This article was originally published by Floor Covering News. Summarised here with attribution — read the original.
Members of Mr. Wright Flooring, from left: Ricky Robinson, Marquis Wright, president/CEO; Jakhari Wright and Shavazz Robinson.
Floor Covering News covered the International Certified Flooring Installers (CFI) convention in Orlando — the organization's first since 2019 — and the turnout of younger installers, precisely the demographic CFI and the wider flooring industry have been working to attract during the ongoing labor shortage. Of the 175 attendees, 73 were there for the first time.
Mr. Wright Flooring at the convention
Among the newer attendees were four family members of Mr. Wright Flooring, all 30 and under. Founded in 2012 by a then 21-year-old Marquis Wright, the Jacksonville installation company has earned praise from customers for its craftsmanship and courteous demeanor.
Wright's introduction to the trade came about simply: a next-door neighbor asked whether he would work for $70 a day, and he took it. He told FCNews about the job that settled the question of whether installation was for him — seeing a finished floor he was prouder of than he expected the customer to be, and then watching the customer cry because she was so pleased with it.
“I love that I get to use my hands and can make something.”
Wright's team includes his brother Jakhari and cousins Ricky Robinson and Shavazz Robinson. Shavazz, who had been installing for six years at the time, described starting the work looking for a paycheck and growing into the craft — enjoying being able to create something and watching how the floors come together.
Read the full article
The full piece by Ken Ryan covers the evolution of CFI's recruitment work, the Build My Future–Flooring Edition program, and a panel discussion between installers and retailers on their working relationship. It is published by Floor Covering News.
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