Over the years, Van Buren earned universal respect for his capabilities, expertise and accomplishments in every part of the industry — from manufacturing, styling and retailing to distribution, sales and marketing. Superb in dealing with these varied facets of the business, he distinguished himself as a top-flight executive as well. He gave of himself to the companies with which he was associated, to the people with whom he worked and to the floor covering industry as a whole.
The list of Van Buren’s industry achievements is mind-boggling. For instance, his first position was in the engineering department of the Mastic Tile Co. (which through acquisitions became Ruberoid, and then GAF). By the time he left that company 23 years later, he had risen to vice president of manufacturing. Among other things, he was instrumental in the development of the company’s sheet vinyl and tile operations and the launch of thru-chip commercial tile.