trends floor - BOWE · roy T i i i roy i POSTMASTER: 48..... Tidens DISH: Manor Trends Editors Advances Flooring Trends Editors Years ... extende oly ore oly or oo loor ls. Easiest

February

floortrends

■ Flooring America Celebrates 20 Years

■ Tile Trends at Home

■ Faster Flooring Installs

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FLOOR TRENDS (ISSN: Print 2168-0051 and Digital 2168-006X) is published 12 times annually, monthly, by BNP Media II, L.L.C., 2401 W. Big Beaver Rd., Suite 700, Troy, MI 48084-3333.Telephone: (248) 362-3700, Fax: (248) 362-0317. No charge for subscriptions to qualified individuals. Annual rate for subscriptions to non-qualified individuals in the U.S.A.: $152.00 USD. Annual rate for subscriptions to nonqualified individuals in Canada: $187.00 USD (includes GST & postage); all other countries: $212.00 (int’l mail) payable in U.S. funds. Printed in the U.S.A. Copyright 2020, by BNP Media II, L.L.C. All rights reserved. The contents of this publication may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the consent of the publisher. The publisher is not responsible for product claims and representations. Periodicals Postage Paid at Troy, MI and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: FLOOR TRENDS, P.O. Box 2145, Skokie, IL 60076.Canada Post: Publications Mail Agreement #40612608. GST account: 131263923. Send returns(Canada) to IMEX Global Solutions, P.O. Box 25542, London, ON, N6C 6B2.Change of address: Send old address label along with new address to FLOOR TRENDS, P.O. Box 2145, Skokie, IL 60076.For subscription information or service, please contact Customer Service at: hone: (800) 952-6643 Fax: (847) 291-4816.

Style Hub at the DISH: Patterned Manor by Floor Trends Editors

Case Study: Advances in Retail Flooring by Floor Trends Editors

Flooring America: 20 Years of Retailers Helping Retailersby Danielle Clair Simpson

Tile Trends in the Homeby Danielle Clair Simpson

Mohawk Enhances Digital Marketing to Help Retailers Sell More Floorsby Tanja Kern

Flooring Technologies for Easier Installationby Tanja Kern

On the Cover: In just three steps, Daltile’s RevoTile

makes adding on-trend style and design to interiors easy.

Read more about tile trends being enjoyed in the home

on page 28.

March 2020 + Vol. 22, No. 3

8............Editor’s Letter

10..........Let’s TalkFloor

18..........Industry News

24..........New Products

36..........Contractor’s Corner

44..........Sandy Says

46..........Flooring Sales Tip

48..........A Rising Tide

50..........Ad Index

Features

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4 March 2020 + floortrendsmag.com

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Igot a call from our director of IT

on Friday saying I’m way over the

limit on my data usage. What can

I say? It’s been a busy first quarter.

Aren’t you all feeling the same?

The first two months of our year

started with a bang—many miles trav-

eled, shoes worn walking the halls of

conventions, and loads of interviews

documented, photos collected, and fea-

tures in the works. It was exciting to see

the fruition of all that hard work from

our contacts paying off in spades, in the

form of new technologies, vignettes and

stories.

From Domotex in Hannover, Harlan

Stone, CEO of HMTX Industries, said

he’s been to hundreds of great shows

in the 38 years he’s been in the floor-

ing and differentiates the majors this

way: “When you talk about Domotex

[Hannover], you’re talking about people

that are presenting their whole ideas.

When you talk about Surfaces, it’s the

salesman and retailers connecting to try

to make some activity take place. It’s

a real old fashioned American selling

show. When you talk about Shanghai,

it’s a sourcing show. There are a lot of

Chinese exhibitors, a couple of non-

Chinese exhibitors, and they are basically

putting on a show to try to get you to

import that product.”

It was my first trip to the Hannover

show, and I was impressed with the

German’s ability to put on a great

event. Well-organized halls, beautiful

exhibits, lots of big ideas and innova-

tions taking place. On the flip side, no

one is headed to Shanghai this spring

for Domotex Asia/ChinaFloor, which

announced it is postponing due to

the outbreak of coronavirus in several

Chinese provinces. Domotex USA,

which had a stellar educational lineup,

also hit some challenges thanks in part

to timing and bad weather—the industry

waits to see what management will do

for 2021.

The International Surface Event

showcased optimism this year. In fact,

we documented lines out the door the

first day of the show and were thrilled

to see an emphasis on the architecture

and design community and also the

continued commitment to growing

installation through both exhibits and

education.

The Southeast Flooring Market

reported a 20% uptick in attendance .

Companies like AHF Products allo-

cated trade show dollars to supporting

their distributor partners through more

regional shows. There’s an overall sense

of grassroots campaigning for business,

which has always been a hallmark of our

business. What was your impression of

show season? Drop me a line at kernt@

bnpmedia.com. ft

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Chief Event Officer: Scott Wolters

BY�TANJA�KERN��

CHIEF�EDITOR

EDITOR’S�LETTER


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The World Floor

Covering Association

(WFCA) recently

announced an initiative

to deal with and reduce

the industry-wide installer

shortage. The plan includes

a major investment from

the WFCA, invitations for

other industry entities to

get involved, a network of

recruiting and training as

well as dramatic changes

in the very framework of

the association. We had an

opportunity to sit down

with Scott Humphrey, CEO

of the WFCA, to get an

inside look at this initiative.

The following are excerpts

from that conversation,

which you can listen to at

floortrendsmag.com.

TF: The industry has

been wrestling with the

installer shortage for

years. Earlier the WFCA

announced the launch-

ing of an initiative enti-

tled “We are Part of the

Solution.” To launch

this initiative, the

WFCA took a dramatic

step demonstrating its

degree of seriousness

for this effort. This step

came in the form of a

dollar and cents com-

mitment to the effort

committing $1 million

in seed money, demon-

strating that it indeed

is part of the solution.

Talk about this commit-

ment and how it came

to pass.

Humphrey: In 2013 and

early 2014 we started meet-

ing with Robert Varden and

the Walkers about acquiring

key assets of CFI. At that

point we were aware that

the installation issue had

the potential to become a

crisis. In August of 2015,

we acquired key assets of

CFI. That’s when we first

displayed our desire to do

something that would have

an impact, working with

other entities in the flooring

industry and in the process

form a unifying voice. It’s

difficult to gather support

when you’re not investing in

the solution up front. A non-

profit committing $1 mil-

lion when it doesn’t have a

renewable stream of revenue

coming in certainly sends a

message which is exactly the

message we wanted to send.

We’re serious about fixing

this problem and it will take

the entire industry to do it.

TF: One of the most

interesting parts of the

WFCA’s announcement

was the formation of

the Floor Covering

Education Foundation

(FCEF), an entity dedi-

cated to solving the

industry’s installation

problem. Expand on the

FCEF and its functions.

Humphrey: The FCEF

will be a 5O1c3. We’re in

the process of getting it

created right now and it

will be responsible initially

for three things. First, for

recruiting new bodies into

the industry. Secondly, for

providing scholarships to

those bodies so they can

WFCA:

‘We Are Part of the Solution’

By Dave FosterLet’s taLkFLoor


In January, the WFCA and

leaders within the flooring industry

launched the Floor Covering

Education Foundation (FCEF) with

a mission to create an industry-

wide, permanent solution to the

shortage of installers.

have an education that’s

not costly to them - and

hopefully no cost to them.

Third the FCEF will be

responsible for placing

these new installers. Also,

there will be a follow-up

to that because no one

wants to continue to sup-

port something if it’s not a

success. We’ll be tracking

the length of time people

stay in the industry once

they’ve been educated. The

foundation will also train

experienced installers.

TF: Do you have in

mind a goal as to how

many installer can-

didates will need to

come into the industry

every year?

Humphrey: According

to research from Blackstone

Research, conducted for the

Floor Covering Leadership

Council the industry will be

short 3,000 to 6,000 install-

ers each year for the next

10 years and that doesn’t

even count the shortages

that already exist. That’s also

not looking at where we are

today, its looking at where

are we going to be and that

number varies based on

whether we have helpers that

can migrate up to installers

or whether we find installers

simply migrating out with

no replacements. If that’s

the case, that number can

increase to 10,000 12,000

per year. That’s a pretty

healthy goal. We know the

first half of this year we will

be setting up the founda-

tion, getting everything

in place, placing the right

people on the board, getting

it established, and looking at

funding, not only with seed

money up front but long-

term funding. By year three

we are aiming at recruiting,

training and placing some

6,000 installers in the field.

TF: Talk about the

recruitment and schol-

arships efforts going

forward.

Humphrey: The big task

before scholarships is finding

the people. Kaye Whitener,

who used to serve as WFCA

national manager of member

relations, has now moved over

to the FCEF. Her job will be

recruiting. She’ll be out there

promoting and educating

individuals as to what is pos-

sible in this industry and mak-

ing candidates aware of the

career path installation offers.

Scott Humphrey,

CEO of the WFCA.

floortrendsmag.com + March 2020 11

TF: It sounds as though a net-

work of some type will needs to

be setup to generate the num-

ber of candidates, we’re talking

about that and means I suspect

the launching of an awareness

program of some type.

Humphrey: Every group in the con-

struction field is experiencing the same

pain. The question is what do we do

to differentiate flooring? Our biggest

challenge is we have never been really

good at telling our story. Truck drivers

have gotten pretty good at telling their

story. They’re advertising, they’re talk-

ing about income potential and making

a career of driving. We don’t tell that

story. At least we don’t as an industry,

so again, a big part of the focus of the

FCEF is to speak with one voice saying

there are very good reasons for being a

professional flooring installer, really an

artist and a craftsman. We need to tell

the story, enumerate the reasons why

flooring installation is a viable career

and start communicating the story early

in high school so we’re not waiting for

people to graduate and decide if they go

college of go to a trade school and work

with their hands?

We’re looking to tell students early

on what’s possible. We have dreams

of creating a summer work program

where kids in their sophomore and

junior years can begin to work with

professional dealers around the coun-

try and get a taste of the trade so they

can start making career decisions well

before their freshman year with the

help of a guidance counselor.

We also must look to groups that we

are currently not tapping today includ-

ing nonviolent prison groups, native

American tribes. There are many

groups out there that we can reach

out to that are not being touched

today and some of them have already

reached out to us they exist and invite

us in. In our press release announcing

this initiative we showed some image

of mobile classrooms, which is an idea

that will permit us to go where stu-

dents are. They will be responsible for

stocking the school, putting students

in the seats, and we will responsible

for making sure the training takes

place and when it’s done, we drive to

the next location.

TF: Intertwined with this ini-

tiative was an announcement

changing the requirements for

membership into the WFCA.

Tell us about that.

Humphrey: WFCA membership

is basically for primary members,

which to say our members who are

Let’s taLkfLoor


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professional flooring dealers, both

residential and commercial. Members

who are inspectors, cleaners basically

anyone who really relies on the profes-

sional flooring dealer for their success.

Manufacturers and distributors are

associate members. Their membership

will still have an investment associated

with it. But for primary members it will

be free. And the reason for that is we

want to take any barrier away for com-

ing together to fight this problem. We

seek to unite industry voices and really

make a difference. That means in our

local communities we come together

and have events where we can make

people aware of this trade and educate

them as well. It also means when we go

to Washington D.C. in our lobbying

efforts, we will have a united voice that

speaks much louder.

The first question we get when we

visit Washington is how many people

do you represent? They literally hear

you differently based on the size of

your voice. This move will give us the

ability to unite professional flooring

dealers under one voice so when we’re

in Washington we will be able to gain

attention for the issues impacting us.

Working with a larger group, a group

that is willing to do what needs to be

done to solve this problem is a much

easier and effective way to attack this

situation.

TF: The WFCA’s $1 million

contribution was a way to

really stir the pot, to get this

thing going. How has this move

worked in terms of gaining sup-

port from other entities in the

industry?

Humphrey: We have had meetings

the first week of December 2019 with

the Shaw, Mohawk, and Engineered

Floors, all of which have committed to

financially supporting this initiative.

And shame on the WFCA as much

as anybody for not doing this earlier.

This problem has been around, and

nobody stood up to fix it. We’ve dared

to go around and ask for money to fix

it. We never did offer to put up our

own money, however. This changes

the way everybody perceives the

importance of the issue and how dedi-

cated and committed we are to solving

it. When you note that we are a non-

profit, we don’t have a revenue stream,

we don’t have money coming in that

can supplement what’s going out, but

we are so committed to solving this

issue and we’re committing some of

the money, the returns of which we

rely to keep us afloat, to solve this

problem. ft


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The official 2020

Design Visionary

of TISE, celeb-

rity designer and

television host

Jennifer Farrell of Jennifer

Farrell Designs, graced the

show’s Style Hub at the

Dish (Design & Installation

Showcase Hub) with her

design-forward eye and

expertise.

“When The International

Surface Event named me

their 2020 design visionary,

they said they wanted me to

tell what I think the trends

and design would be, and

I said no, let’s show what

those trends and designs are

going to be,” Farrell said.

“So they have let me run

rampant and wild to create

these four worlds that really

show where I’m forecasting

our trends going in 2020

and beyond.”

In this four-part series, we

will take a look at the prod-

ucts and inspiration behind

Farrell’s artfully crafted

spaces.

The Patterned Manor

Picture this: You’re at a

17th century English manor,

attending a masquerade ball

hosted by Iggy Pop.

Inspired by traditional

European patterns like fish

scales, florals, herringbone

and plaids, the Patterned

Manor space evoked a sense

of movement and encour-

aged touch.

“What I’m seeing in

design is this movement

toward immersive tactile

dimension experience that

really creates a cocoon of

comfort, so we have very

dimensional pieces that are

meant to be touched and

felt,” said Farrell.

Done in a maximalist,

oversaturated and intensely

dramatic way, the space

exuded a post-modern

energy.

Showcasing what Farrell

believes will be the most

popular dynamics and trends

on the floor this year, the

Patterned Manor featured

herringbone, parquet and

chevron patterns from floor

to ceiling.

“I tell people all the

time the ceiling is the fifth

wall; don’t forget the ceil-

ing because there’s such an

opportunity for drama and

excitement, and this space is

filled with drama and excite-

ment,” Farrell advised.

The highlight of the space,

Farrell turned Shaw Floors’

Geoscape Fan tiles on their

side, and used two grout

hues—a light and a dark—

to add movement and flow

to the walls. Farrell then tied

that into the floral pattern

found on a wall and floor of

the design cube to create a

story within the space.

“In my theory, our flowers

have spilled onto the floor

and then the petals have

blown off on the walls are

flowing into the wind, so

it gives it a sense of move-

ment.”

Lighting plays on that

sense of movement as well,

says Farrell. Having light

that plays in the space

enhances the drama and

makes it feel moody and

intense, rather than dark

and gloomy. Lighting from

Lamps Plus added a nod of

traditionalism, but when

placed in the modern black

cube, they gave a sense of

post-modernism. ft

The PaTTerned Manor

STyle Trend:

TISE: STylE Hub aT THE DISH

Left: Celebrity designer and

television host Jennifer Farrell of

Jennifer Farrell Designs, designed

four spaces for TISE’s Style Hub at

the Dish that expertly and artfully

showcased her style predictions for

2020 and beyond.


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LVT like you’ve never seen before!

DÉJÀ NEW

Case Study: Advances in Retail Flooring

Flooring For Fashion

When

opening

a new

bou-

tique,

fashion designer Candice

Held incorporates her sense

of style from the ground up.

For two of her recent shops

in Palm Springs, she col-

laborated with Armstrong

Flooring on interiors that

complement and showcase

her silk scarves, clothing and

home textiles.

“My new shop features a

fabulous flooring design using

LVT colors from Armstrong

Flooring,” Held said. “The

LVT flooring is a graphic pat-

tern using Natural Creations

blue hawaiian, black tea, and

champagne tiles. The concept

evolved to a theme of late

70s/early 80s fashion glam

with a touch of rock’n’roll.

Including black as part of the

flooring color scheme keeps

the vibe from skewing too

feminine. After all, the new

shop will also offer men’s

shirts and pocket squares.”

This most recent boutique

is just the latest in a series

of projects with Armstrong

Flooring.

“I collaborated with

Armstrong to create

four original VCT floor-

ing designs based on my

silk scarf designs, for

the campaign, ‘See the

Possibilites,’”Held said. “I

had a blast bridging my

fashion design sense over to

the world of interiors, get-

ting to use my creativity on a

surface I had not previously

explored.”

This earlier collaboration

also included an original

flooring design featuring a

broad palette of VCT colors

for her previous boutique in

The Shops at 1345.

“The beauty of resilient

flooring like LVT and VCT

is that it provides so many

options for color and design,

along with the durability to

handle retail traffic,” said

Deb Lechner, vice presi-

dent of brand marketing at

Armstrong Flooring. “It’s

been exciting to see how

Candice incorporated our

flooring into interiors that

truly capture her style.”

Held’s specialty is vintage-

inspired prints in rich colors,

created using studio artwork

techniques including drawing

and painting with watercolor.

“I’m often asked where

I find inspiration for my

designs. My answer is: every-

where! Palm Springs is full

of inspiration: the colors in

our sunrises and sunsets,

the native desert plants and

animals, the architecture,”

Held said. “Environment is

a rich source of inspiration.

It makes up your identity as

a creative person: the geogra-

phy of where you live, how

you decorate your home,

your hobbies.” ft

Facing Page: Fashion designer

Candice Held’s new shop features

a flooring design using LVT colors

from Armstrong Flooring.

Top Right: The store location in

Palm Springs offered a rich source

of inspiration.

Right: The beauty of resilient

flooring like LVT and VCT is that it

provides so many options for color

and design, along with the durability

to handle retail traffic.


SAN RAFAEL, CALiF.—

Creating Your Space launched

a new dealer and builder visu-

alization technology marketing

tool, Design Now.

Design Now utilizes artifi-

cial intelligence (Ai), allowing

consumers and salespeople

to take a picture of their room

and within seconds view the

dealer’s flooring products in

their space to help finalize the

buying decision.

Molyneaux Flooring in

Pittsburg was the first client

to introduce Design Now and

has been using visualization

to help close business since

this summer.

“i presented the job and

pricing, and the customer

said everything sounded

good, but they wished they

had bigger samples in order

to make a decision,” said

Doug Kaleida, salesperson

at Molyneaux Flooring. “i

then went to my Design Now

visualization tool. i used the

picture i had already taken of

the living room and input the

color of Patriotism the cus-

tomer was interested in. Both

the customer and his daugh-

ter were highly impressed

and said that the picture gave

them a good enough idea as

to how the new carpet would

look and decided to purchase

right then and there. i’ve

made it a habit of having

the visualization tool already

up and ready before each

appointment, for this exact

reason.”

Although there are other

visualization tools in the floor-

ing market today, Design

Now is unique in multiple

ways, according to Jay Flynn,

vice president, Creating Your

Space. The product catalog

allows each dealer customize

their product catalog from the

hundreds of flooring brands

and hundreds of thousands of

products available to visualize

in Design Now. The tool offers

professional, custom videos in

15-, 30- and 60-second ver-

sions to promote the program

through traditional and digital

means. Distribution will be lim-

ited by market area, allowing

dealers to have exclusivity in

a market.

For more information, visit

creatingyourspace.com.

HANNOVER, Germany—

HMTX industries showcased

all of its brands under one

umbrella for the first time

at Domotex 2020 here in

January, demonstrating the

breadth of innovation it offers

to customers globally.

“This was a big, important,

and considered decision to

show at this scale, the size

and confidence that people

should have in our company,”

HMTX CEO Harlan Stone

told Floor Trends. “in Europe,

they don’t know—Metroflor,

our LifeProof brand from

Halstead, and Teknoflor are

part of our group. We always

showed here as Vertex and

Aspecta, but we felt that was

the time for us to show our

breadth. The Metroflor brand

is exciting to our European

customers; Teknoflor is find-

ing tremendous opportunity

to partner with Aspecta cus-

tomers because they have

high-end commercial sales,

and they need a broader

selection of products. it’s a

coming out party.”

While HMTX is sourced

and sold across the globe,

Stone said the company

continues to build its global

business at a much faster

rate than its North American

business.

“We’re pretty mature in

North America,” Stone said.

“We have a set distributor

base, we have a set home

center customer, and we’re

very happy with that. Of

course, you want to expand

our sales penetration, but we

are not looking for new cus-

tomers. At a show like this,

we are looking for all new

countries.”

Aspecta presented hos-

pitality solutions in a hotel

room vignette and featured

a range of Aspecta contract

floors. The new Aspecta

Contours collection debuted

with four patterned floor

designs available in eight col-

ors that enable architects and

designers to apply traditional

parquet motifs in a larger

scale more suitable for both

commercial and residential

settings. The booth will also

previewed Aspecta’s new bio-

based chlorine-free flooring.

Metroflor spotlighted its

Metroforms with Attraxion

Magnetic Attachment

Technology. Licensed from

Magnetic Building Solutions

(MBS), the Attraxion-branded

LVT enables the rapid instal-

lation of flooring by creat-

ing a magnetic attachment

utilizing MBS MagneBuild

magnetic underlayment.

The Teknoflor Coordination

Collection demonstrated how

different flooring elements

coordinate to allow designers

to customize projects ranging

from patient rooms to offices.

For more information, visit

hmtxglobal.net.

Industry news

Creating Your Space Launches

AI Visualization

HMTX Expands Global Reach

at Domotex

Above: Jay Flynn, vice president, and Shannon Vogel, director of social

media, Creating Your Space, showcase new technologies at Domotex USA

in Atlanta.

Above: HMTX brand Aspecta showcases LVT installations

in Hannover, Germany.


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LAS VEGAS—This year

at The International Surface

Event (TISE), Mohawk

unveiled an interactive art

installation by Brooklyn-based

artist Basia Goszczynska to

help attendees visualize the

true impact of plastic in the

world’s waterways. Made

almost entirely from recycled

and upcycled materials and

the different components that

comprise Mohawk carpeting,

“Overflow” demonstrated how

thoughtful product design,

innovation and sustainability in

the flooring industry is reduc-

ing the waste stream.

The installation helped tell

Mohawk’s bottle recycling

story through the lens of its

recently announced support

of The Ocean Cleanup, and

the important work being done

from Atlantic to Pacific and

beyond.

“‘Overflow’ draws attention to

the importance for us to take

responsibility for our waste,”

Goszcynska said. “Because

humanity and our technologies

have evolved so rapidly, the

rest of nature is having a dif-

ficult time adapting. If we hope

to provide future generations

with a habitable planet, it’s

crucial that we, as individu-

als, communities, companies

and governments, all work

to reduce and transform the

waste that we produce. By

inviting participation in the

work, I hope to encourage that

sense of agency and responsi-

bility in my audience.”

The work serves as a

“canary in a coal mine,” warn-

ing about what will become of

the world’s oceans if human-

kind fails to take responsibility

for its waste. Commissioned

by Mohawk FIooring North

America, and built using

materials sourced from its

Summerville, Ga., recycling

facility, “Overflow” incorpo-

rates the various stages of

transformation that single-use

plastic bottles undergo during

the manufacturer’s patented

Continuum recycling process:

from bottles, to flakes, to pel-

lets, to filament, and finally

to Mohawk’s EverStrand and

EnviroStrand carpeting.

By inviting audience partici-

pation and interaction—TISE

attendees were invited to

contribute their single-use

plastic bottles to the sculpture

and lounge on the sculpture’s

carpeted beach—the work

acknowledges the role and

responsibility of every indi-

vidual and company.

“Ultimately, I hope to shift

perceptions about our waste,

and plastic in particular, from

something that is abject

and easily discarded, into

something that is precious

and worthy of our attention,”

Goszczynska added.

To learn more, visit

BasiaGoszczynska.com and

MohawkSustainability.com.

Industry news

Mohawk Calls Attention to Ocean Plastics Crisis

Above: Artist Basia Goszczynska enaged with TISE attendees, answering questions about the creative process

inspired by the rising tide of issues caused by plastic products.

Above: TISE attendees were invited to contribute single-use plastic bottles to the sculpture.

Inset: Basia Goszczynska.


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DALTON, GA.—The Floor Covering Industry Foundation (FCIF) will cel-ebrate its 40th anniversary with a benefit gala on May 2, 2020. The black-tie event, held in the Rainbow Room at the top of the Rockefeller Center in New York, will honor three individuals who have made a lasting impact on the flooring industry:

Howard Brodsky, co-founder, chairman and CEO, CCA Global Partners; Jeanne Matson, retiring president and CEO, Starnet; and Dana Teague, vice president, design group at Informa Markets.

“The gala will celebrate what we have accomplished together, while also helping to ensure the future suc-

cess of FCIF,” said Charlie Dilks, chairman of the FCIF and CPO at CCA Global Partners. “In 2020, we are looking to reach a $1 million in revenue to help families in need.”

According to the FCIF, representatives from major players in the floor covering industry will join to celebrate 40 successful years for the

vital organization that has helped thousands of employ-ees and retirees from the floor covering industry. FCIF’s grant program helps families cope with catastrophic illness-es and life-altering injuries by providing grants for basic needs such as medical care, housing, and food assistance.

“The FCIF gala has the power to unite flooring manu-facturers, retailers, distribut-ers, suppliers, and installers all under one roof for a magical evening,” said Scott Humphrey, vice-chairman of FCIF and CEO of the World Floor Covering Association. “FCIF provides the oppor-tunity to come together on common ground to benefit those in our industry who find themselves in need.”

For more information, visit fcif.org/gala.

HUNTINGTON BEACH, CALIF. —Custom Building Products is helping to “move that bus” as building solution partners on HGTV’s reboot of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. Hosted by Modern

Family actor Jessie Tyler Ferguson, the iconic reality show celebrates local heroes and their families by provid-ing dramatic, life-changing home renovations during the 10-episode season.

Following the plans of three new designers—Breegan Jane, Carrie Locklyn, and Darren Keefe—Quikrete, Pavestone and Custom Building Products join other Extreme Makeover:

Home Edition partners to deliver dream homes in each episode. The show will also welcome surprise visits by HGTV personalities Tarek El Moussa and Jasmine Roth, and celebrities includ-ing LeAnn Rimes, Laila Ali, Anthony Anderson and Derek Hough.

Custom Building Products contributed Fusion Pro Single Component Grout, Prism Grout, Versabond Thinset Mortar, MegaLite Ultimate Crack Prevention Large Format Tile Mortar, WonderBoard Lite Backerboard, RedGard Crack Prevention and Waterproofing Membrane and other related materials for kitchen and bathroom projects.

For more information, visit custombuildingproducts.com.

FCIF 40th Anniversary Gala to Honor Industry Impact-Makers

Custom Featured on Extreme Makeover: Home Edition

Howard Brodsky,

Jeanne Matson,

and Dana Teague

will be honored

at the FCIF gala,

which aims to help

the foundation

raise $1 million

in 2020 to help

families in need.

Left: QuikKrete, Pavestone and

Custom Building Products join other

Extreme Makeover: Home Edition

partners to deliver dream homes in

each episode


Industry news


FAIRFIELD, N.J.—

ProSpec, a project marketing

company that helps promote

interior and exterior finishes

to the project design, speci-

fication, and construction

communities, recently hosted

an educational event that

covered specification, fabrica-

tion and installation methods

of large-format porcelain pan-

els. The program featured two

sessions: an AIA-accredited

continuing education presen-

tation on gauged porcelain

tile systems, which covered

the design benefits and

possibilities of large-format

porcelain, and hands-on

fabrication and installation

training with Mapei and Alpha

Tools that covered cutting,

troweling, lippage control and

countertop fabrication.

Casalgrande Padana, a lead-

ing manufacturer of Italian por-

celain tile, showcased its latest

collections. ProSpec’s Fairfield

location is designed to receive,

display, and transport large-

panel porcelain materials using

the latest industry proven tools,

including a custom crane. The

location routinely stocks 18 x

36, 36 x 72, 24 x 48, 46 x 102

and 63 x 126 sizes for available

to commercial trades for imme-

diate installation.

Mapei, a leading manufac-

turer of adhesives, grouts and

related care, demonstrated

waterproofing and shower

stall installation featuring its

AquaDefense, Ultraflex LFT,

LHT and Ultralite Mortar Pro

to adhere the large panels to

the onsite mock up structure.

Alpha Professional Tools

demonstrated its precision

grinding and polishing tools at

the event.

ProSpec focuses on

product presentation and

recommendation to the

project team – the owner,

architect, designer and con-

sultant. Other groups within

the company – ProTile,

ProStone, ProTerrazzo,

ProWood and ProExterior

Systems – are designed

to provide contractors with

customer service and logis-

tics for materials that are

delivered on time and on

budget.

For more information,

visit prospecllc.com.

Prospec Hosts Gauged Porcelain 101

Top Left: ProSpec hosted the event at its new state-of-the-art facility in

Fairfield, N.J., which focuses on stocking large-format porcelain tiles.

Left: Participants gained an understanding of the design benefits and

possibilities of large-format porcelain.

Above: The hands-on tool and installation demonstrations allowed

onlookers to see the benefits of the large panel size installation

techniques.

DW Select Offers Durability,

Color and Design

Dream Weaver offers a new

line of style and design-focused

patterns, textures and colors into

a standalone collection called DW

Select. Comprised of 13 styles

initially, these carpets have been

hand-selected and vigorously

tested. Featuring the proprietary

twistX technology, Dream Weaver

use a patented manufacturing

process to blend multiple fiber

components that result in industry

leading wear ability and unique

styling capabilities.

engineeredfloors.com

Anderson Tuftex Takes

Inspiration from Ancient

Stories

The Yin collection takes

notes from ancient Chinese

philosophy, rooted in the ideal

of the yin and the yang. When

balanced, one finds harmony,

but it’s within the darker depths

of the yin where stories quietly

unfold. Infinite inspiration can

be found in the shadows of the

Great Wall, ancient latticework,

traditional roof tiles and carefully

placed stone architecture, and

they inform this patterned and

textured carpet collection.

andersontuftex.com

Campus by Shaw

Contract Celebrates

Bauhaus Design

Campus is a Cradle-to-Cradle

Certified carpet tile collection

inspired by the teaching of

Bauhaus, which exemplifies

collaboration across multi-use

spaces. The modern campus is

no longer just a place of learning

or commerce, but a hub for

innovation and inspiration. The

Campus collection of carpet

tiles interweave the strands of

creativity, contemplation, and

collaboration with artistic intent

to deliver designs that reflect the

spirit of the modern campus.

shawcontract.com

Godfrey Hirst

Incorporates New Colors,

Textures and Fibers

Mohawk developed nine

introductions for Godfrey

Hirst within the SmartStrand,

EverLux Nylon and wool

categories, along with a

redesigned merchandising

system. “Everybody wants

carpet with striking visuals and

interesting colorations,” said

Jason Randolph, senior vice

president of residential sales.

“With Godfrey Hirst, we strive

to innovate within the premium

fiber categories and keep

constructions timeless.”

godfreyhirst.com

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PRODUCTS


EarthWerks Encourages

Loud Living

2020 is the year to live loud,

according to EarthWerks,

which launches 14 new styles

of waterproof WPC products

with cushion backing as part of

its Core collection. Core WPC

products feature an enhanced

cushion backing for better sound

absorption and comfort underfoot.

The complete waterproof

collection offers 54 SKUs.

earthworks.com

Karndean Adds Versatile

Stone and Concrete

Visuals

Karndean Designflooring

adds eight new stone visuals

to its LooseLay range. This

non-interlocking floating floor

is notable for multi-directional

visuals, speedy install time,

acoustic properties, individually

replaceable tiles and seamless

transition to commercial carpet

tile. Known for original product

designs, these distinctive new

visuals replicate the in-demand

looks of travertine, concrete and

slate in a 20-mil loose-lay LVT

format.

karndean.com

Bruce Launches

Affordable, Easy-Care

Rigid Core

Bruce LifeSeal is a new rigid

core flooring that delivers 100%

waterproof protection for homes

and light commercial spaces.

The floor is built to withstand

dents, scratches, spills, stains,

and fading from sunlight. The

proprietary core construction

eliminates air pockets, which

results in increased product

hardness and protection from

moisture. It is dimensionally

stable and doesn’t telegraph

subfloor imperfections.

ahfproducts.com

TruCor Offers Tile

Looks in SPC

The Dixie Group expands its rigid

core offering with TruCor SPC in

eight new styles with realistic grout

joints. An alternative to porcelain

and ceramic tile, the collection

is constructed of about 75%

limestone and about 25% PVC.

The waterproof multilayer flooring

offers Integrated Grout Technology

(IGT) that creates a 2-mm. grout

joint between the tiles. The

collection includes 12 SKUs in 12

x 24, 18 x 24 and 24 x 24 formats,

and all products come in 7.0-mm

thickness, 20-mil. wearlayer, and a

protective coating.

trucorfloors.com

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For two decades,

Flooring America

has been help-

ing independent

flooring retailers

strengthen their businesses

from the inside out; offering

the guidance and support

members need to be in busi-

ness for themselves, but not

by themselves.

“We’re retailers help-

ing retailers,” said Keith

Spano, president of Flooring

America, Flooring Canada,

International Design Guild

and The Floor Trader.

“Everyone on our team has

a retail background which

I think is unique in our

industry.”

Working exclusively for

its membership, Flooring

America is assisting with

everything from marketing

and advertising to finding

propriety and exclusive prod-

ucts for members’ showrooms.

It is also lending a hand to the

often unaddressed and more

difficult side of a business, like

family transitions and succes-

sion planning.

“There’s a trust that we

have in [members] and they

have in us that has really

helped us grow and take

market share over the last

10 years,” said Spano.

Shifting its focus to what

Spano refers to as block-

ing and tackling, Flooring

America is walking members

through ways to: sell the

whole project, protect their

margins, increase their mar-

gins and sell fashion, not com-

modity. “These sound like

soundbites, but they really are

just basic retail blocking and

tackling that are critical to our

members’ success.”

Driving Sales Home

Eight years ago, Flooring

America introduced the

‘Where Friends Send Friends’

campaign to differentiate

itself. “At the time, if you

took our ads and Depot’s ads

and every other retailer out

there, the ads were all the

same,” said Spano. “Where

Friends Send Friends came

in was to give a voice that

was own-able and different;

being the place where friends

send friends, the most rec-

ommended store in North

America—that was going to

be our unique selling propo-

sition.”

From day one, the cam-

paign has resonated with

members and since then,

it has been reshaped and

restructured through the

years to make the most sense

for members and business.

Along the lines of the

Where Friends Send Friends

campaign, Flooring America

is continuously seeking

ways to improve the busi-

ness of its members. “The

most important thing we

can do is provide tools for

our members to make them

more profitable, close more

sales, keep them ahead of the

Flooring AmericA:

20 years of retailers Helping retailers

Above: The Flooring America

team is celebrating 20 years of

offering the guidance and support

its members need to be in

business for themselves, but not

by themselves.


By Danielle Clair SimpSon

curve when it comes to com-

petition and help them from

a succession standpoint to

operationalize their business

to the point where its profit-

able and they can pass it on

and create a legacy for their

family,” said Spano.

Working even when

salespeople aren’t is Drive,

Flooring America’s market-

ing automation platform that

Spano says is giving good

salespeople the ability to be

great salespeople.

“We find that the chal-

lenge that retail sales profes-

sionals have isn’t necessarily

getting the customer in the

door, certainly traffic is

always an issue, but really it’s

about how do we make sure

we don’t lost any leads? And

making sure you’re convert-

ing those leads into a poten-

tial opportunity or sale,”

said Frank Chiera, senior

vice president, marketing

and advertising of Flooring

America/Flooring Canada

and The Floor Trader.

A year since Flooring

America introduced its

membership to Drive,

roughly 160 stores are cur-

rently on board and reaping

the benefits of the platform,

and by March, Chiera pre-

dicts there will be about 250

to 300 stores using Drive.

“The Drive stores versus

the non-Drive stores are see-

ing about a 12.6 percent lift

in overall incremental closed

sales versus the stores that

are not using Drive that are

seeing about 3 percent lift in

closed sales,” Chiera said. “So

the net impact with Drive

is about a 10 percent lift in

sales. If you analyze that, for

a typical store that represents

about another $250,000 in

incremental sales.”

As Flooring America looks

to the next 20 years of busi-

ness, Spano reflects on just

how far Flooring America

and its membership have

come. “When we first started

syndicating social media

content for our members,

we gave everyone iPads, and

they didn’t know how to turn

them on. And now, they are

all wizzes and they know we

are here to help them if they

need something.”

Because of this relationship

of trust, Flooring America

members have been willing to

try the new things proposed

by the group, and because of

that, Spano is confident that

the group’s future is bright.

“The next 20 years, the

future is very bright,” he said.

“We continue to take market

share. We continue to grow.

Because of the last 10 years,

our members are much more

digitally savvy than I would

say the rest of the industry

and that has really given them

a terrific foundation for every-

thing else that comes about,

whether it be Drive or geo-

fencing or text and chat and

all these different things that

we’ve come out with.”

And with third and fourth

generations up-and-coming

in the business, Spano says

Flooring America has the

wind at its back and a phe-

nomenal legacy ahead. ft


Tile Trends in The home

By Danielle Clair SimpSon

From soothing pal-

lets to sense-evoking

materials and pat-

terns, homeowners are

creating spaces that

make them feel good and promote

a sense of wellness and comfort

through design. In this issue of

Floor Trends, we explore the tile

trends that are lending to a “feel

better” experience at home.

Wellness in Design

“Wellness in design is a rela-

tively new concept that’s become

popular just in the last few

years,” said celebrity designer

and television host Jennifer

Farrell of Jennifer Farrell Design.

“That’s going to really take off

in 2020 and beyond. We are all

looking to feel better. We are in

a place where we are trying to

feel better and design is coming

into play in a whole new way.

So that you’re experiencing the

space with all of your senses.”

Farrell says homeowners want

to come home to a space that

not only looks good, but they

also want to feel good in their

space. This is inspired by aes-

thetic beauty and tactile com-

fort, and Farrell says we’ll see a

lot of that in modern organics.

According to Houzz, modern

organics, or organic modern,

is a design term referring to a

balanced mix of modern lines,

neutral palettes, natural materi-

als and textures, which designers

like Farrell are exploring in vari-

ous ways using tile.

Be it on the floor or on the

wall, and in some instances, even

on the ceiling, tile is helping

to achieve what Farrell calls an

immersive tactile dimensional

experience that creates a cocoon

Left: MSI’s Ivory Onyx is allowing

homeowners to enjoy the realistic look

of stone in both indoor and outdoor

applications.


of comfort for homeowners

through dimensional pieces

and organic imagery.

Color

Color-wise, we are moving

toward a more soothing pallet

in a range that Farrell refers to

as “smoky sunset” which fea-

tures colors along the lines of

burnt rose, faded denim, pale

sky and taupe grey.

A color trend that’s being

celebrated by MSI, Emily

Holle, director of trend

and design, has dubbed this

soothing pallet Sun-Washed

Chic. “It’s really about the

warming trend and the fact

that white and gray have

been a mainstay in the design

world for a few years now,

and what we are seeing is

warmer pallets. So the cream

tones are coming in, blonde

tones in wood, warmer grays

and a mixed and blended

look. Just a toastier forecast.”

Enhancing that trend are

products like MSI’s Ivory

Onyx which mixes a range

of grays and blondes to bring

warmth into the product and

give homeowners the realistic

look of stone they’ve come

to appreciate from MSI. And

with unemployment at an

all-time low, rising wages and

stock market prices up, MSI’s

director of sales and market-

ing, Mannie Llerena, says con-

ditions are as good as they’ll

get for consumers to be able

to purchase the dream homes

and the dream surfaces that

they always thought about.

Answering the call, MSI

continues to lead in the

production of natural stone-

inspired looks. “Because our

origin was natural stone, we

really believe that we do these

natural stone porcelains bet-

ter than anyone else with the

way that we take a lot of care

into colorations, veining and

how it looks,” said Llerena.

Experiencing the space

with all senses is desired, and

Farrell says homeowners are

doing that with products

like Shaw’s Chateau Woven

Above: Consumers are flocking to

larger, wide planks, which Emser

Tile’s Mara Heras says opens up

a continuous surface within the

home.

Left: Surfaces with texture provide

a splash of luxury and intrigue and

Marazzi is speaking to that trend

with new products like Artezen.

Tile Trends in The home


Mosaic. “What’s beauti-

ful about this is that it’s so

dimensional that you can’t

keep your hands off it. So

you have this really pleasing

experience not just looking

at something but actually

feeling it.”

Surfaces with texture

provide a splash of luxury

and intrigue and Marazzi is

speaking to that trend with

new products like Artezen,

a line that is inspired by

handmade ceramics with

an undulated surface and

translucent glaze to create a

beautiful flow of movement

across the installation.

“Bold pops of design are

one of the hottest trends in

the industry, from residential

areas to commercial,” said

Micah Hand, senior market-

ing manager of Dal-Tile,

parent company of Marazzi.

“The amazing thing about

this trend is that it allows

designers and homeowners to

create a space that is unique,

especially as there are so many

products to choose from. Our

newest collections draw bold

inspiration from nature, from

earthy blues and greens to

marble and concrete aesthet-

ics. We want customers to

create spaces they love, and

our products are designed to

support that desire.”

Artezen features geometric

shapes like Hex and Picket,

brick joint and herringbone,

and is available in three neu-

tral colors, including a shim-

mery bronze metallic and two

beautiful shades of blue.

Size

In tile, size matters,

and planks in residential

applications are continuing

to get longer and wider.

“We know that larger

formats are important,”

said Llerena. “Things are

getting larger and there’s

a demand for 24x48 and

35x35.”

Larger planks means

fewer grout lines, which is

something consumers are

enjoying in their homes for

multiple reasons, says Mara

Heras, vice president of

marketing for Emser Tile.

“It’s clean visually, it opens

up a continuous surface,

especially when it comes to

the panels. You can do a

whole shower, you can do

an entire countertop; a wall

with minimal seams. Even

on the floor, if you do a

23x47 or a 31x31, it’s fewer

grout lines and less labor.”

Fewer grout lines creates

a more seamless environ-

ment, and homeowners are

enjoying that trend from

indoors to outdoors, as they

continue to spend more time

enjoying their outdoor spac-

es and seeing them as more

of an opportunity for design,

rather than just a function.

In response, MSI has pro-

duced products that make

that possible. “We have a

1cm-thick product that goes

inside the home out to a

2cm paver that can be used

in any outdoor application,”

said Llerena.

DIY

Appealing to the DIY

homeowner is Daltile’s

RevoTile, which is an in-

novate product that is sure

to revolutionize tile industry.

Installing in just three easy

steps, RevoTile offers “Real

Beauty. Real Porcelain. Real

Fast.” says Scott Maslowski,

senior vice president of sales

for Dal-Tile Corporation.

“The beauty, durability,

and value that porcelain tile

adds to a home makes it an

aspirational product, highly

desired by homeowners,”

said Maslowski.

By simply placing the

underlayment, clicking the

tiles together and immedi-

ately grouting, homeown-

ers—on their own—can

add the style and designs

they desire by way of

Daltile’s state-of-the-art

printing technology, Reveal

Imaging, which brings to

the RevoTile collection real-

istic color, detail and vein-

ing that are unique on every

single tile. ft

Left: Daltile’s RevoTile makes DIY

for the homeowner easy with just

three simple steps.


Mohawk EnhancEs Digital MarkEting to hElp rEtailErs sEll MorE Floors

Since its inception in

2016, Omnify has

been helping retail-

ers use digital to drive

more feet through the

door for Mohawk flooring. In

2020, Mohawk’s digital market-

ing program will provide a more

streamlined user experience with

an optimized core set of features

– enabling retailers to choose the

right solutions for their stores and

control how they compete in their

local markets.

“Today, 87 percent of consumers

are hunting for products on digital

channels,” said Karen Mendelsohn,

senior vice president of market-

ing. “This means that in order to

succeed, specialty retailers need to

extend their stores beyond their four

walls. They need to be at the fore-

front of the digital revolution. That’s

exactly why we developed Omnify

and why we continue to invest in

the program. Mohawk is committed

to providing our retail partners the

best tools and support they need to

win in the changing world of retail.”

This year, Mohawk’s digital

programs will put more control

into retailers’ hands, allowing them

to choose the right solution for

their businesses rather than a one-

size-fits-all approach. In the past,

Omnify offered a standardized

website. Today, the program allows

retailers to customize the website

with the help of FloorForce.

“Because Omnify has been

in the market for a few years,

Mohawk is armed with meaning-

ful feedback to help guide its

evolution,” said Seth Arnold, vice

president, residential market-

ing. “The vision was clearly right

and working. When it was first

released, Omnify was a one-size-

fits-all package. We handled all

Left: Today, 87 percent of consumers are

hunting for products on digital channels,

said Karen Mendelsohn, senior vice

president of marketing, Mohawk.


digital properties – websites,

social and CRM. Now we

are unbundling the package

so each retailer can partici-

pate in a way that works best

for them.”

Most importantly, Omnify

gives retailers everything

they need under one roof,

minimizing the time spent

implementing to help them

focus on closing more sales.

Not only does Omnify help

save retailers’ time, it helps

save them money. Retailers

can save, on average, over

$7,500 compared to other

digital marketing services in

the market.

The services include a vari-

ety of solutions.

Digital marketing includes

high-definition Mohawk,

Karastan and Pergo Extreme

product catalogs; enhanced

video and product photogra-

phy; national and local eye-

catching branded campaign

assets; syndicated, best-in-

class blog posts; and a wide-

ranging catalog of Mohawk

Home and Karastan rugs to

compete in the digital mar-

ketplace without the cost,

time and distribution of

ecommerce giants.

Lead capture and nuture

helps dealers convert poten-

tial customers and nurture

existing leads to close more

sales with engaging lead

conversion pages and incen-

tives to motivate store visits;

automated email campaigns

to keep retail stores top of

mind; a leading chat solution

that automatically captures

and qualifies leads 24/7; and

a valuable customer relation-

ship management tool to

track, manage and assign

leads in one convenient place.

Reputation management

helps retailers share their

long-standing reputations

online with custom review

microsites for dominating

local search and showcasing

reviews from 150-plus sites;

review aggregation for moni-

toring customer feedback on

one centralized dashboard;

review management to

improve visibility and build

confidence with customers;

customer experience and

review request campaigns

to generate authentic, trust-

worthy ratings and reviews;

and reputation analytics to

dive deeper into customer

feedback.

Lastly, reporting helps

retailers make more

informed decisions based

on learnings that cover

website analytics and con-

tent engagement analytics

to track and measure how

shoppers interact and engage

with Mohawk content and

products online; digital

campaign performance

with real-time results; and

a benchmark indicator to

benchmark performance to

other players in the market

with industry data.

Five Star

Enhancements

With an overwhelm-

ing abundance of flooring

options for consumers to

choose from, Mohawk devel-

oped Five Star to provide

specialty retailers with a

seamless showroom experi-

ence that makes Mohawk

flooring the easy choice.

“The purchase journey can

be overwhelming for consum-

ers. There are multiple choices

the shopper has to make –

everything from décor, brand

and even where to buy. That’s

why it’s imperative that the

showroom simplifies the pur-

chase decision rather than cre-

ate more questions,” Arnold

said. “With Five Star, we can

help retailers provide brand

consistency across online

and in-store experiences for

informed purchase decisions.

That’s why we invest heavily

in marketing assets, signage

and displays that tell our

brand stories and educate

consumers about Mohawk

products.”

Five Star invests in branded

marketing and storytelling

to help retailers accelerate

a customer’s purchase. Five

Star gives retailers the ability

to standout with updated

materials that help bring

Mohawk brand campaigns to

life in the showroom; nation-

al promotions that attract

consumers and close the sale

with point-of-purchase kits

and customizable advertis-

ing offerings; and a product

assurance, which offers war-

ranties and enhanced pro-

tections, such as Mohawk’s

60-day satisfaction war-

ranty—available exclusively

to Five Star retailers.

Retailers can invest in their

showroom with exclusive

dealer incentives and vendor

discounts and simplify the

shopping experience with

in-store financing that makes

choosing the perfect flooring

solution easy and affordable.

To enhance business devel-

opment, Five Star also offers

a vast collection of resources

designed to empower retailers

and their team with the tools

and knowledge to optimize

every aspect of their business.

Through industry insights,

dealers can grow business by

staying informed on industry

trends and retail best prac-

tices and remaining up to

date with the best ways to

attract customers, increase

Left: Mohawk’s Seth Arnold and

Jenna Bloom and Madeline Webb

of FloorForce share the benefits

of Mohawk’s digital solutions at

TISE 2020.

Mohawk EnhancEs Digital MarkEting


store traffic, grow sales and

improve store operations.

The peer-to-peer network

helps dealers connect with

peers in the industry who can

help analyze goals and strate-

gies and develop plans to take

business to the next level.

Through education, deal-

ers can also earn more about

every aspect of the floor-

ing business from industry

experts through enrichment

courses and tools that cover

everything from how to hire

and retain the best employ-

ees, to overcoming industry

challenges.

Neighborhood Ad

Manager

The number one chal-

lenge specialty retailers face

today is getting people in

their front door. Mohawk’s

Neighborhood Ad Manager

provides retailers a solution

– local advertising designed

to reach shoppers and drive

traffic in store.

“Today’s increasingly

competitive market has

seen the emergence of new

channels with enormous

ad budgets,” Arnold said.

“Buyers have more choices

than ever before, but too

many choices leave many

shoppers frustrated and

overwhelmed. This is why

Mohawk believes specialty

retail has a unique advan-

tage. What customers really

want is the time, atten-

tion and guided shopping

experience that only spe-

cialty retail can provide.

We know this because

millions of consumers

are searching the internet

for answers. That’s where


comes in—to reach these

local shoppers and bring

them in store.”

Through the

Neighborhood Ad Manager,

specialty retail partners

receive supp support with an

informed advertising spend.

“The big question we

get is how much advertis-

ing should someone be

doing?” Arnold said. “With


we give you the ability to

figure out in your market

how much to spend. We

can tell by zip code who’s

in the market, what people

are searching for, and how

much you should be spend-

ing to get that optimal

response

The program offers tai-

lored ads for the local mar-

ket, optimized landing pages

and lower costs per lead. In

addition, retailers can also

use available co-op dollars

to cover up to 75 percent of

their ad spend.

“Mohawk knows that our

flooring doesn’t sell itself,”

Arnold said. “We rely on

our retail partners to connect

shoppers to our products.

In return, retailers can rely

on us to drive customers

to their stores. With the

size and scale you’d expect

from the biggest brands in

flooring, Mohawk has the

resources to deliver advan-

tages they won’t find any-

where else.” ft

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INSTANT AUDIO

floortrends


The commercial floor-

ing contractor par-

ticipates in a vibrant

construction industry

full of innovation, amaz-

ing contributions to the

quality of life in our com-

munities, and individual

fulfillment. According to a

focused study by the World

Economic Forum and the

Boston Consulting Group,

the construction industry

accounts for more than 6%

of the global gross domestic

production (GDP) in addi-

tion to enabling commerce

and productivity in all its

forms. The U.S. construc-

tion industry has enjoyed

a solid 10-year conomic

expansion. In addition, the

industry is benefitting from

a healthy segment rotation

which allows firms to rede-

ploy resources to serving

educational and institution-

al markets as multi-family

and retail segments begin

to slow.

According to Dodge Data

& Analytics, total construc-

tion starts are expected to

reach $776 billion in value

for 2020. This is a mas-

sive amount reflecting the

value of the entire industry

across all segments. Despite

our combined marketing

efforts, it is unlikely we

will be able to convince

society that flooring mate-

rials should be widely

utilized in parking decks,

dams, and water treatment

facilities. It is helpful for

the flooring industry to

focus on the end use seg-

ments of commercial and

institutional buildings

where flooring accounts for

a large percentage of the

total project value. That

value is predicted to be

greater than $260 billion in

2020. What a great oppor-

tunity!

Despite our amazing con-

tributions, like most indus-

Trends ImpacTIng The general conTracTorand professional Flooring contractor

By Mark Bischoff

President and ceo, starnet WorldWide

coMMercial flooring PartnershiP

contractor’s corner

Tarkett’s New Showroom in New

York City, which was installed by

Starnet member Consolidated

Carpet.



tries, we have many areas for

improvement. The flooring

industry has opportunities to

improve processes and opera-

tions, innovate with strategic

business models, and estab-

lish formal organizational

cultures. Our general con-

tractor clients have the same

opportunities for improve-

ment. Our industry does not

have to change overnight.

It is estimated by Boston

Consulting Group that just

a 1% increase in construc-

tion industry productivity

could return more than $100

billion in value to GDP.

Productivity has many ele-

ments but, in this article, we

can share some areas where

the interest of the commer-

cial flooring contractor aligns

with the professional general

contractor to improve our

industry and deliver the value

of enhanced productivity to

society.

Safety

A safe construction

industry is a productive

industry. Our general

contractor partners must

provide safe environments

for their workers and sub-

contractors to attract talent

and business partners. In

addition, their end user cli-

ents expect them to deliver

a solid safety record as part

of the risk mitigation role

they play. It is fundamental

to their value proposition.

In the global competi-

tive environment, safety is

not a response to regula-

tory oversight. Safety is a

foundational element in

a great workplace culture

and achieving the highest

levels of productivity pos-

sible. In order to work well

with a professional general

contractor, a Starnet pro-

fessional flooring contrac-

tor must already have an

established safety program.

Without that workplace

culture of safety as a condi-

tion of employment, suc-

cessful project execution

becomes nearly impossible.

In addition, good safety

records are rewarded by

access to project oppor-

tunities, access to capital,

and lower costs. All those

elements contribute to

industry productivity and

the profitability of Starnet

member firms.

“New York metro is a

highly regulated construc-

tion environment and we

have to manage the safety

of the public in addition

to the safety concerns

normally associated with

a construction site,” said

David T. Meberg, president

and CEO Consolidated

Carpet, a Starnet Member.

“Occupied spaces in a

densely populated work

environment are huge chal-

lenges. Consolidated takes

pride in our safety record.

Our people constantly

update their training and

certifications in order to

deliver the best support

for our general contractor

partners.”

Project Delivery

Methods

In a quest to contribute

value and “find a bet-

ter way” multiple project

delivery methods have

evolved to best support the

end user clients and the

goals of their building proj-

ects. The most common

project delivery method

is Design/Bid/Build, but

Design Build and other

methods are becoming

more common. The pur-

pose of this article is not

to review project delivery

methods in detail, but to

point out that new meth-

ods are part of the industry

push for innovation and

value. That innovation

effort may be held back

by traditional construc-

tion contract law, outdated

building codes and permit-

ting processes, as well as a

reluctance by the trades to

adapt processes to enable

these delivery methods to

reach full potential. We

have observed that Starnet

member firms are respond-

ing to support our general

contractor partners.

Design/Bid/Build

Design/Bid/Build is com-

monly used in civil projects.

In addition to safety, civil

projects require complete

and thorough document

management processes in

order to provide transparen-

cy and compliance to speci-

fications. The document

management infrastructure,

in order to be effective, must

be part of the te normal cul-

ture at a professional floor-

ing contractor. The level of

detail required cannot be

assembled for one project, it

must be core to the business

Far Left: Cheryl Acierno, President Acierno & Company.

Left: David T. Meberg, President and CEO Consolidated Carpet.

Bottom Far Left: Les Lippert, President Lippert Flooring and Tile.

Bottom Left: Matt Bode, Vice President CB Flooring.

in order to properly support

the sophisticated infrastruc-

ture the general contractor

deploys to remain in compli-

ance with contract guidelines

for these projects.

“In order to secure and

execute large complex

projects in the Washington

D.C. area, we have in place

a full document manage-

ment system,” said Matt

Bode, vice president, CB

Flooring, LLC, a Starnet

Member. “This includes a

full-time submittal coor-

dinator, payroll manager,

contracts manager, and

dedicated project coordina-

tors. Being located in the

backyard of the federal

government and some of

the largest development

projects in the country, we

believe this is a competitive

advantage with our general

contractor partners.”

Design Build project

delivery offers distinct

advantages to the owner.

Design and pricing take

place at the same time,

with the general contrac-

tor working collaboratively

with the designer. Design

Build projects can deliver a

building at budget, shorten

preconstruction time, and

dramatically decrease the

time frame. Managing and

documenting changes and

communicating with the

building team in a way that

supports low risk decision

making is essential in the

design-build process. This

experience must be deliv-

ered by a combination of

experienced staff members

at the flooring contrac-

tor supported by effective

technology and visualization

tools. The combination of

the confidence and experi-

ence of a veteran associate

and the documentation

through technology tools

enables the Design Build

delivery process. Many pro-

fessional flooring contrac-

tors find these projects to

be more personally reward-

ing in addition to the nor-

mal fulfillment of a flooring

contract project. Their skills

and knowledge as a profes-

sional are valued in this

delivery process.

Cheryl Acierno, president

of Acierno & Company,

LLC, a Starnet Member,

said: “Communication

and teamwork. Flexibility

and cooperation with the

design team are critical, and

the earlier the collabora-

tion starts, the better every

building team member

meets the client’s needs,”

We provide a lot of value

to Design Build contractors

because of our experienced

staff and our software sys-

tems. Our team is highly

skilled in product knowl-

edge and specifying materi-

als, ensuring that a client

selects the appropriate prod-

uct for a specific space.”

Scheduling and Project

Management

Most general contractors

plan and schedule their

projects in a similar fash-

ion, developing schedules

at each level of design and

financial impact. A detailed

plan is developed for all

major activities during the

project’s life cycle. Each

firm is different, but some

are deploying sophisticated

and well-staffed scheduling

departments. Many staff

positions in scheduling at

the largest general contrac-

tors require professional

certification. In addition

to working with project

schedules, these associ-

ates increase accuracy and

efficiency by developing

collaborative methods that

may strengthen processes

with capable subcontracting

firms like Starnet members.

The level of expertise in

the general contractor com-

munity is being matched

by project management

associates at professional

flooring contractors across

the Starnet membership.

The quality of Starnet

member project manag-

ers, supported by ongoing

training and certification,

helps ensure the productiv-

ity and collaborative com-

munication necessary to

deliver value for the end

user. They can work more

efficiently because they are

familiar with many of the

concepts and tools used

by the general contractor

every day. These profes-

sionals working together

collaboratively using formal

scheduling and project

management tools deliver

enhanced productivity. In

addition, formal training

can minimize gaps in gen-

erational communication

style, support flexible deci-

sion making, and anticipate

project gaps or constriction

in order to mitigate sched-

ule drift. Lastly, profes-

sional project managers

protect the end user from

unpublished compromises

that impact the long-term

performance of a build-

ing. Documenting change

orders and schedule com-

promises protects the client

if they encounter problems

post-occupancy. Project

close out documents will

help to guide the long-term

maintenance and manage-

ment of the interior space

for the end user.

According to Les Lippert,

president Lippert Flooring

and Tile, a Starnet Member:

“Our project managers

focus intently on docu-

menting all of the commu-

nication before and during

the installation phase. In

addition to keeping all par-

ties involved in the project

fully informed, this practice

enables us to accurately

refer back to specific deci-

sions and actions that may

need to be revisited during

the one-year walk-through,

or at any other time post-

occupancy. Having a

complete record of all com-

munications is both a risk

management necessity and a

quality of service value add.

Project close-out document

submittals furnish the cli-

ent with an authoritative

account of the flooring

materials used, installation

and maintenance specifics,

and the details of product

and installation warran-

ties. It is the roadmap for

facility managers to follow

to maximize the return of

their investment in flooring

over the longest possible

timeline.”

Starnet members work

collaboratively with gen-

eral contractor partners to

deliver value in the built

environment every day. Our

partnership continues to

be more sophisticated and

valuable as society demands

more and more from their

space over time. ft

ContraCtor’s Corner


Thank you to the Floor Covering Industry Foundation donors!FCIF depends on contributions from industry manufacturers, distributors, retailers, buying groups, trade

associations, vendors, and individuals. Donations provide the assistance directly to flooring industry

workers when coping with life-altering injuries, severe disabilities, and catastrophic medical events.

Diamond $50,000+CCA Global Partners

Engineered Floors

Mohawk Industries

Shaw Industries Group

World Floor Covering

Associa�on

Platinum $25,000 -

$49,999The Interna�onal Surface

Event/ Informa Markets

Mannington

Gold $10,000 - $24,999Abbey Carpet

All Tile / Carpet Cushions &

Supplies

American Biltrite, Inc.

The Dixie Group

Domotex

Emily Morrow Home

Emser Tile

FEI Group

Helen And Harry Saul

Founda�on

Phenix Flooring

PSW Arizona

Redi-Carpet

Resilient Floor Covering

Ins�tute

Spartan Surfaces

Silver $5,000 - $9,999Arrowstar

Art Guild

Congoleum

Degraaf Interiors

Sharon Greenberg

J.J. Haines

Karndean DesignFlooring

Linron Corpora�on

Mullican

Na�onal Floorcovering

Alliance

Promo�onal Spring

Republic Floor

RFMS

Stanton Carpet

Bronze $1,000 - $4,999Steve Abernathy

Acierno & Company

AHF Products

Ansira

Armstrong Flooring

Atlanta Flooring Design

Centers

B.R. Funsten & Co.

Jeanne L. Balusik

Beauflor USA

Andrea Blackbourn

Carl Bouckaert

Brown Smith Wallace

Cain & Bultman

Carpenter Co.

Carpet Spectrum

Central Alabama Flooring

CommCrea�ve

Couristan

CR Produc�ons

Customer Analy�cs

Dalene Hardwood Flooring .

Floor Covering News

Floor Covering Weekly

Forbo Flooring Systems

Foss Floors

Future Foam

FXI, Inc.

Healthier Choice Flooring

Hunter Douglas

iGAD Produc�ons

Invista

Kaleen Rugs

Tanja Kern

Legge� & Pla� Flooring

Products

Marke�ng Alliance Group

MasterBrand Cabinets

MC2

Michael's Carpet

Milliken Flooring

Momeni

MP Global Products

Mr. G's Flooring America

Nebraska Furniture Mart

Margie & Sam O'Krent

One Smooth Stone

Peerless / Beaulieu Canada

PNC Financial Services

Riezman Berger, P.C.

Shnier, Gesco

Sid's Carpet Barn

Southern Wood Flooring and

Supply

STI Polymer

Synchrony

Tarke�

Verndale

WarmUp, Inc.

Kaye Whitener

Xactware

Genesis $500 - $999Abbey Capitol Floors and

Interiors

Accu-Cut Brockie

Interna�onal, Inc.

Arlun & FEI Group

Avalon Flooring

B.T. Mancini Co., Inc.

Beasley Flooring Products /

Floors For Life

Brentwood Flooring America

Carpet One of Livermore

Carpet Works

Carpe�ng by Mike

Commerce Bancshares

Founda�on

Cornerstone Solu�ons Group

D & R Floor Covering

Design Materials, Inc.

Floorcra�

Floorcra� Carpet One

FUSE Alliance

Chet E. Grisso

Hamernicks Decora�ng

Sco� Humphrey

Indusparquet

ITEL Laboratories, Inc.

Tom Jennings

Joy Carpets

Kane Carpet

Kas Rugs

Kellor Logis�c Solu�ons

Liminality

Linoleum City Inc.

Mathews & Parlo Carpet

Northwest Trends of Spokane

Nourison

Novalis Interna�onal

Orian Rugs

Pat's Carpet Outlet

Roy Lomas Carpet Contractor

Saturn Freight Systems

SP Floors & Design Center

Stevens Omni

Sarah & Wendell Presco�

Taylor Adhesives

Tranzpartners

Versatrim, Inc.

Fred Williamson, Jr.

Xpress Global Systems

Thank you to the following for

making planned and endowed

gi�s: William A. Gold

Endowment, Laurence & Robin

Nagle Charitable Remainder

Trust, Alan Greenberg

Memorial Fund, and Shaw

Industries.

Donors & sponsors are listed

at the $500+ level who were

reported by Dec. 15, 2019.

workers ba�ling catastrophic medical condi�ons

get back to normal life.

Shout out to the donors who are helping industry

fcif.org

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Schönox has engineered the

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tropical liquids and substrate

vapor—with no moisture

testing required. The safe

one-part chemistry makes it

a faster, more install-friendly

alternative to two-part epoxy

systems. Engineered for

heavy rolling loads and other

challenging commercial envi-

ronments, the adhesive works

on LVT, LVP, sheet goods,

rubber, linoleum, SPC, SPC,

cork-backed hard surfaces,

Flooring Technologies

for EasiEr installation

Above: Taylor Adhesive says

Resolute is a faster, more install-

friendly alternative to two-part

epoxy systems.


cork flooring and underlay-

ments, VCT/VET and rub-

ber and vinyl stair treads. The

fast-curing formula creates

a high-strength, waterproof

bond, and the self-leveling

technology reduces tele-

graphing. Plus, it’s LEED

contributing.

tayloradhesives.com

Install Tile with a Click

Seeing a need to cut

time for installers, Daltile

launched RevoTile, a revo-

lutionary, patented, floating

floor system that installs

Daltile porcelain tile two

times faster than traditional

tile, saving time and money.

RevoTile installs in just three

easy steps 1) place underlay-

ment 2) click together the

tiles and 3) grout. Once

grouted, the perimeter is

sealed and RevoTile is then

a waterproof flooring system.

RevoTile porcelain tile is

offered in 26 marble, wood,

stone, and concrete looks.

With RevoTile, a tile floor

can now be completed in

one day. The company says

the solution expands the

labor pool, allowing it to be

quickly installed by profes-

sional tile installers as well

as LVT, laminate, and hard-

wood installers. In addition,

RevoTile reduces the mess

and length of time involved

in traditional installation.

No product acclimation is

required during installation;

RevoTile installs right over

many existing floors, avoid-

ing the need for demoli-

tion and removal; there is

no mortar drying time, no

messy two-part grout, and

no return visits.

daltile.com

A Primer You Can Use

in Occupied Spaces

When you’re renovating

an existing space, there’s

usually no way to get around

the inhabitants feeling put

out by the inconvenience of

a flooring remodel. Mapei

introduced Primer X, a fast-

drying, high-performance,

low-VOC, water-based,

acrylic primer, to help in

these environments. It is


Above: Schönox Renotex 3D

System is a versatile and cost-

effective subfloor renovation

system for multifamily projects.

Left: Resolute

unlimited moisture

barrier resilient

flooring adhesive.

textured to enhance the

performance and adhesion

of self-leveling underlay-

ments over 100%-solids,

epoxy moisture barriers and

other nonporous substrates.

It drives quickly, in one to

two hours, depending on

environmental conditions.

The product also features

high bond to 100%-solids,

epoxy moisture-control

membranes.

mapei.com

Locking Floors with

Enhanced Water

Resistance

Välinge unveiled a new

locking system for enhanced

water resistance at Domotex

in Hannover. With the new

system 5G Hydroguard,

floor manufactures will now

be able to make life easier

for their customers. 5G

Hydroguard feature sa 5G

Fold Down locking system

tailored to provide enhanced

water resistance by prevent-

ing water from penetrating

into the seams of the floor

panels.

“This is the first truly water

resistant two-piece fold down

system on the market,” said

Per Nygren, executive vice

president, Välinge Innovation.

“With greater protection to

withstand the mess of every-

day chaos such as spills, this

innovation makes floors both

incredibly easy to install and

to live with.”

The NALFA 48 hour sur-

face swell test (24 hours with

waterpillar and 24 hours

recovery) has been used to

assess the water behavior

of floor installations with

5G Hydroguard. In wood-

based floorings, the locking

system contributes to signifi-

cantly lower edge-swelling,

thereby ensuring that the

floor both looks and feels

better despite being sub-

jected to wet mopping, acci-

dents and other events from

everyday use.

valinge.com

Installing Metal

Lath Faster

TechLevel WSF Fiber

Reinforced Self-Leveling

Underlayment from

CustomTech eliminates

the labor-intensive pro-

cess of attaching metal

lath to wood subfloors,

so floor covering installa-

tions are faster, easier and

Flooring Technologies For easier insTallaTion

Above: Daltile’s RevoTile uses

a floating floor system to install

porcelain tile quickly.

Left: Mapei’s Primer X

is a fast-drying, high-

performance, low-VOC,

water-based, acrylic

primer.


more profitable. TechLevel WSF is

a high-flow formula that prevents

slow drying, bond failure, crumbling

and staining. Appropriate for use on

concrete, ceramic tile, terrazzo and

gypsum-based substrates as well as

plywood and OSB, this SLU cures

quickly and develops high early

strength. TechLevel WSF exceeds

industry requirements for substrate

flatness to accommodate a wide vari-

ety of floor covering installations.

customtechflooring.com

Install Floors with No Special

Tools Required

With locking as I4F’s core centre of

expertise, the company’s flagship tech-

nologies, 3L TripleLock and Click4U,

provide unique drop-lock flooring instal-

lation systems that eliminate the need

for an additional insert on the short side.

Both technologies are suitable for all

materials and formats, can be manufac-

tured on existing high speed production

and have multiple installation benefits.

Installation is up to 30% faster than basic

clicks and no special tools are required.

i4f.com

Glueless Locking Across Many

Floor Types

Mohawk’s Uniclic glueless locking

system clicks together floors for fast and

easy installation. The system maintains

constant tension between planks for tight

joints that trap water on the surface, pro-

tecting floors and subfloors. Installers can

also easily replace any damaged laminate

planks with the Unifix tool. The technol-

ogy is used in Karastan LuxeCraft, Pergo

Extreme, Quick-Step, RevWood Plus,

SolidTech and SolidTech Plus brands.

mohawkflooring.com ft

Left: Mohawk’s Uniclic glueless locking

system clicks together floors for fast and easy

installation. Shown here on Pergo Extreme.

Left Middle: WSF is a high-flow formula that

prevents slow drying, bond failure, crumbling

and staining.

Left Bottom: I4F promoted its drop-lock

flooring installations systems at this year’s The

International Surfaces Event.


You don’t need me to

tell you how bad the

installation crisis is.

Chances are you live it every

day. But maybe I can share

with you some of the things

I’ve been hearing that are

giving me a more hopeful

outlook.

I asked Floor Trends’ instal-

lation columnist and all-

around installation guru, Jon

Namba, for his view. Namba

doesn’t mince words.

He says current skills

among installers are not get-

ting better, in fact, they are

diminishing as we see greater

crossover among flooring

categories.

With all of the new prod-

ucts, formats and construc-

tion differences we’re seeing

in flooring lately, keeping

up with all of these changes

is only going to get more

difficult.

Here’s what Namba had

to say. “Installers are getting

into the floating floor instal-

lations because they feel it’s a

fairly easy category of floor-

ing, (but) they don’t under-

stand floor prep and mois-

ture issues. Understanding

waterproofing is something

that is critical to a wet area

and many installers are not

knowledgeable enough. On

the hardwood side, with the

introduction of factory fin-

ished floors, many installers

know only the basics of the

installation and once again

they don’t understand all the

site conditions involved with

wood flooring.” Similar issues

apply to ceramic tile.

Real Progress Is

Happening

So who’s actually doing

something (anything) on a

national level to address the

installation crisis?

The National Wood

Flooring Association

(NWFA) for one. Not only

does it continue to provide

ongoing installation train-

ing classes – at every level

from apprentice to master

craftsman, including courses

to maintain certification

once achieved – but it has

been working to attract

more people to the trade

through an online univer-

sity that to date has resulted

in the completion of more

than 60,000 courses. More

importantly, 78% of users

had never interacted with

the NWFA before!

While this is not meant as

a replacement for hands-on

training, it is a convenient,

cost-effective way to reach

and recruit the next genera-

tion of installers. At the rate

of 75 online courses a day,

the NWFA is making real-

world progress every day.

There’s more: Michael

Martin, president and

CEO of the association,

said, “This past March, we

received an official appren-

ticeship from the U.S.

Department of Labor for the

‘Wood Flooring Specialist’

designation. This is a major

accomplishment as it opens

the door for federal funding

for both the employer and

the apprentice, as well as

some state funding. We are

working with several mem-

ber companies to pilot the

initiative, and are preparing

a roadmap for other mem-

bers to follow to launch the

program in their own com-

panies as well.”

INSTALLATION�OUTLOOK�

Just Got Better

BY�SANDY�MONTEROSANDY�SAYS

Groups like the National Wood

Flooring Association are making

headway on a national level to

address the installation crisis.

Photo: NWFA


Certified Flooring

Installation Association

(CFI) continues its mission

of providing training and

certification to installers here

at home and abroad. Robert

Varden, vice president, said

the association continues

to push forward its training

agenda and is having good

success.

Improved Outlook

The outlook for the instal-

lation crisis has also recently

improved with the World

Floor Covering Association’s

(WFCA) big announce-

ment to commit additional

resources and has come up

with some creative solutions

toward solving the problem.

We know that the WFCA,

particularly through the work

of the CFI, has expanded its

installation training efforts

and continues to provide

classes throughout the coun-

try (and internationally) but

this new commitment goes

beyond that.

To recap, the WFCA has

pledged $1 million dollars

to the effort. It is bring-

ing various manufacturers

together into a cohesive

effort to support and extend

installation training, and

it has a business plan that

calls for hiring a dedicated

executive director to oversee

these efforts.

Perhaps most exciting of

all is a mobile classroom – a

retrofitted 18-wheeler that

can literally travel around

the country bringing instal-

lation training to local com-

munities.

As Scott Humphrey,

WFCA president and CEO,

told me, the challenge is that

with so few available install-

ers in a time of such high

demand, retailers and install-

ers themselves are extremely

reluctant to walk away from

paid work backlogs to attend

installation training classes

where they don’t get paid.

The mobile classroom will

hopefully make it easier for

working installers to upgrade

their skills and for new install-

ers to begin their training.

I love this idea and I fully

expect this will make a posi-

tive contribution and thanks

to these efforts and others

like it, we are making head-

way. But it is simply not

enough.

Even with the WFCA’s

participation, it will be

years before we see any real

change. In the meantime,

the challenge of finding

installers, and improving

their skill set remains a for-

midable one that will not be

resolved anytime in the near

future.

Who’s Making a

Difference Today?

The good news is that

most retailers, work rooms

and contractors, and distrib-

utors are doing what they

can on the local level and

with some success.

Namba shares this simple

advice that has helped him

navigate these tough times:

Pay more.

He said, “Our success with

our subs comes by way of

compensating them with

what they deserve.” This

approach, he says, not only

creates a better working rela-

tionship with his crews but

it also improves customer

satisfaction. It also leads to

more work. Everyone wins.

Beyond recruitment,

beyond fair compensation

that draws young people to

the trade, beyond available

training and apprenticeship

programs that give them a

clear path to success, there’s

something else Namba

thinks we need to do to

improve the problem with

installation.

It’s about pride and cre-

ativity. “The industry needs

to show the artistic side

of flooring,” said Namba.

“Share the passion for cre-

ating a piece of art on the

floor.”

Fundamentally, the

issue is how do we attract

young people to the field?

That’s something you can

do at home. Bring one of

your young installers to

career day at the local high

school, inform students

about available training,

job opportunities, appren-

ticeship programs and good

pay, maybe even a job

offer. You might just walk

away with your next instal-

lation star.

While, thankfully, floor-

ing’s major associations

have stepped in big time to

offer their help and leader-

ship, the only real solution

is for the entire industry at

all levels to get involved,

including us. ft

Santiago Montero has been

covering the flooring market since

1988. He has spoken to hundreds

of retailers, manufacturers and

distributors as they’ve generously

shared their struggles and their

challenges as well as their

successes and triumphs during this

time of unprecedented change in

the industry. He can be reached at

[email protected].

Jon Namba, editorial director,

Floor Covering Installer.


Asking for the order

after an effective

sales presenta-

tion would seem to be a

common-sense concept.

Yet many salespeople are

reluctant to do so. This may

seem obvious, but most

salespeople don’t ask because

they are afraid of rejection or

of being pushy. Perhaps we

are uncertain about what to

say or how to ask. Regardless

of our reasons, we don’t

ask because of fear, and fear

stops us all.

So, let’s think about what

there is to be afraid of. For

starters, asking for an order

invites rejection. In view of

this, it is important that we

teach ourselves not to look

at rejection as a personal

thing. After all, it is only

our goods and services that

are being rejected. Think of

“asking” as a straightforward

opportunity for the cus-

tomer to accept an offer of

purchase rather than a pushy

demand to buy.

Of course, the very worst

might happen; she might

say, “No!” Oh horrors, she

might even give us an objec-

tion and offend us by telling

us that something isn’t quite

right. If only we had not

asked, she would have kept

her objections hidden. Plus,

we all know that what we

don’t know won’t hurt us,

right?

Excuse the sarcasm, but

unless we ask for a decision,

we may not know what is

really bothering her. So,

instead of a concern and

likely a sale, what we often

hear is that infamous put

off, “Thanks for your time; I

might be back,” and off she

goes to muddle through her

unspoken misgivings. And,

the odds of her coming back

are unlikely.

One thing is for certain,

successful salespeople are not

afraid to ask for the order.

According to estimates, just

by asking for the order, we

can increase our closing ratio

by about 200 percent. Many

customers when asked later

why they didn’t buy say,

“We were never asked.” It is

important that we stop let-

ting valuable business walk

out of our store into some-

place else where profession-

ally trained salespeople know

how to ask for the business.

Still afraid to ask for the

order? Use trial closes to

gauge your success before

asking for the order. Trial

closes take the uneasiness

out of asking for the busi-

ness. Sometimes called tie-

downs, a trial close is not

an actual closing technique,

but a type of question that

clarifies the thinking of the

customer. Trial closes invite

feedback. They are opinion-

asking, not decisions-asking

questions.

Certain trial closes allow

us to evaluate the amount

of headway that is necessary

to achieve the sale while

allowing us to make correc-

tive actions throughout the

selling process. Useful trial

questions such as “How does

SALESMANSHIP��

Ask for the Order!

BY�BUDDY�WISDOMFLOORING�SALES�TIP


this fit your room?”, “How

does this look so far?”, “What

are your thoughts on this?”, “Is

this what you had in mind?”

-– are all practical questions

in understanding your cus-

tomer’s “way of thinking”

regarding a positive sales

path.

Other trial closes tell you

about the buying readiness

of the customer. Examples

include: “Based on what we

have discussed, do you have

any questions?”, “What are

the next steps you’d like to

take?”, “Assuming you want to

move ahead with this, when

will you need this installed?”

Another great trial question

near the end of your presen-

tation is, “Is there anything

I haven’t covered yet that is

important to you?” These

types of trial questions tell

you your customer’s buying

temperature or how near you

are to being successful when

you outright ask for the

business.

Another way to take the

dread out of asking for the

sale is to ask a customer

to make a minor decision

which eventually can carry

the major decision. For

example, most installed sales

require measuring. So, an

unassuming question could

be, “Would you like to set

up a measure? This way you

will know the exact footage

and materials for the cost of

the purchase.” By listening

to her response, you receive

revealing feedback as to her

readiness to buy and move

forward.

So, when is the best time

to ask for the order? Let me

tell you my definition of

when to ask for the order:

After all steps of the selling

process are complete, I ask

for a decision when I am

pretty sure a person will say,

“Yes.” The reason I believe

this is that my customer has

given me plenty of feedback

and positive signals partially

in the way of trial closes.

When you have covered

all important points and

your customer has no further

questions, just ask, “Great! If

everything is in order, would

you like to move forward with

this?” We commit no fouls

with these requests and most

customers prefer a straight-

forward wrap up as opposed

to tricky manipulative closes.

How often should

we ask?

While most great sales-

people ask for the order

more than just once, doing

so repeatedly only makes

sense in the context of what

is happening. Obviously,

we do not want to close

when the decision is miles

away. Until then, substitute

untimely “closes” with a

simple, straightforward,

“Tell me more about your

concerns.” However, if there

is a rule of thumb as to how

often to ask for the order it

would be: often enough to

be effective, but not so often

or early that you annoy the

prospect. It is not the closing

question per se that is the

issue, it is the timing and

intent to manipulate that

turns the prospect off. Our

intuitive judgement decides

the exact call.

Suppose despite our best

clues, the horrible does hap-

pen, and she does say “No.”

It happens. But, “no” is

not the end of the world.

Whenever the customer

rejects your closing ques-

tion, think to yourself “not

yet.” If your customer really

means “forever no,” why is

she not already marching

out of the store? What we

are really hearing is “I am

not convinced.”, “I am not

ready.” We simply need to

gather more information and

create solutions. We focus

on what’s missing. If not at

your store, why and how is

she going to find something

elsewhere that better fits her

needs?

Keep in mind customers

will rarely turn you down

without an explanation.

But, if that should happen,

wait a moment, appear to

accept “no” gracefully and

then simply state, “I’m sorry.

I thought you were ready to

go ahead with the purchase.

I didn’t mean to rush you.

Is there something I forgot

to cover?” Or, “May I ask

what’s holding you back?”

Remain quiet and listen for

the response while observ-

ing nonverbal clues. Probe

the resulting concern(s) and

handle them like any objec-

tion with added information.

The truth is that with rejec-

tion (or refusal) we stand to

learn something more about

the customer’s needs so that

we can offer fresh solutions.

Sometimes the customer

may reveal that it is time to

close. For example, when

customers show an indica-

tion of already owning

your product, they may be

sending a green light. If

she says: “What would this

cost with the better pad?” or

“When could you install this?”

Answer the question and

then seriously consider ask-

ing for the order.

One final fear conquer-

ing solution is to force

ourselves to replace a part of

our empathy with ego. We

need empathy to connect

and relate to the customer.

However, salespeople with

too much empathy may

become so afraid of upset-

ting the customer they

become hesitant to push

forward and ask for their

business. To truly help our

prospect, we must some-

times detach ourselves from

our empathies to make

sure we offer the customer

an opportunity to buy.

Customers often put off

making informed decisions

until someone gives them

that slight push.

The best condition in ask-

ing for an order is trust. With

trust our customers become

more open to our ideas,

suggestions, and solutions.

The atmosphere becomes

friendlier, more relaxed, and

the prospect is more inclined

to answer our questions and

to share information freely.

Relate to the customer, dis-

cover her needs, adapt to

her circumstances and the

sale usually develops into a

more than accurate parity of

the correct color, style, qual-

ity and price. Now, it is as

simple as asking for the sale!

For your sake, by all means,

please ask!

Good selling to you! ft

Buddy Wisdom has more than

35 years of wholesale and retail

sales experience. He is the author

of Selling Retail Floorcovering - A

Humanistic Approach (2015 Edition)

http://www.lulu.com/shop/buddy-

wisdom/selling-retail-floorcovering-

a-humanistic-appropach-a-

complete-10yr-write-over/

paperback/product-22165170.html

He can be reached at budhurd1@

gmail.com.


Think about Harley-

Davidson and their

amazing following.

Harley-Davidson’s brand-

ing is so tremendous, their

customers have tattoos

made with their logo and

#1 sign. Do your custom-

ers have your logo tattooed

on their right bicep? It’s

doubtful. While it may

be a little extreme to have

people tattoo your brand on

their bodies, there are ways

to build brand loyalty. I’ll

share a few that have worked

for Got You Floored.

Coffee Mugs and Beer

Glasses. Excellent gifts for

potential and existing cus-

tomers, high quality mugs

and glasses provide shelf life

and they keep your brand in

their hands. We take it a step

further and pack them with

Hershey’s kisses and wrapped

in cellophane. Leaving a

parting gift after the measure

has closed more sales than we

could imagine.

“WOW fridge”. When

clients visit our showroom,

the first thing they are asked

is what they would like to

drink or eat. We have a glass-

front miniature refrigerator

in our showroom packed full

of water, Coke, Diet Coke,

Doritos, Pringles chips,

Cheez-Its, Kit Kats, and

more. The snacks have our

signature red color, which

subliminally tells the cus-

tomer they have visited the

right store!

Comfortable

Clothing. Giving away

apparel is another great way

to build your brand. We

make running shirts for peo-

ple. Runners are dedicated.

Runners work hard. Runners

make money. Runners buy

lots of flooring. Runners tell

their friends! Therefore, we

give away Brooks running

gear with our logo pasted

on the back. For example,

we gave away Brooks long

sleeved running shirts 10

years ago and I still see the

shirts on people’s backs at

the YMCA, on the run-

ning trail and at the local

parks. It’s a walking, talking

billboard.

Conference Room. If you

have a facility you are proud

of, loan out your conference

room to customers to use for

meetings. We have property

management companies in

our conference room almost

every week. They get a tour

of our state-of-the-art facility

and we supply them with

coffee and soft drinks all

day. This has caught on so

well that local associations

use our conference room

for board meetings. Imagine

having all the top decision

makers in your target mar-

ket inside your building for

hours. Who do you suppose

their loyalty rests with?

Classy Pens. We invest

in the best possible pens

and put our logo on

them. People actually

call when they run out of

ink and ask for another

one. These are not the

cheap plastic pens people

have drawers full of. They

write well, and people guard

them with their life.

These are just a few out-

side the box ideas to build

your brand. Please email

me at mketterman@gotyou-

floored.com to share your

amazing ideas. After all, a

rising tide lifts all boats. ft

IS�YOUR�CUSTOMER�BASE��

Fanatical About Your Brand?

BY�MATT�KETTERMANA�RISING�TIDE

One way Got You Floored is building brand loyalty is by leaving customers

and potential customers with a parting gift.


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Ad index

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Company name pg. no. Company name pg. no.

Editor’s Note. The Advertiser’s Index is provided as a service

to our readers. No liability is created by nor accepted for any

inadvertent errors or omissions.

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A. 2020 BNi Home Builder’s Costbook - $110.95The 2020 BNi Home Builder’s Costbook is the first place you should turn, whether you’re preparing a preliminary estimate, evaluating a

subcontractor’s bid, or submitting a formal budget proposal. It puts at your fingertips accurate and up-to-date material and labor costs for thousands of cost items, based on the latest national averages and standard labor productivity rates.

B. Ceramic Art Tile for the Home - $29.95This book is a wonderful introduction to art tile, loaded with ideas and resources that will charm and inspire. Hundreds of breathtaking

photographs of installations in and out of the home show the work of today’s leading contemporary tile artists. Insightful text guides readers to an informed appreciation of this timeless art and its marvelous suitability for all areas of the home.

C. Environmental Impact of Materials: Floor Finishes - $60.95This report provides a review of how floor coverings have been assessed within The Green Guide to Specification, including the

application of the Environmental Profiles methodology which underlies it. The way in which floor coverings are addressed in building level environmental assessment schemes such as BREEAM and the Code for Sustainable Homes is also explained.

D. Fabulous Floor Patterns (With CD) - $34.95Explore hundreds of floor patterns, from checkerboard patterns and wild tile configurations to floral carpets and faux marble magic.

These timeless historic designs are applicable to any number of contemporary applications. As a bonus, a fascinating exploration of curves and spirals provides a valuable tool for integrating borders and patterns.The enclosed CD-Rom presents the images in various formats, making it easy for designers to experiment with, manipulate, and apply images.


STONE

See the full line of COREtec Stone styles and colors at COREtecFloors.com

COREtec Stone is the easiest way to be loyal to the sophisticated look of tile with a beautiful balance of

style and strength. These fl oors are slip, chip and crack-resistant with integrated grout lines to give customers

a stylish new option that makes it simple to create a truly lovable look that lasts.

• Designer curated collection of patterns and colors

• Innovative, extra-rigid mineral core

• Softer, warmer and quieter than traditional tile

Sahni

COREtec Stone

VV564-12224

It lives like you.

S T Y L I S H .

S T R O N G .

S I M P L I F I E D .

INTRODUCING LEVEL SET® 500 HF.

You need high performance products. That’s why we created Level Set 500 HF – TEC’s new

high-flow, seamless healing SLU. Achieve up to 66% savings in labor costs because you

don’t have to sand or skim coat. No product in the industry flows faster or yields a smoother

surface. Perfect for today’s thinner floor coverings. Level Set 500 HF. The Super Smooth SLU.

*Results may vary depending on adhesive and substrate.

Visit TECspecialty.com

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