Organizers of The International Surface Event (tise), which ran Jan. 27-29 in Las Vegas, have announced the winners of the 2026 National Installer of the Year Competition. Returning champion Allen Lewis, a certified flooring installer from Alabama, won in the engineered wood category.ย James Salisbury, founder of Blue Crew Installation in Indiana, won in carpet.
The awards ceremony took place yesterday at theย tiseย LIVE Demo Stage. Each winner received a $3,000 cash prize and trophy belt, along with the National Installer of the Year title.
The annual competition and awards program is presented by Certified Flooring Installers (CFI). Sponsors include Mohawk, QEP, Performance Accessories, Sika and ProInstaller.
Regional competitions for the next National Installer of the Yearย contest will take place this spring in Salt Lake City, Philadelphia, Houston and Dalton, Ga. The National competition will return Feb. 2-4, 2027, during tise 2027 in Las Vegas.
