Dalton, Ga. -- J+J Flooring has announced that Blaine Eakins has been promoted to vice president of sales for the J+J Flooring division of Engineered Floors. He is replacing Bill Blackstock, who has been named Engineered Floors’ vice president of commercial business, segment and sales development.

Eakins is a 32-year industry veteran and has been with J+J for 23 years. In his new role, he will be responsible for setting the division’s sales strategy, driving topline sales for the organization and managing J+J’s North American sales force. He will also provide input to the division’s product design and marketing efforts to further differentiate J+J’s brand proposition in the marketplace. Eakins will report to James Lesslie, president of Engineered Floors’ commercial division.

“As the most senior regional vice president within the J+J sales organization, Blaine served as an invaluable mentor to his peers, and as an insightful strategic thinker for the management team,” said Lesslie. “He has an in-depth understanding of the challenges facing our customers–whether they are design professionals, end-users or commercial flooring contractors–and how J+J proactively helps them with cost-effective solutions.”

Eakins most recently served as J+J’s regional vice president for the Central Region of the U.S. Serving in that role since 2002, Eakins developed and managed a high-performance sales team in a region that included some of the country’s most competitive markets. Under his leadership, Eakins’ region led the company in annual sales for 10 consecutive years. Eakins holds a bachelor’s degree in history from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

For more information, visit www.jjflooring.com.