IFC's Canopy Brand Launches Installer Training Partnership w/ FCEF

Dalton, GA, August 26, 2024-International Flooring Company (IFC) is supporting the Floor Covering Education Foundation (FCEF) by donating a penny for every square foot in sales of its Canopy-brand products.

The resilient flooring company, headed by Julian and William Dossche, is also encouraging its roughly 300 Canopy retail partners to donate an additional penny for every square foot sold, which IFC can roll into the price to keep things simple for dealers and allow them to pass the cost on to the consumer.

“Causes like FCEF need to be supported by ongoing funding efforts, not just having to beg all the time for money,” IFC representative Piet Dossche said during the company’s announcement of the new initiative. “Hopefully this [model] will be followed by many others.”

Piet Dossche estimates that 85% of industry sales rely on professional installation, versus DIY. He encourages other companies to support FCEF’s efforts to backfill the installation pool through scholarships and awareness initiatives, by tying financial support to the sales of higher-end products.

FCEF executive director Jim Aaron estimates that it would conservatively cost $6 million annually for FCEF to fund enough scholarships to replace the thousands of installers that leave the industry each year.

Whereas there were 4,000 to 6,000 flooring installer job openings in 2010, the Bureau of Labor now reports there will be 10,600 annually through 2030.

FCEF has awarded more than $485,000 in scholarships for the training of new installers, with 82% of graduates now employed in the industry. It has implemented 18 college/high school programs in ten states over the past two years and is set to launch an innovative virtual training program in Alabama colleges this fall.

Pic, L to R: FCEF executive director Jim Aaron and IFC’s Julian and Piet Dossche