This bonus episode, live from The SUMMIT 2024, features the guys speak to many guests about the power of partnerships, and the importance of the industry joining together to be successful.

Guests :
Sonny Callaham - Co Founder and Chairman of NAFCT https://nafct.com

Paul Pleshek - Co Founder and Executive Director of NAFCT https://nafct.com

Robert Varden - Founder of UNITE https://uniteflooring.org

Beth Miller - Managing Editor Floor Trends & Installation Magazine https://www.floortrendsmag.com

Scott Bohaker - Owner of Bomont Flooring https://bomontflooring.com

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The Huddle was created by Paul Stuart of Stuart & Associates and Go Carrera, alongside Jose and Daniel Gonzalez from Preferred Flooring. Aimed at helping you maintain forward progress in your flooring career, they cover topics from personal and business growth, to installation tips & tricks and everything in-between.

Want to be a guest on The Huddle? Email ashlynn@gocarrera.com today!

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GET TRAINED! Find a list of training dates here: https://gocarrera.com/resources/training/
https://www.preferredflooringmi.com
https://www.stuartandassociates.com

all right what's up huddle

crew all right we're here at The Summit

in Dalton Georgia and got Sunny callaham

Robert Varden Paul pesek with us we're

just uh you know hanging out a little

bit wanted to get the guys together and

ask you a few questions first off like

how did the summit Comey talked about

the power of Partnerships I want you

guys to just kind of tell us what your

vision for this first you know inoc roll

uh Summit is but then what's your vision

for this thing going forward sure um

first thanks for coming appreciate you

coming but kind of the way it came to be

was Robert had asked me to be a board

member on unite so we started meeting

with unite and obviously meeting with na

afct we started saying yeah we're we're

going for the same goal so why not team

up together and do something together um

we're both fairly new associations right

so work working together I think you

know who I don't know he knows and vice

versa so we had a pretty good contact uh

to have people come and we've had a

great turnout we had 98 people

registered for this so um two days of

education trade show and um a panel

tomorrow so worked out well well so you

know some people may say what with

another convention right but it is

somewhat unique we've already had you

know we're most of the way du uh through

day one and it is a different kind of

setting and it does feel like unite and

that whole concept about getting

together we're all in the same industry

got a lot of the same goals why not come

together and and and work together to

you know increase the industry stance do

everything we're talking about with

labor shortage all this stuff so sure

Robert you well and and and sunny said

it correctly and and I think one thing

that is very different about this this

Gathering let's call it is you mentioned

it seems like another convention or you

know why would anybody have another

convention you know I think our whole

purpose of doing this you know it

started out we wanted to start a better

dialogue between the manufacturer and

the contractor you know again as a tech

guy running around you know how many

times would we get to the job site

you're you've been there and it's like

oh my gosh I wish you have called me

before you know and the installer don't

even realize that's was an option so

where it started out to that and it

built into what it became and this was

in a three-month time

frame but we wanted to get that dialogue

started he said do it so I did it yeah I

heard the other way he did a phenomenal

job I tell you um him and his whole team

Paul and Sarah we gotta give those guys

Kudos but but more

so in me and I think Sun agrees with me

that we don't want to look like a

convention we want it to look like more

of a gathering because we want this

right we want this to be as much yours

as it is ours as much theirs as it ours

because we want it something they can

look forward to and again just getting

the dialogue started between these

groups of Manufacturers and contractors

installers because let's face it who

knows our products better than the

manufacturer and these guys installing

them they need a better communication

yeah who needs to know it the most and

who has the most knowledge let's get

them together that's it so but we do

want that feel of it's as much yours as

it is ours well you guys have that in my

opinion and the the whole concept of

Bridging the Gap from the manufacturer

to the installer being an installer back

in the day myself you just didn't know

like you could call them I think you

mentioned that earlier I was like yeah

damn that's true I didn't know I could

call you mean I can call that guy I

didn't know what moisture was when I

installed didn't know what it was yeah

you know Paul you're not off the hook

dude you're over there trying to get out

of the I know what you're

try

I know what you're trying to do yeah

know stage exactly I was trying to avoid

being here to begin with in this area

well We snuck you in yes so so tell us

you know a little bit from your

perspective how's the day going you know

I'm sitting there thinking of the uh the

noise Factor right where uh it's not

quiet in here when we're sitting here

there's a lot of rumbling of people

visiting I think that's a big part

there's some conversations going on and

conversations you can take some time

with right you're not rushed not trying

to cover 17 Acres of a of a show you're

not uh rushed off when you've got 15

people standing in line waiting to talk

to the same people it's more of an

intimate setting where we can sit here

and we can actually just take the

afternoon and really go and have longer

conversations about things that that

that concern everybody and and we can

see that everybody's really sticking

around here and and taking advantage of

that I think you get that opportunity

very often where you can you don't have

anywhere to rush off to you don't have

you know thousand people to see you can

just take advantage of people that are

in front of you and and slow down and

and have some fun well I want to say you

know on the Huddle every week we're

constantly trying to encourage

installers to get to some of these shows

to get to network like the reason that

companies in the flooring industry we

tend to to find some success that

success starts really when you start

connecting with other companies

my my my flooring company got better

when I became a member of fuse it wasn't

because fuse all of a sudden a rebate or

whatever it was because I got around

other flooring contractors who had

different business practices maybe

better maybe just different that

actually worked better flooring

installers can do the same thing if we

can just get them to come and

participate uh you know I I threw a

couple things out in one of the groups

and I was like hey is anybody going to

be in Georgia and they're like didn't

get an invite I'm like

guys right it's all it's all over uh

really what it boils down to is I think

what you guys have started can be this

Open Arms kind of welcoming thing for

installers to come and actually do

installer sorry sorry about the s

word uh but you know get together and

not feel like you feel like a a fish out

of water a little bit say a a a much

bigger show this is your show get to the

summit uh I want to say I appreciate you

guys putting this together we are

excited to be a part of it as well so

thanks for com next years's next year's

going to be in April right here at the

convention center um 26 we're looking at

Dalton to move it a little bit but this

is not a one-time deal we're going to

keep this going awesome any final

words where where else can you go for a

show for this kind of cost and get the

food we've got no doubt nowhere I mean

I'm telling you you know I've had to do

with putting together a few conventions

and that's one thing when we looked at

this venue and you know I've used this

before as well for a couple of meetings

and it's a great venue I mean and again

I mean you go to Orlando or these places

and and believe me just to feed an

attendee you 500 bucks right same Great

Mills were 100 and a half I mean hope

the convention center don't hear this

and up our price next year but no it's a

it's a phenomenal venue it's right here

in the heart of you know the flooring

capital of the world and so no I think

it was a great

start money for the food they that's why

was $150 yeah guys it's

fortable come come see us next year in

April if you're not here we promis to

bring you live and give you a taste so

thanks guys again I appreciate it thanks

good see you

again appreciate it Paul thank you

gentlemen appreciate everything you guys

do everything Budd appreciate you yeah I

hope this

it

will go talk to another

inster

many

didn't do anything yeah

you

that what are you talking about I'm not

talking how you guys H how how we all

got together with the power of

Partnerships with the Huddle oh we're

still on live you're still live all

right guys oh we are so live the power

of live and the uh fear of live is that

you say something wrong on live no um so

everybody knows the Huddle yes

so when we're talking about the power of

Partnerships we just got through kind of

describing you know with s uh Sunny Paul

and and

Robert them uniting and coming together

and and that power of that partnership

is the same thing with PF floring and

steing Associates and go Carrera that

all started from a partnership we just

it's the well it started with a

relationship that turned into a

partnership 100% And so so we partnered

up on the Huddle it's very quickly

becoming the number one watched uh

podcast in flooring if not already the

number one I'd like to say appreciate

you guys apprciate so thank you guys for

always joining us I got multiple

comments here this week uh already or

today already about uh people who watch

us religiously so we appreciate you guys

100% so thank you for that but the power

of Partnerships is kind of what we're

talking about yeah and it's been

I want to tell you the power it's

absolutely rewarding to get to know

other people and make a deal and really

what we did is make a a handshake deal

to start a podcast together and start

like talking about flooring stuff and

you got it resided with you guys so how

how's it been for I mean what's your

take you know what it's um it's just one

of those deals

where you create a a relationship that

you think is going to be opport

opportunity right it's opportunistic

because that's how that's how everything

starts you go look for opportunities and

then you end up finding common ground

and then instead of an opportunity it

becomes a relationship and a friendship

and then things just kind of spiral from

there and that's what happened with us

both decided to sit down in the same

area at the same time at the same place

and say at a show yeah at a show at a

show fcica event I believe and um it

just kind of turned into to what you see

now like uh

we I met him as a software guy I didn't

know that he was a flooring guy and then

we took the time to talk to one another

and realize that we were actually on the

same page on a lot of beliefs and then

he's like yeah I'm in flooring too this

is you know Stewart Associates that's me

this is just a byproduct of a need that

that that we found and um and and who we

are I mean the podcast came up in an

organic conversation like hey wouldn't

that be cool to have a podcast yeah yeah

it probably would be try to help

everyone out and then 86 yeah 86 episod

and then here we are here we are and

it's um you know it's been fun you know

like I'm not saying that like it's

stopping but it's been a good ride so

far a fun ride and

uh I forget that we do this yeah I

forget that that we take time out of our

day to sit and and rap with one another

and have guests on and because I'm just

hanging with my brother and my boy yeah

and you forget what you're you forget

what you're doing in in a sense of we're

trying to get a word out andang out it

started off a little scary and it

started off a little bit like work like

if it was a little bit like you had to

get geared up for it now it's very

natural

because just to say the tag line again

the power Partnerships yeah it created

the Huddle the bottom line is the

partnership between us and your brother

Ben and everybody at go Carrera

Kevin Daniel my partner you know all of

us getting together at these shows

turned into what you get to watch every

week and we hope we bring you guys value

uh again we always encourage you to you

know comment like subscribe you know

interact with us uh you know help us out

help us get this into more hands and uh

you know more people's fingertips there

watching the Huddle but that's the power

of the partnership the people that we

talk

to really appreciate uh our approach and

again it was because we came together

and decided to try something cool yeah

and um you know we don't go out there

pretending that we know everything we

might know a little bit about a lot but

we're not Professionals in every aspect

of the industry and that's why it's

important for us to to get topic

suggestions from you guys and to get

guests on who we view as leaders in that

that that topic of the

industry yeah yeah we should talk to

Beth and she's here right now Beth come

on

down come on

down so so Beth is generally the one

asking the questions yes uh but I I'll

I'll I'll bring it in on and put you on

the other side so how first

off you've been in this you know

industry on the media

side when we say power of

Partnerships does that what is that like

I'm not going to ask you what does that

mean to you what I'm trying to dig out

of you is what's it look like when

successful Partnerships happen because

people come together you know what I

mean like

um shows can be very redundant yes but

it's the after it's all that after stuff

all these Partnerships that happen

afterwards all the deals that get made

afterwards I mean I met you at a show

like so uh and we encourage our audience

every week to get out and and get

involved and I I particularly want

people to get involved with shows that

are really focused on the uh installer

and that's also near and dear to your

heart so right well let's just use us as

an example so we actually met at the CFI

convention 22 I think it was 2022 I

believe so 21 or2 I believe so and we

did a video but I learned that day what

you're doing learned what go career was

and what it had to offer and so there

was another resource for installers that

now I'm aware of and now I can take that

back with me and I can share with others

so that's the same thing that has to

happen anytime there is an event where

everyone comes together we go home we

share ideas we learn from each other and

then you figure out from what you've

learned how to share that with others to

benefit everyone to benefit the industry

as a whole um and really for me I'm a I

I'm a big picture thinker and I love to

really just pull all these little pieces

together and and go oh man you know what

this this is missing over here who can

who can solve this problem I know yeah

go Carrera or whoever you know Ardex mé

Roberts whoever it is you know and and

connect those people and that's so it's

that power of connection really I think

that comes from events like this yeah

and you get friends I

mean at the end of the day each I'm

moving next week you think you come I'd

love just kidding just kidding

I don't think you're moving off the hill

no no I'm not no all right well really

this whole thing this this uh part of

the uh live event here from the Summit

is all about the power of Partnerships

and as you know I'm a broken record when

I talk about getting together coming

together networking you know getting to

know other people's best business

practices but then you're going to meet

people you never know what you're going

to run across if you just put yourself

out there a bit and and uh you know try

to form some relationship so we'll catch

you guys soon we'll probably go live

again where can they find you Beth oh

where can they find me go to floor

trends.com and you can find all of the

content that we put out videos podcast

articles and if you've contributed

that's where you can find your things if

you don't know who we are go there find

us and if you want to contribute she's

always taking articles always taking

articles yes yes that's right yeah

awesome I think thank you who we got I

think we got Scott over here to talk

about some power Partnerships as well

why don't you step in

here do man's it going so this is Scott

booh haacker he was actually um one of

my certifiers for uh CFI in forny yeah

and at the same time you were the first

certification I ever did for CFI oh I

did not know that yes so I we know

talking to you and your relationship

with with mohawk and other CFI guys and

how you bring them on different job

sites you know you you deal with large

scale commercial we just did a podcast

about large scale commercial and

how kind of difficult it is um H how are

those Partnerships beneficial to you

well it's all about learning because

none of us know everything so at some

point in time we have to get involved in

a in a game that we're not exactly

comfortable with

so building relationships with different

installers different manufacturers field

service technicians for different

companies we can just learn about

products what can go wrong so we can

kind of fix problems before they

actually

happen yeah I mean even here earlier um

the presentations about concrete stuff

like that it's amazing the amount of

information you can learn that you don't

already know

just sitting through a one hour

presentation like that definitely we've

been sitting over here for a half hour

talking to TRX testing moisture and

concrete just how important it is I'm a

carpet guy I've never thought before

that moisture and concrete wasn't was a

problem but it affects adhesives in

different ways right and it's you know

things like that and then bringing other

installers on I think our industry is

kind of fueled by that competitive

nature right someone is always better

than you or you're always better than

someone and you're always chasing or

you're always falling behind when we're

all there for the same information if I

need something I can definitely call you

to get those answers or if and you know

vice versa I think that's really the

power of the Partnerships that we're

looking

at it's knowing that you have a network

of people to call and call to come help

you or you to go help them when you need

it we're not in competition with each

other at all we're here even if we live

in the city succeed right there's room

for everybody to succeed there's

absolutely room for everyone and that

that's the power of Partnerships it's

just building that Network so that way

you have someone to call and

sometimes we've talked occasionally

sometimes you just need a sounding board

right to discuss frustrations that you

have and you need somebody to talk to

that's been through the same experiences

before and then just the the commercial

industry in general right it's I can

always call you and say how's it going

in your Market you know are you seeing

the same things are you seeing something

before I am stuff like that definitely

and sometimes some of us who work very

closely with some of the manufacturers

may see or hear

something before right and getting to

events like this is huge with that right

because you have the the benefit of

going up to one of the manufacturers and

asking them questions and then I also

look at the manufacturers as partners

too so if I'm using Ardex um ardx is a

great partner they have a great support

system and I appreciate everything that

they do I mean I got I can give Seth a

call because I've networked with him and

asked him questions directly and that's

that's

crazy because he's the he's that Top Dog

over there right that's right and and

different glue manufacturers that we

have here if you have a high moisture

content in your slab you don't know what

to do there's usually a solution for

everything it's just not one person

knows it all yeah and the same thing

right everything is a different tool in

the toolbox everything is a partnership

and we're all in this uh industry to

succeed together and the more that

people can look at it that way the

better off the industry will be I think

we need that more now than ever more now

than ever so I mean I I appreciate your

time time today I think we're going to

get ready to wrap this one up we've been

at it for a few minutes now and thanks

for for coming over here and talking to

me even though I just went and grabbed

you real quick of course hey it's all

good good talking to you yeah I

appreciate it thanks thanks SC no

problem so thanks everyone uh we're

going to wrap it up make sure you like

subscribe all that good stuff all over

all the I mean look at these cool

microphones I mean this is the power of

Partnerships right here right because I

seen these on Amazon and I had to get

them and I part he partnered with Amazon

to get these it doesn't mean you didn't

pay for him but anyway just kidding any

no yeah so uh it's been fun man yeah um

if if you're watching this and you're

here come grab some stickers that's what

we're here

for these are the new ones I don't know

if you got any other new ones yeah we

got plenty of them hey the the key is if

if you're not here come next time come

check it out come hang out like I heard

you over saying you can call Seth with I

know that may not be a big ordeal if you

don't know who Seth is and I'm not

saying that he's like the president of

ardx but the guy knows his stuff and

he's the top top guy for Technical and

you as an installer can have the same

ability you run into a problem with some

selflevel or you're run into a technical

issue you can get these phone numbers

and these Conta to contact them directly

and save yourself a hell of a lot of

headache right even if he doesn't have

time he can point me to someone that

does have time yeah so come hang out

we're at the Su we'll be here tomorrow

too yep thanks brother until next time

break