(PRESS RELEASE) CHICAGO – The Wallcoverings Association (WA) held its 2022 Annual Meeting in Delray Beach, Florida from April 4-7. The event drew more than 150 wallcoverings manufacturers, distributors and suppliers to the Opal Grand Oceanfront Resort, where attendees experienced two and a half days of carefully curated educational sessions and dedicated networking.
The main stage at the Annual Meeting offered a notable lineup of industry experts, including Adrienne Palmer, Editor, Big Picture; AJ Paron, EVP and Design Futurist, Sandow Design Group; Amanda Schneider, Founder, ThinkLab; and Kevin Koonce, Vice President of Government Affairs, Vinyl Institute. Attendees were provided insights about the design and industry trends, economy, marketing strategies and what’s ahead for digital integration; all to better the future of the wallcoverings industry.
“Our mission for 2022 and beyond is to continue promoting the overall use of wallcovering products in the marketplace. When the end-user, whether it’s an interior designer or architectural specifier, etc. is thinking about interior products of choice, we want them to think of the beauty, functionality, and performance of wallcoverings,” said Matthew Jones, WA Executive Director.
He added: “This year, we plan to grow the WA by expanding our product knowledge and expertise and developing understanding of all facets of the industry from equipment and substrates, to design and marketing. The outlook for the future of our industry is continued growth in many sectors.”
Meeting attendees had several opportunities to connect throughout the event with networking events and individual supplier meetings, followed by an Awards Dinner.
At the Awards Dinner, WA presented the Allman Award, its highest honor, to Mark Goodman, president of Crown Surface Solutions and J. Josephson. The industry’s most prestigious award is named for the WA’s founder and is presented each year to a leader who has made a long-lasting, positive contribution to the wallcovering industry.
Mark began his career in wallcovering at the age of nine sweeping floors in the Warehouse at Crown Wallpaper in Toronto. After a number of hands-on roles, his father and mentor, Gilbert Goodman (a 1991 Allman Award recipient) wisely noted that Mark might instead have a future in leading rather than doing. Gil’s “sink or swim” approach to leadership development resulted in Mark relocating to New York in 1980 when the family purchased J. Josephson. Mark has since led the company through the acquisition of Omnova Solutions’ North American Commercial Wallcovering Business in 2011, transitioning Omnova to JJ’s New Jersey factory, a manufacturing joint venture in Asia and the introduction of P3TEC.
Other awards presented were Service Award winners: Steve Fitzgerald, Finishing Chicago & Veronica Leal, DC 14 Apprenticeship; Innovation Award winner: Patty Madden, Luxe Surfaces; Outgoing President’s Award: Dan Brandt, MDC Interior Solutions (2019-2020) & Shelly Bixler, National Solutions (2021); and President’s Award winner: Robin Patrick, Roman Products.
The Wallcoverings Association is a nonprofit trade association representing wallcoverings manufacturers, distributors, and suppliers. The WA educates consumers, designers and specifiers about the beauty and use of wallcoverings. The association keeps the industry at the forefront of sustainability with specifier tools and Environmental Product Declarations. For more information, visit wallcoverings.org.
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