Page 12 - Fall 2021 FCICA Flooring Contractor

PE RS PEC T IVE

How CIM Training

Opened My Eyes

BY ERIC FRITSCH, CIM, COMMERCIAL SALES MANAGER, ATLANTA FLOORING DESIGN CENTERS

have been in the flooring industry for over 30 years. I was raised Shortly after I started here at AFDC, CIM training was offered to
in my family’s Commercial Flooring office and grew up learning our project managers and field quality control associates. Immediately
everything from sweeping to seaming, installing to managing upon completing their training, I received numerous reports of how
I elling to designing. informative and enlightening the certification had been. (Several
and s
Over the years, my hands-on experience in the field has given me a of those who attended that initial class had extensive flooring
lot of insight on how and why installations, regardless of the product, experience!)
can be successful or fail. Intrigued, I decided to attend the next scheduled 3 Days to
Communication and organization were the cornerstones of my CIM class. The 3 Days to CIM Program was a fully immersive and
father’s business. Everything had its place, and everything was done interactive class. I was surrounded by individuals with all levels of
for a reason. There were no shortcuts, and he always offered only experience and several industry experts in their own right.
the finest products and services to his clients. We did not get every Numerous industry representatives spoke about their experiences.
job, but we could stand behind and be proud of our work every job They openly shared their successes and challenges and the measures
we got. My father’s reputation for quality work helped him grow our they took to resolve and learn from them. One of my most significant
business with strong customer and manufacturer relationships over takeaways from the class is that even though I have a way of solving a
the years. We were always looking for a better way or better product problem or completing a task, there often may still be a more efficient
to offer to our clients. way to accomplish this. I had several eye-opening conversations with
I routinely attended manufacturers training classes and received my classmates that enlightened me on accomplishing things I had
numerous certifications over my many years working with my father. never considered before. Why should I have? My way had successfully
This training proved to be invaluable when managing projects. You worked for years! CIM had exposed a mental trap I had fallen into!
could plan for success rather than react to problems. “Just because that’s the way we have always done it” does not mean it is
When I was allowed to join Atlanta Flooring Design Center as their the BEST way!
Commercial Manager, I was excited to apply my past experiences and We should ALWAYS be open to new ideas and ALWAYS be
knowledge to this new position. searching for better ways to do things!
I inherited a wonderful group of seasoned professional sales Most recently, while working on a large Convention Center
associates with vast knowledge of the flooring industry. Being the project, we were presented with multiple floor preparation and
new kid, I had to prove myself and demonstrate that I could be an moisture mitigation challenges. The knowledge I acquired at my CIM
asset to this dynamic team. Not an easy task by any means! class helped our team correctly identify and explain the required
During the first few months, I spent a lot of time listening to my repairs and fully document the process, and ultimately, protecting
team. What challenges did they face? What was holding them back, our customer by keeping the project in compliance with the
and even more importantly, what was helping them move forward? manufacturer’s guidelines for installation and warranty purposes.
I quickly learned that many extraordinary processes and My team and I continue to benefit from the knowledge learned at
procedures here at AFDC contributed to the company’s success. CIM training and the relationships we made with our peers in the
More importantly, the company had a strong bias/passion/mission industry. The collective skills and experience among CIM members
statement. is a gold mine of lessons learned, best practices, and the wisdom that
We dominated our culture. We want to do the right thing and only experience can offer! Q
treat our customers as we wish to be treated—simple logic but often
overlooked in a fast passed industry dominated by a get ‘er done
mentality.

12 The Flooring Contractor Magazine Fall 2021