Solon, Ohio --After 18 years of service to the company and nearly 50 years in the flooring industry, Mike Klingele will retire from his role as president of Diamond W., effective December 31, 2019. Diamond W. is a flooring distributor located in City of Industry, Calif., and distributes Tarkett residential and commercial resilient products.

Klingele began his career in the flooring industry immediately out of college, joining Congoleum, a major resilient manufacturer, as a factory sales representative. Two years later, he joined LD Brinkman, a leading flooring distributor, where he remained for the next 28 years in a variety of positions that took him to Chicago, Dallas and, eventually, California.

In 2001 he joined Diamond W. as president, a role he has held for the past 18 years. In that time, Klingele has been instrumental to the growth of the business. He played a key role in the restructuring of Tarkett’s distribution network during the company’s acquisition of Diamond W. beginning in 2006. Since then, Klingele has continued to grow Tarkett’s distribution network and has served as an important member of the company’s sales leadership team.

Klingele also served as a board member of the World Floor Covering Association (WFCA) and the North American Association of Floor Covering Distributors (NAFCD), having served as NAFCD president in 2000.

Born and raised in Pennsylvania, Klingele now resides in California with his wife of 35 years. His retirement plans include traveling with his wife, enjoying his pastimes which include boating and camping and spending time with his three children and four grandchildren.

While retiring from his president role, Klingele will continue to support the business, serving in a part-time consulting role beginning the first of the year. In the interim, Klingele will play an integral role in supporting the new president of Diamond W, Paul Walker, during the transition period. Walker will succeed Klingele as president, effective as of Oct. 7, 2019.

Walker joins Tarkett from MeisterWerke, a German manufacturer of mid to high-end flooring in multiple product categories. Most recently, he served as general manager of the company’s North America business and was responsible for the development of market and product strategy, targeting wholesale distribution and the commercial/project segment with a multicategory product portfolio.

Prior to MeisterWerke, Walker served in a senior leadership role at HomerWood Premium Hardwood, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Armstrong World Industries, and Junckers Industries, one of Europe’s largest manufacturers of solid hardwood flooring for the residential, commercial, and sports markets.

For more information, visit www.diamondw.com.