MoreANAHEIM, Calif. -- The World Floor Covering Association (WFCA), Anaheim, and Flooring Plus (www.flooringplus.com), Glen Burnie, Md., have joined forces in a unique cooperative membership arrangement to add value to floor covering retailer members of the merchandising group.
Starting in January, Flooring Plus members will automatically become WFCA (www.wfca.org), and will gain all the benefits of regular membership, including access to academic and trade scholarships, discounts on all types of insurance and business services, representation in Washington D.C., and an entire smorgasbord of benefits.
"This is truly a 'win-win' for both organizations," said WFCA CEO Chris Davis. "Flooring Plus members obtain all the benefits of the WFCA and the WFCA significantly expands its membership base. This is truly a cooperative effort and a partnership that will benefit both organizations and the individual members."
In making the joint announcement, Flooring Plus Executive Director Charlie Parsons stated, "Our members are very interested in educational opportunities as well as certifications and the WFCA provides a number of quality programs that can benefit our membership. We hope to contribute ideas and support as well as membership to this partnership."
Flooring Plus is a comprehensive retail marketing program sponsored by local distributors, which include Belknap White Alcco, William M. Bird, Florstar Sales, B.R. Funsten, J.J. Haines, Ohio Valley Flooring, Reader's Wholesale, and Tri-West. There are currently more than 750 retailer members of Flooring Plus, with just over 100 of those firms already members of the WFCA. This means approximately 650 new members will be joining the WFCA when the new arrangement takes effect.
Terry Hearne, WFCA Director of Operations, was instrumental in bringing the two organizations together. He said, "We believe this type of joint membership arrangement can be a model for other merchandising groups to follow. Many of the members of Flooring Plus were not previously affiliated with the WFCA, so this significantly expands their options."
The World Floor Covering Association was formed as a result of the 1995 merger of the Western Floor Covering Association and the American Floorcovering Association. For more information, call (800) 624-6880.
Flooring Plus marketing program is a partnership between leading retailers, distributors and manufacturers across the country. For more information, write Charlie Parsons, Director of Marketing, Flooring Plus, Inc., P.O. Box 1356, Glen Burnie, Md., 21060.
