Interface’s Gould Named CEO

ATLANTA—Jay Gould, president and COO of Interface has been named CEO of the company, succeeding Daniel Hendrix, who served as CEO for nearly 16 years.

Having worked alongside Hendrix for the past two years overseeing global operations, marketing and organizational development, Gould was a key driver of the company’s recent expansion beyond carpet tile into modular resilient flooring, with its debut luxury vinyl tile offering coming to market this year.

“I have every confidence in Jay’s ability to build upon the company’s success and lead Interface into a new stage,” said Hendrix. “Jay’s energy is contagious and motivational. His style of leadership, combined with his global brand experience and passion for Interface, makes him the perfect successor.”

Gould said, “Dan has established his legacy as a tremendous leader, focused on the powerful combination of business performance and purpose. I am honored and grateful for the opportunity to work with and steer this inspired and talented Interface team across the globe. Like Dan, I’m optimistic that we can be a successful, profitable and growing business while creating positive impacts in our communities and more broadly in the world, and I’m eager to lead Interface into its next era of growth and evolution.”

For more, call (800) 634-6032 or visit interface.com.

Karndean Named Hard Surface Supplier of the Year

EXPORT, PA.—The CarpetsPlus ColorTile membership named Karndean Designflooring Hard Surface Supplier of the Year at its Annual summit in Atlanta.

The award recognizes the supplier who has had the best overall performance in the past year.

“It is a tremendous honor for Karndean to receive this prestigious award from our CarpetsPlus partners,” said vice president of retail sales, Tim Hanno. “Karndean provides unparalleled visuals, and combined with our product’s designflooring capabilities and stellar performance, we have the best LVT in the market. It’s fantastic that our CarpetsPlus partners have recognized this.”

Karndean joined the CarpetsPlus ColorTile group in 2012. The group was established in 1996 and provides independent retailers with a menu of professional tools to grow a successful floor covering business, including product and sales training, national pricing and rebates and member and consumer websites.

For more, call (888) 266-4343 or visit karndean.com.

Mohawk’s Lorberbaum Awarded Leonardo International Prize

CALHOUN, GA.—Mohawk Industries’ chairman and CEO, Jeff Lorberbaum, is the recipient of the 2017 Leonardo International Prize.

Bestowed by Italy’s Leonardo Committee and presented by Sergio Mattarella, president of Italy, the Leonardo International Prize spotlights individuals who have distinguished themselves by facilitating cultural and business partnerships between their native countries and Italy.

“I am honored to receive this award on behalf of our entire team,” said Lorberbaum. “This special recognition reflects the outstanding work being done throughout our company by thousands of talented, dedicated people. Everyone at Mohawk is delighted to be a part of the Italian business community, and I am grateful to the Leonardo Committee and president Mattarella for promoting an environment where businesses can flourish.”

In 2013, Mohawk acquired the Marazzi Group, one of the leading international Italian-based ceramic manufacturers. During the past four years, the company has invested substantially in technology to create innovative products and expand production capacity at Marazzi’s three Italian facilities.

For more, call (800) 241-4494 or visit mohawkind.com.

New Commercial Flooring Company Makes its Debut at TISE

TRACY, CALIF.—Ground Control Surfaces, a new commercial flooring company, made its debut at The International Surfaces Event in Las Vegas, where it showcased its luxury vinyl and rubber collections.

Headquartered in Tracy, Calif., the company was founded by native Mark Walcoff and Michael Wendt. Walcoff, who will head up sales for the company, is also president of Tajima Flooring USA, and previously the vice president for Parterre Flooring. Wendt, who will oversee operations for ground control for the new company, is founder and president of Club Resource Group.

For more, call (209) 830-0235 or visit groundcontrolsurfaces.com.

Industry Women to Receive Women in Manufacturing STEP Ahead Award

WASHINGTON D.C.—Leaders at Armstrong Flooring and Shaw Industries will be awarded the STEP (Science, Technology, Engineering and Production) Ahead Awards, which honor women who have demonstrated excellence and leadership in manufacturing.

Winners include Swee Har Wilcox, plant manager of the Armstrong Flooring facility in Jackson, Tenn.; Shannan Billings, global sourcing director of raw materials, Shaw Industries; Amber Holland, director, IS administration systems, Shaw Industries; and Danielle Lancianese, process engineer, Shaw Industries.

The STEP Ahead Awards are part of a larger STEP Ahead initiative, launched to examine and promote the role of women in the manufacturing industry through recognition, research, and leadership for attracting, advancing, and retaining strong female talent.

“We chose to honor these women because they each made significant achievements in manufacturing through positive impact on their company and the industry as a whole,” said Jennifer McNelly, executive director, The Manufacturing Institute.

“Since assuming leadership of a 200-employee plant in 2015, Swee Har has been a strong customer advocate, surpassing service targets and engaging the entire workforce in quality through a system recognized as a model for our hardwood division,” said Michael Bell, vp, hardwood manufacturing at Armstrong Flooring.

“We are proud that the accomplishments of these women are not just recognized within our company, but also within the broader industry at-large,” said Vance Bell, chairman and CEO, Shaw Industries. “The diverse talents within our organization are well represented by this outstanding group of women.”

Winners will be recognized at reception on April 20, 2017, in Washington, D.C. For more, visit themanufacturinginstitute.org, shawinc.com and armstrongflooring.com.

MSI Opens Innovation Center

ATLANTA—M S International (MSI) has built a new Innovation Center in Atlanta for its national marketing and merchandising team.

Housing the company’s marketing, trend and design, web, digital and social media, merchandising and channel-focused teams, the center is designed to accommodate MSI’s continual growth.

MSI flooring, countertops, decorative mosaics and wall tiles, as well as hardscaping products are used extensively throughout the Center, both highlighting the brand’s versatility and allowing company associates to get hands-on with a breadth of MSI products.

At the hub of the new office is an open-concept workspace designed to stimulate creativity, innovation and collaboration. Workstations have low partitions and office suites are clad in glass to further facilitate communication.

For more, call (714) 685-7500 or visit msistone.com.

Shannon Specialty Floors Joins Fuse Network

MILWAUKEE—Shannon Specialty Floors has entered a 22-month agreement with Fuse Commercial Flooring Alliance.

The two companies commenced their partnership at the 2017 Fuse Annual Conference in Austin, where Shannon Specialty Floors was introduced as a new member.

“Our company looks forward to the opportunity to work with Fuse’s group of elite commercial flooring contractors across the country,” said Jeff Collum, Shannon’s president. “The experience, industry and product knowledge and established relationships that will come along with this partnership are unmatched.”

For more, call (800) 522-9166 or visit shannonspecialtyfloors.com.

J+J Flooring Celebrates Milestone

DALTON—J+J Flooring is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year.

Originally started as J&J Rugs in 1957, an independent, family-owned business by Rollins Jolly and Tom Jones, J+J is still holding true to its founding principles, while continuing to meet the needs of its customers, employees and the community it serves.

During J+J’s six decades, the company has built its reputation by focusing on three core areas: creating innovative, beautiful and high-quality flooring solutions; placing an emphasis on its people to deliver a premium customer experience and protecting the environment through responsible conservation and stewardship. The company currently goes to market through its Invision brand of broadloom and modular carpet and its Kinetex brand, an advanced textile composite flooring.

“We have a saying here, ‘We are in the people business and we just happen to make carpet.’ This could not be more true,” said president of the company, David Jolly. “Our 60 years of success would not be possible without our dedicated and talented associates and the unwavering support from our customers. As we look forward to our next era of growth, we will continue to focus on what’s made us successful: Putting people first, providing quality flooring solutions, delivering outstanding customer service and being responsible stewards of the environment.”

J+J has maintained its focus on innovation and environmental conservation. In 2013, the company introduced Kinetex textile composite flooring, a breakthrough flooring innovation that bridges the gap between carpet and hard surface. Since its inception, Kinetex has received numerous industry recognitions as an innovative flooring option for its human-centered qualities and its environmental benefits. It continues to surpass ambitious sales objectives.

A significant milestone in the company’s sustainability efforts came in 2015 when, after 25 years of effort, it became the first and only U.S. floor covering company to be independently certified as a zero waste to landfill manufacturer. During the 2015-16 audit time period, J+J diverted more than 5.2 million pounds of waste from local area landfills.

For more, call (800) 241-4586 or visit jjflooringgroup.com.

Starnet 2017 Floor Care Convention Sees Record Attendance

DALLAS—A record 95 floor care professionals attended Starnet Floor Care’s 5th annual convention in Dallas.

“Starnet Floor Care continues to grow in all aspects of its business,” said Eric Boender, director of the network. “We now have more than 300 full time technicians maintaining more than 200 million square feet of carpet and 50 million square feet of hard surfaces annually throughout the United States and Canada.”

According to Boender, the network continues to expand its service offerings including maintenance of tile, rubber, marble, terrazzo, concrete and the application of high performance floor coatings.

“While carpet care remains a significant focus for our network, several years ago we increased training and education across floor covering categories to provide customers a single source solution for all their flooring maintenance needs,” he said.

Convention attendees learned about driving operational improvements and expanding services, and saw some of the newest innovations in cleaning chemistry and equipment.

“Starnet Floor Care continues to be a valued service for customers, manufacturers and the Starnet membership,” said Fred Williamson, executive vice president of the network. “Customers win by improving the safety and wellbeing of their associates along with protecting their floor covering investment. Manufacturers win by reducing customer call backs and claims. Starnet members win by having an industry leading resource to support their floor care operations.”

For more, call (888) 239-8675 or visit starnetfloorcare.com.