Frederick Schmidt has been named the Chicago Floor Covering Association (CFA) Person of the Year.
He joined the Retail Management Training program at Lazarus Department Store in Columbus, Ohio, and progressed through several positions in merchandising and store management which then took him to Macy's in Kansas City, Mo., as vice president, merchandise manager and then on to Jordan Marsh, where he served as vice president and managed their flagship store in downtown Boston. After 30 years of department store retail experience, he accepted a position as vice president, retail division for Ethan Allen Furniture in Danbury, Conn.
He moved to Chicago in 1999, accepting the position as president and CEO of Century Tile. At Century, Schmidt established an extensive leadership career in senior retail management, store operations, marketing and merchandising. When he was asked to serve on the CFA board in that same year, he saw it as an opportunity to maximize potential in the floorcovering industry and an opportunity to align Century Tile as an involved participant in the association. Since then, he has been very active on the CFA board; he served on and chaired the nominating, by-law, caring for all, membership and finance committees. Schmidt was elected president in 2005. Even after retiring from Century Tile in 2012, he has continued to remain active in the CFA, during the past year he has chaired the Coverings committee, served on the executive director search committee, budget committee and scholarship committee. Also, he has represented the CFA as a member of the Illinois Carpet Recovery Stake Holder Group (ICRSG).
Schmidt also served on the board of the World Floor Covering Association (WFCA) from 2003 to 2010 in various roles including vice president. Additionally, he is active in his community serving on various business committees in St. Charles, Ill., and for the past four years on the economic development committee for Campton Hills, Ill.
In 2013, Schmidt and two partners founded EMP3, which provides consulting services to the floor covering industry. He serves as managing partner.
Schmidt will be honored at the CFA Presidential Awards Dinner on Dec. 9. For more information, visit chicagofloorcoveringassociation.
