LaGrange, Ga.—Following approval by the Multilayer Flooring Association (MFA) and Resilient Floor Covering Institute (RFCI) board of directors, Harlan Stone, president of MFA, and Dean Thompson, president and CEO of RFCI, have signed an Asset Transfer Agreement. The legal document is designed to combine the two organizations under the RFCI umbrella.
The initiative commenced with the execution of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) by MFA and RFCI on April 25, 2018. The MOU set the stage for MFA and RFCI legal counsels to undertake appropriate diligence and other work to facilitate the joining of the two organizations.
“I have been working with the leadership of the RFCI for more than a decade, and now have an opportunity to collaborate more closely with Dean Thompson and the RFCI board,” Stone said. “We are confident this combined effort will advance the goals as set out in the original MFA Charter.”
In November 2016, the formation of the MFA was announced with a mandate to set industry standards for the new and emerging multilayer flooring category. These standards would be threefold for performance, safety and sustainability. The end goal was to create a stronger, more stable, new hybrid flooring category for the benefit of all stakeholders. In December 2017, a key MFA goal was accomplished with the ASTM publication of Standard F3261-17—Standard Specification for Resilient Flooring in Modular Format with Rigid Polymeric Core.
On March 14, 2018, MFA and SCS Global Services announced a pilot certification for new resilient flooring products in the multilayer format with rigid polymer cores. After review of the pilot program during their recent meeting, the RFCI board of directors agreed to advance this certification beyond the pilot phase.
“I applaud the MFA and its leadership for their vision regarding this exciting category, and the work they accomplished in a short period of time is very admirable,” Thompson said. “RFCI is fully prepared to provide the necessary support to advance the MFA vision.”