We can complain about who is and isn't qualified to make inspections and profile proper inspection procedures, but we can do that here.

We can shout about our disdain for non-believers of the rule books (limited as the rule books are) and the hacks of our industry, but we can do that here.

We can all agree that the industry is in dire straits in some respects and that changes are most certainly and desperately needed, but we can do that here.

THE WAY I SEE IT is we have all been doing these very things now for around ten years and though I would be the first to admit the Internet has been a giant boon for my learning and understanding I would also make the observation that NOT MUCH HAS CHANGED along any of these lines in the past ten years.

WHY IS THIS? This is because we don't yet have the numbers to change anything. In fact those of us here that are the promoters of all that is grand and glorious in this industry are the same handfull of installers that stepped up to the plate ten years ago but haven't really been able to swing the bat.

Where are the numbers? There are tens of thousands of installers and inspectors throughout this nation that are working on the floors of this country every day of the year but where are they. Computers are now in the overwhelming majority of homes and offices and home offices in every nook and cranny of the nation but these men and women of our trade don't seem to be tuned into these websites. I don't see them participating anywhere. Until we can grow the numbers we can never hit a home run, we will never be organized in a force that can or will make a differance. We will never convert the hacks or teach the young bloods.

So...my thinking about an importtant topic of this proposed Workshop would be to find a way to rally the troops and grow the numbers. WE NEED TO BETTER ORGANIZE A GREATER MEMBERSHIP IN OUR TRADE in numbers that would fill a football stadium before we can expect to change anything for the betterment of the lowly installer and our industry. How do we do it?

WE NEED A RECRUITING STATION. WE NEED RECRUITERS. WE NEED ENTHUSIASM. WE NEED HELP.

[Danny Ferguson]

Great topic idea Bud!

[Nick Arrera]

You hit the nail on the head Bud ..