Bob Weseman, a long-time veteran of the floor covering industry who is credited with building Mohawk's profile in hard surface categories, died June 17 after a long battle with cancer.

A native of Chicago, Weseman went into flooring after working in his family's restaurant business. Before joining Mohawk, he served as vp for the distributor Misco Shawnee. Weseman is credited for his role introducing Pergo laminate in the U.S., and working to build the product. He was at Mohawk for five years and was vp of Hard Surface Products.

"Occasionally, you get to see someone who has a real passion for this business. Bob was one of those people," recalled Mark Haaland of Dal-Tile, who worked with Weseman at Misco Shawnee and was his neighbor as well. "He was consistently at the top of his game."

"One of reasons he was such a success was that he did what he enjoyed, and people enjoyed having him around," said Jim Gould, Marketing Vice President at CCA Global, who was Weseman's boss at Misco Shawnee. "I took pleasure in watching Bob blossom at Mohawk. It was an opportunity for him to show his full range of abilities. Later, I was able to work with Bob as his customer."

Weseman is survived by his wife, Debra, two daughters, and a son.

In lieu of flowers, the family has requested that donations be made to the American Cancer Society, 100 W. Palatine Road, Palatine, IL 60067.