North American Association of Floor Covering Distributors (NAFCD)

What North American Association of Floor Covering Distributors (NAFCD) does

North American Association of Floor Covering Distributors (NAFCD) is a private non-profit trade association founded in 1973 and headquartered at 330 N. Wabash Ave., Suite 2000, Chicago, Illinois. The organization serves as the primary trade body for floor covering wholesale distributors, suppliers, and service providers across North America (United States and Canada), with 50+ years of continuous operation and hundreds of member companies. NAFCD operates with a lean staff of approximately five employees and is governed by a board rotating annually among member-company executives.

NAFCD's core offering is a tiered membership program with three categories — Distributor, Supplier, and Service Provider — bundled with a suite of programs and services. These include the Emerging Distribution Leaders (EDL) nine-month leadership development track (four cohorts completed), the University of Innovative Distribution (UID) four-day intensive hosted at Purdue University plus condensed "UID-in-a-Day" sessions, a Quarterly Sales Trend Report dashboard built on member data and analyzed by Cleveland Research Company, mid-year economic outlook webinars with ITR Economics, regional Distributor Forums, and the Hub & Spoke digital content platform. The signature event is the joint NAFCD + NBMDA Annual Convention (now in its 16th iteration), which drew 1,000+ attendees and 200+ exhibitors in 2025.

Revenue is generated through three streams: recurring membership dues (tiered, not publicly disclosed), event registration and exhibit fees for the annual convention and forums, and fees for education programs including EDL and UID. Distribution and supplier channels are direct to enterprise member companies via the nafcd.org website, the my.nafcd.org member portal, and in-person events. The 2026 Annual Convention is scheduled for Dallas, TX. NAFCD maintains an executive transition underway: Michael Wilbur succeeded Kevin Gammonley (30+ year tenure) as Executive Director on July 1, 2024, and Austin Starnes (BPI) was installed as 2025-26 President succeeding Brian Green (UCX).

Name

North American Association of Floor Covering Distributors (NAFCD)

Legal name

North American Association of Floor Covering Distributors

Website

https://nafcd.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1973

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

North American Association of Floor Covering Distributors (NAFCD) is a Chicago-based, non-profit trade association founded in 1973 that serves hundreds of floor covering wholesale distributors, suppliers, and service providers across North America through tiered membership, leadership development programs (EDL, UID), annual conventions, and economic research.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Trade Association Services

NAICS

Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers (4251)

SIC

Wholesale-Misc Durable Goods (5090)

akta.pro primary industry

Retail & Wholesale Distribution Centers (Dry DCs) (TLALAAAD)

Keywords

• Floor covering distribution
• Trade association services
• Wholesale distribution networking
• Industry education programs
• Distribution research reports

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: NAFCD generates revenue through membership fees from floor covering distributors, suppliers, and service providers across North America. Three membership tiers exist: Distributor, Supplier, and Service Provider.
2. Event Registration: Revenue from the annual NAFCD + NBMDA Annual Convention, distributor forums, and UID educational programs including registration fees for educational sessions and exhibit hall participation.
3. Education Programs: Fees for the Emerging Distribution Leaders (EDL) program and University of Innovative Distribution (UID) training sessions, including UID-in-a-Day sessions held during conventions.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

NAFCD is a non-profit trade association that delivers membership-based services to floor covering wholesale distributors, suppliers, and service providers across North America. Core offerings include tiered membership (Distributor, Supplier, Service Provider), the Emerging Distribution Leaders leadership program, University of Innovative Distribution workshops hosted by Purdue University, industry research (Quarterly Sales Trend Reports via Cleveland Research Company), economic forecasting partnerships with ITR Economics, an annual convention held jointly with NBMDA, regional distributor forums, and an online member directory.

Product overview

NAFCD is a trade association for floor covering wholesale distributors and suppliers in North America, offering membership-based services rather than a unified software product. The core offering is NAFCD Membership, which provides access to a suite of educational programs (Emerging Distribution Leaders, UID, Webinars), research resources (Research Center, Quarterly Sales Trends), networking events (Annual Convention, Distributor Forums), and industry publications (Hub & Spoke content platform, Press Releases). The association also facilitates industry recognition through its Awards Program and maintains a member directory. The portfolio functions as a comprehensive professional development and networking ecosystem rather than a traditional product platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Emerging Distribution Leaders (EDL): NAFCD's leadership development program designed to nurture up-and-coming talent in the floor covering distribution channel.
• University of Innovative Distribution (UID)
• NAFCD + NBMDA Annual Convention

Products and services

• NAFCD Membership

Quantifiable outcome

• Hundreds of member companies across North America engaged through member directory and networking programs
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• NBMDA (North American Building Material Distributors Association)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint convention partnership for annual NAFCD + NBMDA Annual Convention. The two associations have staged the joint event 16 times, combining educational programming, exhibit halls, and networking for distributors and suppliers across floor covering and building material channels.
• Cleveland Research CompanycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partner providing analysis of quarterly sales trends in the floor covering distribution channel. Data for NAFCD's Quarterly Sales Trend Report dashboard is supplied by NAFCD members and analyzed by Cleveland Research Company.
• ITR EconomicscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEconomic forecasting partner providing annual and mid-year economic trend updates for NAFCD members. ITR economists present at annual conventions and deliver virtual economic outlook sessions covering macroeconomic trends, housing markets, and tariff implications.
• Women In the Flooring Industry (WIFI)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership for women's leadership programming including Rise and Thrive Breakfast events at annual conventions. WIFI and NAFCD's women's group co-host in-person networking events for female industry participants.
• Purdue UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducational partnership hosting the University of Innovative Distribution (UID) - a four-day intensive training program. NAFCD Emerging Distribution Leaders program requires UID attendance as one of four graduation components.
• Mackay ResearchminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partner contributing content and insights to NAFCD's Hub & Spoke resource platform and member publications.
• Affinity HRminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHR research partner contributing content to NAFCD's Hub & Spoke platform on topics including workforce planning, hiring practices, and employee retention.
• Indian River Consulting GroupminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerConsulting partner providing research and education on AI applications in distribution through UID programming. J. Michael Marks presents on artificial intelligence in the building materials and flooring industries.
• Education Supporters (Shaw, Congoleum, Sika, Titebond, USG)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate sponsors providing financial support for NAFCD education programs. Listed supporters include Shaw, Congoleum Flooring, Sika, Titebond, and USG.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Competitive moat4 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/north-american-association-of-floor-covering-distributors

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about North American Association of Floor Covering Distributors (NAFCD)