AHSG/Commercial USA Summit
Group continues to expand by leaps and bounds
By Ken Ryan
SAN ANTONIO—AHSG/Commercial USA has been on a growth spurt of late, and that was evident at the group’s recent biennial member summit here, which drew a record 325 attendees.
Since the group last met in 2024, AHSG/Commercial USA has added 14 suppliers, 10 technology partners as well as 91 new dealer members. “None of that happened by accident,” said Brian Preuss, who was named president in May 2026. “And in two years, we didn’t just get bigger, we got better. We had a lot of new members come to this show, and a lot of first timers. The first timers were like: ‘I should have come to this event three summits ago.’”
Among buying groups, AHSG/Commercial USA is best known for its business diversification, with members split almost evenly between residential and commercial. “Being a diverse group is what has helped sustain us and why this summit matters,” Preuss told members.
American Home Surfaces Group (AHSG) was formed in 1999, with Daltile its first vendor. As Preuss explained, “Our roots are with Daltile and we built around them. We have a special legacy relationship with them.”
Commercial USA came into existence in 2013. Combined the group has close to 500 members and 700 locations. Attendees to the 2026 summit at JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country were treated to a strong lineup of speakers that included keynote/emcee Jon Petz, who spoke on “Rules of Amazement” along with providing a number of magical tricks; Tara Bayke, economist with ITR Economics, who discussed economic forecasting and market trends; Jennifer Farrell, a marketing and brand strategist; and Ford Saeks, an AI growth expert. The three-day conference also included a trade show, with 44 vendors exhibiting, and fun activities. “I was very impressed with the engagement of members overall here,” Preuss told FCNews. “Obviously, the suppliers were completely committed to it; even in the last eight weeks leading up to the summit we had new suppliers coming in. We’ve also had a really big injection of technology partners coming on board. And those technology companies are partnering with one another.”
Members, suppliers give thumbs up
Ask AHSG/Commercial USA retail members to list the benefits of being part of this group and you’ll invariably hear rebates (twice a year) and the strong educational component of the summit. But perhaps topping the list are the best practices that these peer groups share. “The biggest benefit for me is networking with other vendors and dealers,” said RT Bayles, CEO of Floor Authority, Myrtle Beach, S.C. “The rebates are nice; the general know-how you pick up is great. I also like that this group doesn’t force anything on you; in other words, we don’t have to put their branded products in our showroom if we don’t want to. I like that independence.”
Bob Wind, director of flooring for Welch Tile, Kent City, Mich., added: “What stands out to me is the convention, the speakers and the new products I get to see here. And, of course, the networking. You put everyone that does the same thing in one building—and share ideas—and it works out well. After all, we have the same issues.”
For suppliers, there are benefits as well. “We love this group,” said Drew Hash, president/CEO of Southwind, which has been a supplier member for three years. “They work with you. They even subsidize our merchandising displays, which is highly unusual. They are willing to put their money where their mouth is. It’s been a good fit for us.”
Versatrim is a long-tenured vendor partner that has forged a close relationship with AHSG/Commercial USA, according to Kimberly Blanton, marketing director for Versatrim. “I like their transparency,” Blanton said. “They make it easy to do business with all the members. In addition, they promote our products through their newsletter and podcasts. Communication is key. We are blessed to be part of this group, that’s for sure.”
First-time vendor Stanton Design doesn’t have the track record as the others but saw some positivity early on. “There are people in our booth today, so that’s a good sign,” said Mitch White, vice president of key accounts. “Once they’re here, it’s on us [to close them]. So, we’re hopeful.”
Economic outlook
Despite inflation, tariffs and higher borrowing costs, the U.S. economy keeps powering through. That was the assessment given by ITR Economics’ Tara Bayke, senior consultant and economist, who spoke to members during her hour-long address. The good news? “We are moving toward normalization of the supply chain,” Bayke said, buttressing her comments with numerous graphs that showed consumers continue to spend.
On the flip side, she said, “We will continue to see costs rising. Prices are up about 3.7% vs. last year [at this juncture in the year]; costs won’t rise at the same rate in ’27 as they are today but in ’28 the pressures will rear back up.”
ITR Economics forecasts the consumer price index (CPI) to finish 2026 up 3.4%, then 2.7% for 2027 and 3.9% for 2028. “Plan for upcoming cost increases,” Bayke said, adding that dealers can protect margins by focusing on product mix, value-added installation and operational efficiency. “We are concerned about what we call ‘profitless prosperity,’ in which the increases in prices will erode profitability. Margins are shrinking and companies need to control these costs, pass the costs on.”
Regarding residential construction, what Bayke referred to as the “golden handcuffs conundrum” is suppressing home sales which have been in a holding pattern due to relatively high mortgage rates (now about 7% for 30-year fixed rates).
She added that permits signal an uneven recovery for housing starts. “While we are seeing a slight uptick, starts will be quite soft over the next two years. We expect sluggish housing recovery given affordability headwinds. We have not hit growth momentum yet.”
Finally, ITR Economics has long predicted a significant contraction beginning around 2030. Bayke said the contraction could last six years (although not every quarter would necessarily be a down quarter) due in large part to a confluence of factors—health care costs, entitlements like Social Security and Medicare, inflation and the U.S. national debt—weighing on the economy. That said, Bayke urged attendees to optimize their businesses now.
Brian Preuss, president of AHSG/Commercial USA, welcomed new suppliers to the convention.
Keynote speaker/magician Jon Petz gets a handshake from WFCA CEO Scott Humphrey after correctly guessing the correct card.
AI expert Ford Saeks was one of several strong speakers on the docket.
Preuss on stage with ITR Economics’ Tara Bayke after her presentation.
