Industry experts convened at the National Floor Covering Association (NFCA) of Canada’s 2026 annual general meeting (AGM) in Calgary, to honour the sector’s top craftsmen and trailblazers and discuss critical concrete challenges.
Held May 7, NFCA presented the inaugural Circle of Excellence in Floor Covering Installation Awards. The first-ever recipients (and premier partners sponsoring each award) are:
Beaulieu Excellence in Floor Covering Installation Award: FloorSource, Brian Barnes and his installation team at Dynasty Floors for their work at Windsor Residence in Ontario, where 117,000 square feet of carpet tile was installed.
Gerflor Excellence in Floor Covering Installation Award: Dennis Vossebelt and the Floor Designs team for their work at the new K-5 elementary school in the Garry Station subdivision in Lethbridge, Alta.
Taiga Excellence in Floor Covering Installation Award: Son Le of Sonrise Flooring for his work at Summit 77, a 22-building rowhouse development in Calgary, installing luxury vinyl plank and tile for more than 110 units, approximating 200,000 square feet.
TEC Specialty Products Excellence in Floor Covering Installation Award: Geoff Berry of Harbrook Projects, whose more than 30-year industry career has involved installing carpet and vinyl sheet goods, hardwood and tile, as well as levelling work, which now comprises a significant portion of his projects, particularly in multi-family buildings where he fixes slabs over parkades and slabs on-grade.
Alberta Carpenters Training Centre Excellence in Apprenticeship Award: Xander Burroughs, whose first project was a three-month, out-of-town job that involved Marmoleum in a challenging environment marked by inconsistent temperatures, constant curveballs and the kind of pressure that tests even seasoned installers.
Laticrete Culture Champion Award: Mallory Dubois of Big West Floors, who champions education by helping sales teams better understand the products they sell and involving installers in that training, while also working with the Red Deer Construction Association and Honour the Work to promote trade education and demonstrate to students how math and science are applied in real-world job site settings.
NFCA Excellence in Mentoring Award: Matt Dubois of MD Flooring, who regularly signs on apprentices, works closely with them on-site and guides them through both professional and administrative aspects of the trade, including apprenticeship registration, Red Seal preparation and long-term career planning, while remaining a trusted resource throughout their careers.
NFCA Lifetime Achievement in Mentorship Award: Tony Senger, a passionate advocate for mentorship, who, in 1985, became the instructor of the floor covering apprenticeship program at the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology, where he remained until 2002, shaping the next generation of tradespeople. His dedication to sharing knowledge extended internationally, including opportunities to teach flooring installation techniques in China and Russia, helping to elevate industry standards abroad. He later continued this work across Canada with a major Canadian-based flooring manufacturer/distributor, leading seminars nationwide. He has also contributed to the advancement of the flooring trade through the invention and patenting of several specialized tools, leaving a lasting mark on the industry.
NFCA launched the awards program to recognize the dedication of individuals whose mastery, mentorship and leadership have strengthened the industry’s reputation. Its aim is to inspire the next generation, elevate the flooring trade and recognize those who create lasting value within the industry and the communities it serves.
“These awards reflect the pinnacle of technical skill and commitment to the trade,” says NFCA CEO Chris Maskell.
The remainder of the event focused on elevating installation standards, addressing industry talent gaps, and bridging the divide between concrete construction and floor covering requirements.
The keynote address was delivered by Calgary Construction Association president Bill Black. He provided an overview of the Alberta and Calgary construction markets, as well as insights into the future workforce. His address set an empowering tone by emphasizing the value of collaboration, noting that meaningful dialogue across all facets of the industry — general contractors, architects, designers and trades — is essential to driving progress.
Black’s address was followed by a panel discussion with Nelson Samayoa of New Gen Floor Systems, Bill Clyne of Floor Seal Technology, and Graeme Rosen and Chris Maskell of NFCA, who addressed the common divide between concrete preparation (division 3) and flooring tolerances (division 9). The session underscored the NFCA’s core mission to close this industry gap and help contractors mitigate costly moisture issues and subfloor claims.