FCICA Holds the Annual Spring Mid-Year Meeting in Atlantic City

FCICA is excited to share a summary of the 2026 Spring Mid-Year Meeting held May 11 – 13 in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

100 participants – contractors, manufacturers, distributors and industry partners – from across the US traveled to Atlantic City to attend the 3-day event. Mid-Year 2026 featured an informative keynote address from Marlene Morin, Sika USA, 4 educational sessions, 4 product demonstrations, an exclusive Sika USA plant tour and FCICA leadership meetings - interspersed with business networking and flooring community camaraderie.

FCICA in person events are an important component of membership; they serve to facilitate and activate the Association's mission to ‘support commercial flooring contractors through education, sharing best practices and industry connections’. Keynote and educational session presenters, product demos, the plant tour and networking with professional colleagues provided learning opportunities and industry connection.

Day One of the Mid-Year Meeting opened with a Welcome Gathering where attendees reunited for the start of the event and prior to the first of four education sessions, 'Contractor Safety Today: Risks, Best Practices and What Every Flooring Contractor Should Know', presented by Kenneth McBeath, Diverzify. The afternoon schedule also included three FCICA committee meetings – Membership, Associates and the CIM Steering Committee – to discuss membership advancement, policies and educational programming. The day concluded with an evening Welcome Reception.

Day Two was a full day of presentations, product demos, meetings and flooring camaraderie. Jim Lockwood, Consolidated Flooring and FCICA Vice Chairman, introduced keynote speaker, Marlene Morin, Senior Director of Floor Covering and Interior Finishing, Sika USA, who presented 'Merger, Acquisition and Integration: Strategy, Synergy and the Real Lessons Learned'. The keynote was followed by the education session, 'What Makes a Great Flooring Contractor from the GC, End User and Installer Perspectives', with panelists Craig Hall and Jay Such, P. Agnes; Neil DeGregorio, Deborah Heart and Lung Center; David Gross, INSTALL; moderated by Mike Forcade, CIM, Diverzify National Accounts.

Thereafter, Associates and Contractors held a Joint Round Table where they discussed the relationship between contractors and manufacturers, industry education and the value of certification. Four product demonstrations followed from i4F Patents & Technologies, Bostik, TEC Specialty Products and Totalworx.

The afternoon education sessions were 'Beyond PVC: A Panel Discussion on What You Need to Know About Non-PVC Flooring' with panelists Dave Bailey, Shaw Industries, Mike Forcade, CIM, Diverzify National Accounts and Don Styka, CIM, Tarkett and moderated by Jeff Johnson, MAPEI Corporation; and 'The Distributor's Perspective: Avoiding Costly Mistakes on Commercial Flooring Projects', presented by Tom Gillespie, Michael Halebian & Company. The Education Committee closed out the day - meeting to identify the commercial education sessions for the 2026 Synergy Convention & Expo in Chattanooga, TN, November 10 - 12. Day Two concluded with a celebratory reception and dinner overlooking the Atlantic Ocean.

The event sessions included:   

Keynote: Merger, Acquisition and Integration: Strategy, Synergy and the Real Lessons Learned presented by Marlene Morin, Sika USA

Education Session: Contractor Safety Today: Risks, Best Practices and What Every Flooring Contractor Should Know presented by Kenneth McBeath, Diverzify

Education Session: What Makes a Great Flooring Contractor From the GC, End User and Installer Perspectives, panelists Craig Hall and Jay Such, P. Agnes; Neil DeGregorio, Deborah Heart and Lung Center; David Gross, INSTALL; Moderated by Mike Forcade, CIM, Diverzify Nation Accounts  

Education Session: Beyond PVC: A Panel Discussion on What You Need to Know About Non-PVC Flooring panelists Dave Bailey, Shaw Industries, Mike Forcade, Diverzify National Accounts and Don Styka, Tarkett; Moderated by Jeff Johnson, MAPEI Corporation

Education Session: The Distributor's Perspective: Avoiding Costly Mistakes on Commercial Flooring Projects presented by Tom Gillespie, Michael Halebian & Company

Over the first two days, attendees had the opportunity to bid on an impressive selection of silent auction donations. FCICA is grateful to generous auction donors - ARDEX Americas, Beno J Gundlach, Custom Building Products, Federated Insurance, MAPEI, MAXXON, Milliken, Protect-All Flooring, Quantify North America, TEC Specialty Products and Wagner Meters. The auction raised $9,675 to benefit FCICA and its mission. Two lucky attendees were the $100 raffle winners courtesy of Fishman Flooring Solutions. The day concluded with a reception and dinner.

Day Three was tour day. Mid-Year participants toured the new state-of-the-art Sika USA manufacturing facility in Bridgeton, New Jersey, where they produce a range of flooring installation solutions including Schönox®, SikaLevel®, SikaBond®, self-leveling mortars, moisture mitigation systems, grouts and flooring adhesives. A special thank you to Sika USA for sponsoring the tour and Wednesday evening reception.

FCICA is grateful to the event attendees, presenters and moderators, product demonstrators, our sponsors, Sika USA and TEC Specialty Products, auction and raffle donors and Sika USA for opening their plant to tour participants.

In person event engagement provides valuable education and practical takeaways for attendees and their businesses. Consider registering for upcoming FCICA events. 

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