WELCOME TO FUSE ALLIANCE, THE GO-TO NETWORK!
We are extremely honored that you have chosen to join our member network. It is our hope that you will find your experience with our organization to be informative, educational and stimulating.
Fuse Alliance is comprised of the finest flooring contractors and suppliers in the industry. Our goal is to provide the tools and ideas for our members to grow and to offer the most professional service experience of any contractors in the business.
Our mission statement says it best:
Fuse Alliance supports our members by sharing best practices, offering educational and training programs, vetting and sharing new technologies, and helping strengthen the connection between our members, and key suppliers.
We believe that the friendships you establish with your network peers will last a lifetime. When it comes to help, support, and best practices they will be invaluable. What’s more, our leadership team is always here for you. We are focused on our members’ success and will help you any way that we can.
Please feel free to reach out to us if we can ever be of assistance. We look forward to working with you in the years to come!
Sincerely,
Geoff Gordon Executive DirectorTABLE OF CONTENTS
YOUR
RESOURCES
• Fuse Alliance Team Contacts
• Tools for Success: Fuse Link
• National Installation Services
• Experius Distribution
NETWORK PROGRAMS
• Overstock
• Ecollect™ + Incentives
• Spark Awards
• Annual Conferences
TRAINING + EDUCATION
• Fuse University
• University of Ceramic Tile and Stone Courses
FUSE ALLIANCE BRANDING
• Fuse + Member Logos
• Fonts + Colors
• Stationary
• Signage
• Program Logos
• Tradeshow Display
• Email Marketing + Advertising
MEMBER MARKETING
• Overview Brochure
• Fuse Installation Services
• Brochures + Pocket Folder
• Support Materials
• Custom Options
MEET THE FUSE ALLIANCE TEAM
Geoff Gordon
Executive Director ggordon@fusealliance.com p. 949.429.8065 m. 949.637.0231 f. 888.586.1198
Dawn Martinelli Director of Operations dmartinelli@fusealliance.com p. 949.873.3928 f. 888.586.1198
Sandra Drake VP of Supplier Engagement sdrake@fusealliance.com
p. 888.586.1198 x102 m. 913.231.6544
Jerry Kenney
Executive Vice President jkenney@fusealliance.com p. 888.586.1198 x101 m. 469.352.6233 f. 888.586.1198
Reva Revis VP of Strategy + Business Development rrevis@fusealliance.com p. 312.929.5025
Lyndsay Soprano Director of Marketing + Technology, Consulting lyndsay@boundbymarketing.com p. 949.610.6546
AREAS OF SUPPORT
• General Questions or Concerns
• Operations + Administration
• Financial + Accounting
• Supplier Relationships
• Business Strategy + Support
• General Member Support
• Experius Distribution Order Processing
• Experius Overstock Order Processing
• Rebate Reconciliation + Support
• Fuse Link Member Support
• Annual Conference
• Supplier Support
• Collaboration with Members + Suppliers
• Member Engagement
• General Questions + Concerns
• Annual Conference
• General Questions + Concerns
• Operations Support
• Member Engagement
• Experius Distribution + Ecollect Programs
• Supplier Relationships
• Supplier Engagement
• Webinar + Roundtable Support
• Communications + Social Media
• PR + Media Relations
• Annual Conference
• Brand Marketing + Design
• Spark Awards Program Management
• Fuse Link Technical Support
• Public-facing Website: fusealliance.com
• Fuse University
TOOLS FOR SUCCESS: Fuse Link
Start with Fuse Link. For member-only information including rebates, access our intranet called Fuse Link. You can access Fuse Link by visiting www.fusealliance.com/ fuselink and it will take you to the login page.
WHAT DOES FUSE LINK PROVIDE?
• Reporting: Rebates, Transactions, Balances, + Payment
• Forums
• Sales + Marketing Materials
• Best Practices
• Incentive Programs
• Press Releases
• Online Training + Education Opportunities
• Awards Programs
• Experius Distribution Member Marketplace
• And More!
What’s more, Fuse Link provides access to login via Single-sign-on from the RESOURCE CENTER to the following platforms/programs:
• Experius Distribution: Member purchasing e-commerce site for industry product and Overstock.
• Fuse University: our online Learning Management System (LMS) with over 100 courses offered for FREE to our members.
• Spark Awards: our awards program that celebrates excellence in project design centered on flooring and installed by our network members.
FUSE COMMERCIAL: NATIONAL INSTALLATION SUPPORT
What is Fuse Commercial?
Fuse Commercial is a national program that makes use of our vast network of members to service multi-location end-use customers and our key suppliers. By subcontracting the work to our members in their respective markets, we give the end user everything they need to take care of their work wherever it is located. Many of these customers are looking for a single point of contact so the work runs through the Fuse management team but is handled locally by the member. The great news for our members is that on Fuse Commercial work, they have no sales expense or credit risk. Fuse deals directly with the customer.
Key reasons why clients partner with Fuse Commercial:
• To reduce risk, accelerate delivery, and lower overall costs.
• To have a single point of accountability on a national level to provide consistency throughout the project with reliable and predictable results.
• To ensure projects are always installed with the highest quality and finished on time.
How can you find out more about Fuse Commercial?
To get connected, contact Geoff Gordon
Email Geoff: ggordon@fusealliance.com
EXPERIUS DISTRIBUTION: OUR ONLINE DISTRIBUTOR
What is Experius Distribution?
Experius Distribution is our online distribution website that provides all members with the very best OEM brands and Experius branded products at the lowest cost, while providing the highest level of service and support. Products from XL Brands, Mohawk Group, and non-Fuse Alliance Suppliers such as Shaw Contract are included in the program. Other products available on the site include wood flooring from Johnson Hardwood and moisture measuring devices from Tramex.
Here’s a member benefit. Exclusive to the Fuse Alliance Network, the Experius brand of commercial flooring products are manufactured by and co-branded with the most recognized names in the industry. We are committed to offering these products using e-commerce technology and third party logistics supported by a team of dedicated customer service professionals who understand the needs of our customers and are empowered to serve them.
How do you access Experius? It’s Easy. Login to Fuse Link and visit the Resource Center. From there you can login, via Single Sign-on (SSO) and access our inventory and one of Programs called Overstock.
MEMBER ACCESS: www.fusealliance.com/fuselink OVERSTOCK: www.experius.biz/collections/overstock
NETWORK PROGRAMS
Our programs are designed specifically to support network business and deliver tools that create new opportunities and maximize existing ones − available to members only:
• Experius Overstock Program
• Ecollect™
• Supplier Incentive Programs
• Member Committees
• Spark Awards
• Find a Contractor
WHAT IS OUR EXPERIUS OVERSTOCK PROGRAM?
Fuse Alliance and Experius Distribution have a program for members that assists in selling your overstock and excess inventory online to other network members and consumers on our Experius Distribution website.
HOW DO YOU PARTICIPATE?
It’s Easy as 1-2-3. We have a straightforward process to submit your excess inventory for us to sell for you through our Experius Overstock Distribution program.
Submission Form and Inventory Spreadsheet:
Fill out the form titled “Experius Overstock Inventory Submission Form” located in Fuse Link for each column that is applicable to your overstock, excess inventory, and business.
Photography:
No overstock/excess inventory will be sold on the site without a quality image to support that overstock item.
Minimum Requirements for images:
1. Size: AT LEAST 450x450
2. DPI: 72 (standard for screen use)
3. Format: .JPG (recommended), but will accept .PNG or .GIF as long as the image is 800x800
4. Image must be a photo of the exact product, but it does not have to be the photo from your warehouse. You can use a manufacturer’s image.
Email all submissions to Dawn Martinelli. Have a question or experiencing an issue? Reach out to Dawn directly.
Dawn Martinelli: dmartinelli@experius.biz
MEMBER ACCESS: www.fusealliance.com/fuselink
OVERSTOCK: www.experius.biz/collections/overstock
WHAT IS ECOLLECT™?
Through Ecollect™ we promote sustainable business practices throughout Fuse Alliance and our member companies, taking a holistic approach to the environment and our goal of sustainability. Methods to reduce and eliminate waste and other non-value added processes that impact our environment are considered throughout any given project.
Our goal is simple, but extremely important - eliminate waste going to the landfills.
There are many methods to reduce and eliminate waste that impact our environment and should be considered through any project and WE should take the lead! Our Ecollect program started in 2008 and as of December of 2021, our members have diverted more than 113 million pounds of carpet waste from landfills through this reclamation program.
How can you find out more about Ecollect?
Access Ecollect reports directly from our public-facing website and Fuse Link. Both reports show how we track millions of pounds of carpet diverted from landfills across the country and recycled or reclaimed by our member companies.
www.fusealliance.com/sustainability
MEMBER ROUND TABLES
We continually make improvements through our member round tables. Organized round tables help our management team and Board of Directors tackle some of the key challenges that business owners face every day. We encourage member-owners and/or their employees to participate in our round tables. Round tables meet monthly for approximately one hour via conference call.
Our round tables include:
All Member Round Table - These monthly discussions are open to all our members and their employees. It is a great way for our members to connect and share business best practices.
Estimating Round Table - These meetings are open to all our members and their employees interested in sharing estimating best practices. It is a great way for estimators to connect and share best practices. This round table is usually held on the first Tuesday of every month at 11:00 AM EST.
Project Manager Round Table - These discussions are open to all our members and their employees interested in sharing project manager best practices. It is a great way for project managers to connect and share best practices. This round table is usually held on the third Tuesday of every month at 11:00 AM EST.
Next Generation Round Table - These conversations focus on how the members and Fuse management should plan for the future, as well as hire and retain younger talent. This round table is usually held on the fourth Tuesday of every month at 11:00 AM EST.
Job Runner Round Table - These monthly meetings are open to all our members and their employees that use the Job Runner software or who are interested in learning more about Job Runner. This is a great way for Job Runner users to discuss best practices and also technical issues, as representatives from Pacific Solutions also attend these meetings.
Maintenance Round Table - This roundtable is for members who work in the maintenance division, members who are thinking about starting a maintenance division, or members who want to learn more about maintenance. It is an opportunity for you to share best practices and discuss maintenance products and challenges with your peers.
You can join a round table at any time! The monthly invitations go out to all members. You can drop in and out as your schedule permits. Check all of them out and see which one is for you! Need for information? Email Dawn Martinelli at dmartinelli@fusealliance.com.
SPARK AWARDS
Our network is made up of some of the industry’s best and brightest flooring professionals. The Spark Awards program gives us the opportunity to honor our standout members.
How does the program work?
The Spark Awards celebrates excellence in project flooring design installed by our network members. Based on originality, quality of installation and design innovation, the awards represent outstanding craftsmanship, skill and expertise in the flooring industry. Winning projects are announced at the Fuse Alliance Annual Conference in the first quarter of the following year.
Spark Award Categories:
1. Toughest Site Conditions
2. Most Creative Flooring Design
3. Most Aggressive Timeline/Schedule
4. Best Flooring Solution
5. Most Maximized Budget
Above and beyond the 5 listed categories, a panel of judges selects one project to be named Best in Show and receives a prize of $1,000!
How do you enter?
To enter the Spark Awards, login to Fuse Link and access the Spark Awards website and “Submit a Project” from the RESOURCE CENTER. http://sparkawards.fusealliance.com/submit-project
Deadline to submit projects is February 1st.
Questions?
Contact Lyndsay Soprano, from Bound-by Marketing at: lyndsay@boundbymarketing.com
ANNUAL CONFERENCES
At Fuse Alliance, we are privileged to come together once a year in a different location around the country. Each year we poll our members so that we can share ideas and develop business tools to help foster profitable and successful companies. As vested business leaders, our Annual Conference is the place where we build a connected network of the strongest flooring contractors in North America.
Each year we select a relevant theme and message that helps enhance engagement with our members and suppliers throughout the conference. Keynote speakers, content, and networking opportunities are centered on the message reinforcing the strength of our organization.
www.fusealliance.com/annual-conferences
TRAINING + EDUCATION
We have several initiatives that support and encourage ongoing learning, professional development and other best practices for business.
FUSE UNIVERSITY*
Fuse University is our online training website for our network members. All members can access the website and take the courses for FREE via Fuse Link under the RESOURCE CENTER. www.fusealliance.com/resources
Some examples of categories and courses are:
Human Resources: Recruiting New Hires, Performance Management, Building New Skills, Discipline and Development
Social Media: Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn
Sales + Marketing: Common Marketing Failures, Inbound Lead Generation, Leading High Performing Teams, Building Networks, and Selling for Success
Personal Development: Customer Rapport, Marketing, Software, Social Media, and Presentation/Public Speaking
Leadership + Management: Multi-generation Management, Persuasive Management, Critical Thinking, and Human Resources
Software: Google Docs, Microsoft Intermediate and Advanced Courses, and Office 365 *Some courses offer PDU hours accredited by PMI.
SINGLE-USER FUNCTIONALITY
We also have a “single-user function” within Fuse Link if you would like an employee to ONLY have access to Fuse University and nothing else within Fuse Link. If you are interested in adding this type of end-user or have any questions about how it works, reach out to Dawn Martinelli and Lyndsay Soprano to help walk you through this simple process.
Lyndsay Soprano: lyndsay@boundbymarketing.com
Dawn Martinelli: dmartinelli@fusealliance.com
CALL FOR FLOORING SPECIFIC COURSES!
We are always looking for industry specific courses. If you have any training programs and/or courses that can be added to Fuse University, contact Dawn Martinelli and Lyndsay Soprano, so we can get those loaded into our system and market to network members.
UNIVERSITY OF CERAMIC TILE AND STONE COURSES
Fuse Alliance offers courses for our members at a discounted rate of $100 per course ($150 value) with the University of Ceramic Tile and Stone (UofCTS). Our members that have already taken these courses give this program rave reviews as they provide valuable training for sales people as well as installation technicians.
COURSE OFFERINGS:
• Understanding the Basics of Ceramic Tile - 7 hour course
• Understanding the Basics of Natural Stone - 8 hour course
• Tile Installer Thin-Set Standards (ITS) Verification - Available in English and Spanish - 4 hour course
WHAT TO EXPECT:
• Register online one course at a time: http://www.uofcts.com/ctasc/Fuse_Register.htm
• Add the date you want the course to start, understanding that you have 14 days from registration to complete the course
• The online campus will automatically register the student
• Members will receive an email with User ID and Password for each course
• Each course has Pre- and Post-tests to take
• Must complete the course at 80% or better
• After passing, the member will receive an email with instructions on how to print out the certification
• The email will have a link to download the student reference guide and
Fuse members can differentiate themselves from their competition by having all of their tile installers go through the 4-hour Tile Installer Thin-set Standards (ITS) verification course that is taught in both English and Spanish.
Upon passing this course, the installer can add ITS to their credentials. This certification is good for 2 years, and then the student would need to take the updated version for re-certification.
Only the U.S. versions of the UofCTS courses are available to Fuse members through this program.
If you have any questions, please contact: Donato Pompo info@uofcts.org or donato@ctasc.com
FUSE BRANDING + GRAPHIC STANDARDS
• Logo Usage
• Member Owner Logo Usage
• Fonts + Colors
• Tradeshow Display
• Program Logos
• Email Marketing
• Advertising
FUSE ALLIANCE LOGO USAGE
Download Fuse Alliance logo files from the RESOURCE CENTER in Fuse Link.
The Fuse Alliance logo should only be used as shown above. Color and proportion should not be altered in any way. Do not produce at a height smaller than 1 inch.
For more information on logo usage, please email: Lyndsay Soprano at lyndsay@boundbymarketing.com
MEMBER LOGO USAGE
Download Fuse Alliance Member Owner logo files from the RESOURCE CENTER in Fuse Link under Sales + Marketing, Logos www.fusealliance.com/resources/sales-and-marketing/fuse-logos
Logos below are provided for your use when incorporating the Fuse Alliance Membership into your own branding programs. The Fuse Alliance member logo can be used on your website, marketing collateral, at tradeshows, and in your email signatures.
TEXT ONLY OPTION
To utilize the Fuse Alliance Membership as a textual option only, the correct text usage is “a Member of Fuse Alliance.”
FONT FAMILY
The font family for Fuse Alliance branding is the Lato Family Font.
You can download the font here: http://www.latofonts.com/lato-free-fonts/
Lato Regular
Lato Italic
Lato Bold
Lato Bold Italic
Lato Black
Lato Black Italic
Lato Hairline
Lato Hairline Italic
Lato Light
Lato Light Italic
BRAND COLORS
The colors below are approved for use with Fuse Alliance and its program logos.
RGB: 227, 24, 55
CMYK: 0, 100, 81, 4
HEX: e31837
RGB: 145, 145, 149
CMYK: 0, 1, 0, 51
HEX: 919195
RGB: 12, 138, 168
CMYK: 83, 32, 25, 1
HEX: 0c8aa8
EMAIL MARKETING
Throughout the year we strive to provide the best communication possible to our members about our internal programs, conferences, offerings, training opportunities, and incentive programs.
If you are interested in having us market your programs to the other network members, send Dawn Martinelli an email so she can work with our marketing team to communicate your programs via our email marketing platform.
ADVERTISING
Every year, we customize an advertising program that is congruent with our upcoming business goals. You will find our ads placed in flooring publications such as Floor Focus magazine and other industry publications within the Interior Design industry.
Our program consists of traditional print ads as well as online banner ads that link directly to our various network websites. Our program also includes a robust partnership program where suppliers are featured and highlighted in our Fuse branded ads.
STATIONARY USAGE
Member Owners are encouraged to integrate the Fuse Alliance member logo into business documents. Specified logo artwork is available in the RESOURCE CENTER in Fuse Link. The representations below are provided as examples only.
FACILITY SIGNAGE
Below are some examples of how the Fuse Alliance Member logo might apply to facility signage. A static decal has been provided for you to display at the entrance of your location. For static decals, contact Dawn Martinelli.
VEHICLE SIGNAGE
Member Owners are encouraged to apply the Member logo to vehicle graphics. Below is an example of how the Fuse Alliance Member logo might apply.
PROGRAM LOGOS
We offer many programs throughout the year such as the Spark Awards, Luminary Award, Experius Overstock, Ecollect™ and more. You can access logos for all our programs in the RESOURCE CENTER in Fuse Link for a quick and easy download.