FCIF Continues to Help Flooring Friends in Need
DALTON, GA.—For Dawn Pieschek of Macco’s Floor Coverings in Green Bay, Wis., there are not enough words to describe just how grateful she is for the support of The Floor Covering Industry Foundation (FCIF).
FCIF’s mission to financially assist those who are or have been affiliated with the floor covering industry who experience catastrophic illnesses, severe disabilities, or other life-altering hardships, has helped Pieschek take the first steps to getting her life back on track after undergoing chemotherapy to treat ovarian cancer.
“I am so grateful,” said Pieschek “You have no idea. [The grant] has let me sleep again at night. I can pay my bills again on time.”
Pieschek, who has enjoyed working in the flooring industry for 20 years, learned about FCIF and its benefits from the owners of Macco’s, Jeff Macco and Jim Walters.
After completing her final chemotherapy treatment, Pieschek says coming home to her first check from FCIF felt like a dream come true. “This grant is the most amazing gift I could have received,” she said. “I’m so overwhelmed with gratitude. I still feel like I’m dreaming.”
With cancer and treatments behind her, Pieschek can get to doing the things she loves, like selling flooring, spending time with her loving family, traveling and doing craft projects.
For more information about FCIF, visit fcif.org.
Coverings 2018 Returns to Atlanta with Extensive Education Lineup
ATLANTA—Returning to Atlanta for the first time since 2013, Coverings, the largest international tile and stone show in North America, will feature nearly 1,100 exhibitors from more than 40 countries and attract thousands of architects, designers, builders, remodelers, fabricators, installers, retailers and distributors.
In addition to showcasing the latest products and trends in tile, this year’s show will offer more than 70 free education sessions. The educational program has been designed to further attendee knowledge by offering marketing tactics and social media best practices, installation product demos and the review of installation product standards presented in 30-minute Quickfire presentations.
New to this year’s show is the Installation Experience which will invite Coverings attendees to experience firsthand numerous types of tile installations implemented by qualified labor. These interactive sessions will showcase best practices relative to a multitude of distinctive tile installations. Installations will take place in a fully functioning kitchen; and a bathroom with heated tile floor, vintage fireplace upgrade and grand installation of a contemporary shower system. These projects will involve glass tile, porcelain, gauged porcelain panels, natural stone and other tile products and technology installation systems.
Attendees can also look forward to the return of Coverings Connect and the Contractor & Dealer Lounge, two locations on the show floor that allow attendees to relax, recharge, network and engage in condensed education sessions that are critical to their business.
For more information, visit coverings.com.
Mohawk Home Launches New Ecommerce Site
DALTON—Mohawk has launched a new ecommerce site, Mohawkhome.com, on April 9 intended to inspire consumers and drive purchases to online and brick-and-mortar retailers.
“We wanted to engage consumers in a fun and inspirational way,” said Jennifer Palmer, vice president of ecommerce, Mohawk.
The recently redesigned site invites consumers to shop for Mohawk area rugs, bath rugs, door mats and floor pads, driving consumers to a point of purchase through a “buy now” button that connects shoppers to online sites such as Home Depot, Target, and Wayfair, in addition to brick-and-mortar retailers.
Mohawk has provided an ecommerce platform since 2012.Consumer traffic is generated several ways: the Mohawk Flooring website; blog articles that provide design ideas, rug buying guides, and floor care advice; and Pinterest, which inspires consumers through product images and room scenes, which Mohawk is continually creating.
Once on the site, consumers can search by both lifestyle preferences, such as kid-friendly, pet-friendly or high-traffic flooring, and four key design trends—bohemian, farmhouse, mid-century modern, and Scandinavian, providing photos and videos to provide inspiration.
“We dive in, help the consumer create a room around these key trends,” Palmer said.
For more information, visit mohawkhome.com.
American Olean Takes Turn-Key Approach to Business for Distributors
DALLAS—American Olean will help its distributors expand into new territories through the use of turn-key stores. Defined as a complete product or service ready for immediate use, these turn-key facilities are part of a value-added service where American Olean will execute all of the up-front financing and legwork to site survey, manage construction and build-out the interior of a new store that will feature American Olean as its anchor brand. From there, the company will hand the keys over to its distributor once the doors are ready to open for business. According to the company, this eventual cost to the distributor through an easy payment plan is much more doable than shouldering the burden of up-front construction costs and the risk of a new business venture alone.
“Our ongoing mission is to equip our distributors for success with the American Olean brand,” said Hector Narvaez, vice president of distributor sales for American Olean. “Our turn-key value-added service is a powerful tool to help distributors increase their revenue—and the best part about it is, American Olean does all of the heavy lifting for them.”
The American Olean turn-key showroom is designed to offer a complete American Olean shopping experience. Displays in each store showcase the entire American Olean product line. In addition, the overall layout of each store incorporates today’s most studied principles on how consumers shop and what overall shopping experience most effectively guides consumers through the consideration and selection process.
“American Olean is serving as the ultimate strategic ally, offering distributors an easy way to substantially increase their revenue stream by expanding into new markets via [American Olean’s] turn-key showroom opportunities,” said Jamie Tyler of Travis Tile, the latest American Olean distributor to take advantage of this opportunity.
For more information, visit americanolean.com.
