Kicking off Surfaces 2001 was Inspections Industry 2001, the four-day conference presented by ICS columnist Carl Williams' Academy of Textile & Flooring. Touted as the convention for floor covering inspectors, the event featured the newly instilled two-day IICRC Floor Care Technician Course, followed by the two-day I-2001 Inspections Industry Symposium and Trade Show.

Today's participants included many industry notables, including:

ICS columnist Tom Hill with an update on the IICRC’s Advancements, and the tribulations of running a marathon. Discussing the IICRC, Hill mentioned how the organization constantly heard comments about what “they” should be doing, meaning the IICRC, and how “they” should be running things. To that comment, Hill responded by saying that the “they” they all refer to should be thought of as a “we,” the committee members who bring many years of experience to the table.
• IICRC President and ICS columnist Lee Zimmerman presented his vision for the IICRC's future, including additional inspection courses.

• StoneTech Professional's Mike Guasch discussed the basic foundation necessary for inspecting tile and stone floors.

• Ray Thompson, National Training Director for Armstrong and columnist for ICS' sister publications National Floor Trends and Floor Covering Installer, and Bob Higgins of Sinak Corp. told attendees that installers are no longer responsible for vapor emission testing. This was one session you didn't want to miss!

• Werner Braun, Carpet and Rug Institute (CRI) president, shared the CRI's vision for the floor covering industry. This eye-opening session definitely shed light ion the direction the industry is going.

• Craig Maier of USF Surface Preparation stressed the importance of "Floor Prep," which is where things start, stop and end in the moisture sealing business.

Plans are already underway for Inspections Industry 2002.