Meet the Columnists

Christopher Capobianco is a fourth generation floor covering specialist with over 26 years in the flooring business. His background includes work as a retailer, architectural sales representative, technical support manager, writer, educator and activist. He is active in a number of industry volunteer organizations, including ASTM Committee F.06 on Resilient Flooring, the Long Island Floor Covering Association, FCICA and IICRC. He works in his family's retail flooring business, Fred's Carpet of East Northport, Long Island, and has his own consulting business, Flooring Answers. You can reach him at cappy59@optonline.net.

David M Gobis CTC CSI, a third generation tile setter, is the executive director of the Ceramic Tile Education Foundation. He has been in the trade for over 30 years and owned a successful contracting business for many years prior to his current position. Gobis is an author of many trade-related articles and a frequent speaker at industry events. He is a member of the Construction Specification Institute, National Tile Contractors Technical Committee, and a voting member of the American National Standards for Ceramic Tile Installation and Setting Materials (ANSI A108/118) and Tile Council of America Installation Handbook committees. He can be reached at (864) 222-2131 or dave@tileschool.org

Janet Carter ASID, author of Showroom Management, is a color, design and communications consultant based in Kohler, WI, and the author of the book, "The Showroom Management Manual." She works with various manufacturers of interior building products and residential interior furnishings. Widely recognized for her product design expertise, Janet is a frequent speaker at national trade shows as well as local distributor and industry events.

Reggie Hill, founder of Wilmington, DE-based Floor Covering Services & Consultants, has nearly 20 years of experience in the retail floor covering industry, an in-depth knowledge of various floor covering materials and a specialized expertise in laminate products. Formerly Mannington Mills manager of installation services, Reggie is a certified instructor for the Resilient Floor Covering Institute’s Teach the Teacher program, and a member of the International Academy of Floorcovering Inspectors review board.

Jim Lee, author of FIANA Job Ticket, is president of the Floor Installation Association of North America (FIANA) and the retired owner of Professional Flooring Supply in Fort Worth, TX. During his career of more than 40 years, Jim has worked in all segments of the industry including retailing, distribution and manufacturing.

Randy Prewitt, author of Wood or Wood Knot, is president and general manager of St. Louis-based Mid-West Floor Co. Formerly the director of Technical Services for the National Wood Flooring Association (NWFA), Randy has two decades of experience as a teacher and trainer. In addition, he developed a wood floor training class for his local Floor Layers Union and helped establish the NWFA’s first permanent school.

Ray Thompson Jr., author of Focus on Resilient, is a renowned installation expert and president of the Ray Thompson Floorcovering Institute in Cle Elum, WA. A veteran of the flooring industry for more than 35 years, Ray conducts resilient, carpet and hardwood training programs for installers, retailers, distributors, and industry associations. He also serves as a consultant and runs his own inspection service.

Sam Allman, author of The Art of Retail Management, is founder and president of Acworth, GA-based Allman & Associates and the dean of Mohawk University. A consultant, speaker, and trainer, Sam focuses his consulting efforts on helping organizations develop the tools and techniques they need to achieve their goals, make lasting impressions on customers and improve relationships in the workplace.