John Gilbert was living an idyllic retirement as a gentleman farmer in Vermont when he received the call: would he be interested in running the Carpet One cooperative? “I’m not from a flooring background, so I was reluctant to engage,” he said. However, half a year into the initiative, he’s says he’s happy he took the leap. We spoke with Gilbert at the Carpet One Summer Convention where the former president of Romano’s Macaroni Grill and former CEO of Famous Dave’s shared a bit about what he’s learned and what’s in store for the independent flooring retailer.