Dowling to Retire as StarNet President & CEO

Ridgefield, CT, May 18, 2006--At StarNet Commercial Flooring Cooperative’s annual meeting in Bal Harbour, Florida, Lori Dowling, president and CEO, announced her plans to retire in April 2007. Dowling said, “My time with StarNet has been tremendously rewarding. Our membership is amazing--their strong, entrepreneurial spirit and expertise is simply unrivaled. I will miss the day-to-day interaction with each of the members, and must thank all who I’ve worked with over the past 8 years.” Dowling, who will remain with the organization through April 2007, will play an active role in recruiting and working with the new president to ensure a smooth transition. “Since Lori took the helm at StarNet, we have seen amazing membership growth, going from 60 members in 1996 to over 145 member firms in North America today,” said Bob Sabosik, president of M.E. Sabosik, Associates, and chairman of StarNet’s Board. “During the past two years, StarNet expanded into Canada, as well as grew with the addition of the Invironmentalists, all of which has added a wealth of expertise to our organization. Through it all, Lori has represented the membership in an outstanding way and has played a key role in strengthening our relationships with StarNet preferred vendors. While we wish her the best, her leadership will truly be missed.” Dowling has over 24 years of experience in the commercial flooring industry. Before becoming president and CEO of StarNet, she served as the executive director of the cooperative for 3 years. Prior, she spent 16 years with Armstrong World Industries as vice president, commercial sales. Next year, along with pursuing other hobbies and interests, Dowling plans to spend more time with her family. Early in 1992, independent commercial flooring dealers recognized their resources could be strengthened through a national network combining their individual capabilities. This basic concept grew into the StarNet Commercial Flooring Cooperative which, with more than 145 independent contractors doing business in 230 of the top markets across North America, is the most professional, service-driven, commercial floor covering entity in existence today. Working closely with the leading floor covering manufacturers, StarNet has been able to reduce the costs related to doing business and create a combined annual volume of well over one billion dollars. For more information, call 1-800-787-6381 or visit www.starnetflooring.com.

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