Contact: Kelly Cooper   For Immediate Release
Hanley Wood Exhibitions
kcooper@hanleywood.com
972.536.6411

Retailers Take Center Stage at General Session

(Dallas, Texas) As the economy slowly begins its upward climb towards stability, SURFACES 2010 will kick off with a dynamic opening General Session focused
on the current and future state of retail and its affect on all facets of the floor covering industry.

The SURFACES 2010 Opening General Session, sponsored by Armstrong World Industries, Inc. and Floor Covering News, will feature seven, highly regarded floor covering retail leaders as they discuss their greatest victories and most difficult challenges over the past few years as well as share their insights and strategies for future success.

“There is no question that the industry has been hard hit by the current economic conditions; yet the floor covering retailer has really taken the brunt of it due to
their direct relationship with the consumer,” says Dana Teague, Show Director, SURFACES. “The leaders on the panel represent thousands of retailers who are on
the front lines day in and day out.”

Panelists include: Ron Dunn, Co-CEO, CarpetsPlus Color Tile, Jeffrey Macco, President, National Floorcovering Alliance, Jeanne Matson, President, Starnet Worldwide, Scott Perron, President, Big Bob’s Flooring Outlet, Steve Silverman, President & COO, Abbey Carpet Co., Vinnie Virga, President, Flooring America,
and Bruce Weber, President & Founder, American Home Surfaces Group. The session will again be moderated by Gerri Willis, host of CNN’s “Your Bottom Line,”
and personal finance editor for CNN Business News.

“There is an obvious need at the retail level for dealers to upgrade their image in the fight for consumer’s disposable income against other big ticket home furnishing products.  However, with limited time and resources at their disposal this becomes an almost impossible task by “going it alone”, says Steve Silverman, President
& COO, Abbey Carpet Co., Inc. “They need assistance in advertising, merchandising, marketing and technology, to name a few.  Those are some of the items I
would like to address and believe the other panel members will do as well.”

“The independent retailer is being squeezed from all sides. Internet sales and the big boxes are racing to the bottom and that race has no winner. Our challenge is
to convince our customers we provide value”, says Jeff Macco, President, National Floorcovering Alliance.

Frank Ready, Executive Vice President, Armstrong World Industries, Inc. and CEO, Armstrong North American Floor Products will offer opening remarks.

“This panel brings together some of our industry’s most successful retailers to share their experiences and insights. They’ll discuss future growth, the economic forecast, challenges to the traditional retailer and more. It’s going to enable attendees to walk away with practical ideas to take back and put into their own business,” said Ready. “Armstrong’s sponsorship of this session reflects our commitment to the success of our retail partners; we focus on helping our customers’ grow their businesses- profitability, by means of product innovation, merchandising support, partnership programs, national advertising and exchanges such as this key industry forum.”  

The Opening General Session will be held on Tuesday, February 2, 2010 from 8:30 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. Cost to register is $25 before December 30 and $35 afterwards. You can register to attend SURFACES and the Opening General Session at www.Surfaces.com.

SURFACES 2010 takes place February 2 – 4 (Tuesday – Thursday) at the Sands Expo and Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nevada USA.

The official sponsor of SURFACES is the World Floor Covering Association (WFCA), the floor covering industry's largest advocacy organization representing floor covering retailers, contractors and allied service providers throughout North America.

The WFCA is a recognized leader in marketing research, industry certification programs, and operates the premier consumer flooring web site, www.wfca.org, providing unbiased information about every type of floor covering and connecting customers to members’ retail stores. The WFCA also influences public policy affecting the floor covering industry and consumers. For more information about the WFCA, visit www.wfca-pro.org.

About Hanley Wood
Hanley Wood, LLC, is the premier media company serving housing and construction. Through four operating divisions, the company produces award-winning magazines and Web sites, marquee trade shows and events, rich data and custom marketing solutions. The company also is North America’s leading publisher of home plans. Hanley Wood Exhibitions (Dallas) conducts 18 trade shows, including World of Concrete, one of the top 20 trade show events in the country.
Founded in 1976, Hanley Wood is a $250 million company owned by affiliates of JPMorgan Partners, LLC. CCMP Capital Advisors manages the Hanley Wood investment for JPMorgan Partners.

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