NFCA AGM 2026

Beaulieu Canada recognizes FloorSource, Brian Barnes and his team at Dynasty Floors for the outstanding work they’ve done on the Windsor Residence in Ontario, where 13,000 square yards of Beaulieu carpet tile was installed throughout.

Brian and his installation team have been working alongside FloorSource for over 20 years, installing a wide range of flooring products in commercial, retail and residential jobs throughout Ontario.

They pride themselves on quality of work, meeting deadlines, time management and seeing all jobs through until completion.

Garry Station K-5 Elementary School — A Showcase of Craftsmanship by Floor Designs

In the heart of the growing Garry Station subdivision, the new K-5 Elementary School was built to welcome up to 610 students, with flexibility for 12 future modular classrooms. Designed as a safe, nurturing space for young learners, the building needed finishes that could stand the test of time — and that’s where Floor Designs truly shined.

The Real Heroes of the Floors: Floor Designs

While every construction project relies on teamwork, the flooring installation at Garry Station K-5 stands out as a testament to Floor Designs’ expertise, problem-solving, and precision craftsmanship.

From the very beginning, their team brought:

• Deep product knowledge of DLW Landscape
• Technical installation skills that ensured long-term performance
• Attention to detail critical in a high-traffic, student-focused environment
• Clear communication across trades and stakeholders
• Adaptability, which kept the project running smoothly despite typical construction challenges

Their ability to balance speed, quality, and accuracy made them an indispensable partner.

Why Their Expertise Mattered

The chosen product, DLW Landscape, is known for its durability, acoustic properties, indentation resistance, and dimensional stability — all essential features for a busy elementary school. But even the best product only performs as well as it’s installed.

Floor Designs ensured:

• Perfectly prepared subfloors for long-term stability
• Seamless integration across classrooms, corridors, and specialty spaces
• Accurate, clean detailing around transitions and architectural features
• Proper techniques that protect the flooring’s acoustic and resilience benefits

In short: they made the flooring live up to its full potential.

A Strong Collaboration Across the Board

Though architects FWBA provided a thoughtful design vision and Gerflor supplied the ideal flooring material, it was Floor Designs who brought these elements together with skilled hands and seasoned judgment.

Even as the project encountered the usual hurdles — tight timelines, coordination demands, and in-field adjustments — the installation stayed on track thanks to the contractor’s professionalism and problem-solving mindset.

Their experience became the stabilizing force that kept the flooring phase running seamlessly.

A School Built for Students, Elevated by Craftsmanship

Today, Garry Station K-5 stands as a bright, flexible, welcoming learning environment — one where the floors not only look beautiful but will continue to perform for years to come.

And behind that long-lasting success is the craftsmanship of Floor Designs, whose knowledge, pride in their work, and collaborative approach played a defining role in the project’s outcome.

Son has been working with Crestview Floors for over 15 years and is known for doing great work.

He is loyal, honest, and a strong team player who takes pride in what he does.

Over the past year, he has been working steadily on a large project called Summit 77 installing LVP and LVT for over 110 units and approximately 200,000 SF.

However, several challenges have come up along the way. There has been some unexpected prep work that required multiple pours of self-leveling or additional edging and sanding. As well as in lots of stairwells.

Son has handled these issues as they arose and kept things moving forward without any major delays, all while keeping the standards on site high. He is reliable, easy to work with, and always focused on delivering quality work.

Geoff grew up in flooring. His dad started a flooring store called Berry flooring back in 1990.

Geoff started working there during the summer from 1994 until graduating high school at which point he worked full time installing Carpet/vinyl sheet goods, hardwood and tile.

His first major project was for Banff housing doing three years of new housing up glacier mountain.

He expanded into leveling around 1999 when they were doing a project for Bosa Construction (65000 square feet of hardwood) where the floors ran out over an inch in 8 feet. It was trial by fire at that point and there were very few options for leveler at that time – none of them were any good.

Recognizing that leveling was going to become a large portion of his job moving forward, he decided to go down to Pittsburg to become certified in Ardex products and a few years later was introduced to level set 200. At that time, it had been specified into ITC projects as well as Centron. He did high rise after high rise in that material from spot filling to full flood installations. He physically put in tens of thousands of bags.

These days, he’s doing more multi-family buildings fixing the slabs over the parkades, or slabs on grade, having a huge comfort with the level set line. It has never let him down in any application.

Some apprentices ease their way into the trade.

Xander Burroughs did not.

His very first project? Not a simple install, but Marmoleum — on a site with inconsistent temperatures, constant curveballs, and the kind of pressure that tests even seasoned installers. It was a three-month, out-of-town job that would have sent many first-years running.

But Xander stayed.

What stood out immediately wasn’t just that he could keep up — it was that he wanted more. More challenge. More complexity. More opportunity to problem solve in real time. Where others might hesitate, Xander leans in.

A former RAP student out of Notre Dame High School, Xander chose flooring installation not because it was easy, but because it wasn’t. He thrives in the details — the technical specifications, the precision, and the pressure to get it right. In fact, the more demanding the material, the more excited he becomes.

His favorite? Sheet vinyl and heat welding.

The very scopes that make others hesitate are the ones Xander looks forward to the most. His employers often joke that when they see a specification that makes them cringe, they know it’s going to be Xander’s favorite part of the job.

All of this and more is what makes Xander not only an exceptional apprentice, but a great role model – and our industry is better for it.

Flooring has always been part of Mallory’s life, as her dad was an installer. Her and her sister spent a lot of time on his job sites with him. Funny enough, her sister went on to become an installer as well. They’d clean up scraps, vacuum, and of course eat all his snacks. Looking back, that’s where it all started. She learned early on why floors move, why prep matters, and that every product has a purpose. Her first install was laminate in her grandma’s kitchen when she was about six. She’s pretty sure she got fired the same day for taking too many breaks.

In high school, she moved into the admin side of their family business and eventually became a certified bookkeeper through Red Deer College. She thought she’d stepped away from flooring — but does anyone ever really get out of flooring?

Her and her husband, Matt opened their own installation company in 2015, which led to him earning his Red Seal. And just like that… she was back on site. But this time, not only doing paper work but also being his laborer while he installed.

In 2019, her dad needed help at his store in North Battleford, so they packed up, moved their family, and jumped in. What started as “just helping out for a few days” turned into full-time and then some.

That’s when Mallory saw the bigger picture. They weren’t just short on installers—they were short on skilled installers. And it wasn’t just them.

Manufacturers and suppliers were feeling it too. You could see the shift . . . more focus on DIY, less emphasis on proper installation, and standards starting to slip. Specifications were being reworded to accommodate for the lack of skilled tradespeople. When they lost the flooring program through NAIT, it became even harder to bring new journey people into the trade. That’s when they really started pushing for manufacturers to step back in and bring hands-on training back. They welcomed this more than she ever expected.

When they moved back to Red Deer, Mallory knew she wanted to be part of improving that. She started focusing on education—helping sales teams understand what they’re actually selling, and getting installers involved in that training. Because when prep is wrong, or the wrong product gets specified, it’s the installer and manufacturer’s reputation that takes the hit — and it reflects on the trade as a whole. She’s also been working with the Red Deer Construction Association with a focus on trade education, and alongside Honour the Work to help bring our trade into the spotlight — especially for students — showing them how math and science actually show up in real life on a job site.

She’s heard too many stories of jobs going to people without the training to do them properly, and it shows. Flooring is one of the biggest investments in a project, and one of the easiest to get wrong. So for Mallory, it comes down to better training, better communication, and higher expectations across the board. Collaborate to compete.

At the end of the day, she cares about doing things right. She cares about supporting the next generation coming into the trade and making sure flooring is seen for what it really is — a skilled trade that deserves respect. Because if something’s worth doing, it’s worth doing right.

Matt has done some truly incredible work for our trade and for the people coming up behind him. He’s taken the time to mentor apprentices in a way that’s patient, supportive, and honest, and he’s even had two RAP Program students from a local high school work alongside us — both of which turned into really positive experiences.

He has been deeply invested in the success of apprentices at every stage of their career journey and actively guides apprentices through both professional and administrative aspects of the trade, including apprenticeship registration, Red Seal preparation, and long-term career planning. His mentorship is not transactional or short-term — it is ongoing, consistent, and rooted in genuine care for the future of the trade.

He regularly signs on apprentices, works closely with them on-site, and remains available as a trusted resource well beyond the minimum requirements of an employer. Apprentices under Matt’s guidance benefit from open dialogue, constructive challenge, and honest feedback that helps them grow both technically and personally.

Matt has been involved in flooring in one way or another since he was 13 years old. His father, Norm — a carpenter by trade who owned a restoration company — employed a flooring installer named Bruce, who was always willing to take the time to show Matt how to install paper-backed sheet vinyl and run a hot-melt iron. Those early experiences sparked a lasting interest in the trade.

Before pursuing flooring as a career, Matt worked for Colin, a third-generation flooring installer from England, further developing both his skills and his appreciation for the craft. He later put himself through trade school on his own and went on to earn his Red Seal certification.

Today, Matt has nearly 15 years of experience in floorcovering across residential, commercial, restoration, and specialty installations. He has a particular passion for the art and creativity involved in flooring design and especially enjoys solving complex problems and taking on challenging installations.

Matt is the embodiment of a mentor. His dedication to apprenticeship development, commitment to education, and leadership by example have had a measurable and lasting impact on individuals and the flooring industry as a whole.

“I have been working with Matt for about two years now doing a variety of flooring – both commercial and residential. He has taught me ways of preparation and installation that brings my skills to another level. He’s an amazing educator.”
Delvin Dawes, Apprentice, Red Deer Carpet One Floor & Home

“Matt’s passion for floor covering is obvious to anyone who works with him, and he is always more than happy to share the knowledge he has with anyone interested in the trade. As his apprentice, I’ve been incredibly lucky to learn under him. He doesn’t just show me how to do a task, but he also pushes me to explore different methods and techniques to find what works best. Having a mentor who balances clear guidance with encouragement to try new things has helped me learn and grow in the trade quicker and better than I ever could have otherwise. I’m proud to be learning from someone who truly cares about the craft.”
Jude Miller, Apprentice, MD Flooring

Beginning his career at just 18 years old in Saskatoon, he walked into an unemployment office and landed a job with a carpet laying company — an opportunity that would ultimately shape a lifelong career in the flooring industry and lead him down a different path from his farm upbringing.

Originally aspiring to become a police officer, he was unable to pursue that path due to vision requirements at the time, but he often reflects that this unexpected turn led him exactly where he was meant to be.

His early career took him from Saskatoon to Calgary, before he eventually settled in Edmonton, where his career continued to grow and opened doors to opportunities across multiple cities and countries.

A passionate advocate for mentorship, in 1985 he 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.
Known not only for his skill but also his innovation, he has contributed to the advancement of the flooring trade through the invention and patenting of several specialized tools, leaving a lasting mark on the industry.

Throughout his career, he has believed that mentoring was not just about teaching skills, but about building confidence, pride, and professionalism in others — values he carried into every classroom and job site.

Beyond his professional accomplishments, he is a devoted family man with two daughters, five grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren.
Remarkably, at nearly 80 years old, he continues to work close to full-time in the trade and has proudly mentored his eldest grandson, who now successfully contracts his own work.

In addition to his professional achievements, he is a five-time world arm wrestling champion and holds over 100 Canadian arm-wrestling titles across both arms and multiple weight classes.

His success in the sport complemented the physical demands of his trade and led to years of continued involvement after retirement, where he has dedicated his time to refereeing competitions and mentoring up-and-coming athletes—including his own daughter, who is also a world champion arm wrestler.

Earlier in his athletic journey, he earned the title of “King of Klondike” from 1978–1980 in a grueling multi-event competition tied to Edmonton’s Klondike Days, and in 1979 competed in the Canadian Superstars competition alongside legendary athletes such as Wayne Gretzky, Mike Bossy, and Bobby Hull.

He is deeply honoured to receive this recognition from the National Floor Covering Association of Canada and extends his sincere thanks for celebrating a career that has meant so much to him — one that began with the values and work ethic of his farm upbringing.

“I met Tony the fall of 1994, for my first year apprenticeship course, on the old Westerra campus at Stony Plain. There were many practical flooring skills learned over the two year program. We learned five methods of fitting material and 3 techniques for seaming sheet goods. I think the most important lesson I learned is, use the method or technique that gives you the best result. Most instructors might want students to do it their way because it gave them the best results or they think students should use their methods but every installer has different abilities and not every method is best suited to those abilities and tasks. A major part of any trade is confidence in one’s abilities. Abilities will develop, those 5 methods of fitting come in handy because I learned them all. Not just one that is preferred. Tony would say, Know your abilities. Today my good friend would say know your limitations.”
Orland Wilson, Cypress County Flooring

“I have known Tony for over 20 years. He is a fantastic Installer that has taught many installers how to do their jobs easier and better. He has coordinated and taught many installation classes for installers as well as sales people. He has and continues to be an asset to the flooring industry.”
Brian Kezar, Flooring Superstore, Edmonton