FEI Group Meeting Hosts 700 Attendees

San Antonio, TX, October 20, 2023 – FEI Group, a group of interior finish contractors that include flooring contractors focused on the builder and multifamily segments, held its annual conference in San Antonio, Texas at the JW Marriott in San Antonio from October 18 to 20, with 700 of its members in attendance.

According to Graham Howerton and Max Holland, the leaders of the group, the housing market has transformed in the last couple of years, going from the most affordable housing-when all relevant elements, including income and cost of living, are factored in-to some of the least affordable housing. Despite these conditions, FEI members, have done better than their peers and are still managing to post growth, despite the subpar market.

Howerton and Holland say they’re cautiously optimistic about next year, which comes with a lot of caveats, considering global instability and the upcoming U.S. election, but the fact that the market is still underbuilt in terms of affordable housing suggests that the overall outlook remains strong.

For the coming year, the multifamily market holds more promise, with high mortgage rates holding back activity in both existing-home and new-home sales. The new home market is performing better than existing homes because homeowners with low-rate mortgages are holding onto their properties, driving the new home market-despite the rising costs of new homes.

Day two of this year’s conference included an economic outlook report from Mischa Fischer, an economist and data scientist, along with a host of learning academy sessions covering everything from recruiting, hiring and retaining to cash flow management, the Entrepreneurial Operating System and even exit strategies, and ending with two and a half hours for members to spend with their peers in their specific groups to talk about challenges and opportunities in their own businesses. For many members, this session is the biggest benefit of the conference.

This year’s keynote speaker, Kris Kuester, told the story of his neurodegenerative diagnosis at age 30 as he stood at the beginning of a promising musical career and how he overcame his staggering obstacles through a formula he developed. The conference again included a partnership with No Child Hungry. On the first night of the show-and in a single hour-members packed over 56,600 meals, compared to 51,000 last year, with this year’s meals sent to Maui for communities devastated by the fire earlier this year.

Next year’s conference will be held in September in Washington, D.C.

FEI Group, formerly Floor Expo, a network of interior and exterior finish contractors and interior finish showrooms, is comprised of five arms: Home Solutions, MultiFamily Solutions, Exterior Contractor Alliance, KBx (cabinets) and Kitchen & Bath Alliance. FEI was acquired by Nationwide Marketing Group in June 2022.

Pic: In its partnership with No Child Hungry, FEI Group members packed over 56,600 meals to be sent to Maui, Hawaii.