search
cart
facebook twitter linkedin youtube
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
  • NEWS
    • Breaking Flooring News
    • eNewsletters
  • PRODUCTS
    • Carpet & Area Rugs
    • Hardwood
    • Installation Products
    • Installation Tools & Equipment
    • Laminate
    • Resilient
    • Specialty
    • Tile & Stone
  • A&D
  • INSTALLATION
  • MARKETS
    • Commercial
    • Residential
  • AWARDS
    • Installation Awards
    • Top Flooring Products
  • EDUCATION
    • Continuing Education
    • Webinars
  • BUYER'S GUIDE
  • MEDIA
    • FLOOR Podcast
    • Videos
    • TISE 2025 Videos
    • eBooks
  • EMAGAZINE
    • eMagazine
    • Archive Issues
    • Contact
    • Advertise
  • SIGN UP

Editorial Comment: Carpet One's Yankee Know-How

By Al Stewart
April 9, 2007

Diehard Red Sox fan that he is, Carpet One’s Howard Brodsky may cringe when he reads this, but his retail operation often reminds me of the N.Y. Yankees. While Carpet One most certainly does not share the Yankees’ penchant for swaggering and arrogance, the similarity is this: if the Yankees do anything less than win the World Series, their season is deemed a failure. Meetings are called. Changes are made. For Carpet One the goal is very similar. Time and again its members are reminded that the retail co-op’s ongoing mission is nothing less than complete and total domination of the flooring business. But like just about everyone else in the flooring game these days, Carpet One seems to have hit a rough spot on the schedule.

“Crappy,” is the word Carpet One president Evan Hackel used to describe current business conditions. His blunt assessment came last month during the co-op’s winter meeting in Grapevine, Texas. These meetings tend to be pretty upbeat affairs, but this time Hackel was sounding the alarm. His message: complacency and failure to recognize the changing nature of flooring could be a death knell for even the most successful operation. To drive home the point, huge video screens flanking the stage showed a mock graveyard. As the Ray Charles tune “Hit the Road Jack” played, close-ups revealed that each headstone bore the name of a once popular, but now defunct, brand. TWA, Montgomery Ward, NYNEX and a host of others that flashed by ominously.

“If we don’t change,” Hackel said as the huge room fell silent, “unfortunately some of our businesses won’t be around anymore.” In reality, many of the “changes” he spoke of have been in the works for a couple of years. Only now, faced with a slowdown in the business, there is greater urgency. For one thing, they lengthened the name to include “Floor and Home.” after “Carpet One.” Again and again members were told the name “Carpet One” must become synonymous with flooring. 

With nearly $3.9 billion in annual sales, Carpet One is easily the No. 1 retail-group in flooring. Still, at the three-day meeting there was a clear understanding that the traditional specialty retailing model is fast becoming a dinosaur. A strong web presence and a marketing pitch that establishes a real point of difference are major priorities for Carpet One. The thinking is that as business has softened from a year or two ago, there is still demand for quality flooring. As such, a big priority is to lure customers away from the competition.

The Carpet One strategy has a few key elements: two big ones are better products (including a number of exclusive items) and superior customer service (including one of the best installation training programs in the business). The point about service was stressed by co-CEO Howard Brodsky as he addressed a small gathering at an awards presentation. With his folksy charm and easy smile, Brodsky recounted his days as a retailer before he launched Carpet One with Alan Greenberg in 1985. “If an installer showed up late, I sent flowers. If someone came into the store just to browse, we had cookies for them.” He recounted an airline captain who personally ordered pizzas for passengers stranded by a storm. “Make your customer service ‘story worthy,’” said Brodsky.  “Each one of those passengers probably told that pizza story to 25 people.”

Of course, another big key is Carpet One’s competitive instincts. Members were told to put the competition in their crosshairs. They were reminded that big box stores, other specialty retailers and the web are all reaching for market share that should belong to Carpet One members. Be aggressive, they were told. The call to arms was made clear when Hackel paraphrased a line from “Boom, like that,” a Mark Knopfler song written from the perspective of McDonald’s founder Ray Kroc. “How does that line go?” he wondered out loud. “If the competition is drowning put a hose in their mouth.”

Like many in the industry, Carpet One members may have seen their sales soften recently. Still, given their resources, their leadership and their aggressive game plan, Carpet One is poised to increase its considerable clout this year and well into the future. Maybe the Yankees, who have not won the World Series since Bill Clinton was president, should take note.   

Share This Story

Looking for a reprint of this article?
From high-res PDFs to custom plaques, order your copy today!

Al Stewart is the editor of National Floor Trends.

Recommended Content

JOIN TODAY
To unlock your recommendations.

Already have an account? Sign In

  • resilient flooring

    The 7 Types of Resilient Flooring

    The resilient flooring category is comprised of many...
    Resilient Flooring
    By: Resilient Floorcovering Institute
  • QuickDrain USA’s ShowerLine linear drain

    Tips for Curbless Shower Installation Using a Linear Drain

    Consider these four tips when planning for a curbless...
    Flooring Installation Products
    By: Darryl Jones
  • 2024 New Flooring Product Guide

    2024 New Flooring Products Guide

    We explore this year's introductions in area rugs,...
    Commercial Flooring
    By: FLOOR Trends & Installation Editors
You must login or register in order to post a comment.

Report Abusive Comment

Manage My Account
  • eMagazine
  • eNewsletter
  • Online Registration
  • Manage My Preferences
  • Subscription Customer Service

More Videos

Sponsored Content

Sponsored Content is a special paid section where industry companies provide high quality, objective, non-commercial content around topics of interest to the FLOOR Trends & Installation audience. All Sponsored Content is supplied by the advertising company and any opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and not necessarily reflect the views of FLOOR Trends & Installation or its parent company, BNP Media. Interested in participating in our Sponsored Content section? Contact your local rep!

close
  • Woodura Herringbone 2.0
    Sponsored byBjelin

    The Herringbone Floor of the Future

Popular Stories

Fishman Knoxville Tennessee location interior

From Tariff Talk to Trade Labor: Fishman's West Region Manager on Flooring Industry Challenges

salesperson meeting with clients

How to Dominate Flooring Sales: The Art of Listening Before Selling

Mimi Mulugeta and Michael Barrows

Military Vet Trades Retirement for New Flooring Venture in Alpharetta


Download the Free Moisture Meters Guide

Events

December 1, 2030

Webinar Sponsorship Information

For webinar sponsorship information, visit www.bnpevents.com/webinars or email webinars@bnpmedia.com.

View All Submit An Event

Poll

Growth Challenges in the Flooring Industry

What’s holding you back from growth in 2025?
View Results Poll Archive

Products

2025 BNI Interiors Square Foot Costbook

2025 BNI Interiors Square Foot Costbook

See More Products

FLOORtalk podcasts - Listen Now

Related Articles

  • Editorial Comment: In 2007, change how you are, not who you are

    See More
  • Editorial Comment: Two October fires shed light on the meaning of leadership

    See More
  • Editorial Comment: Getting the word out about flooring

    See More
×

We’re rolling out the red carpet of flooring knowledge!

Stay in the know on the latest flooring retail trends.

JOIN TODAY!
  • RESOURCES
    • Advertise
    • Contact Us
    • Directories
    • Store
    • Want More
  • SIGN UP TODAY
    • Create Account
    • eMagazine
    • eNewsletters
    • Customer Service
    • Manage Preferences
  • SERVICES
    • Marketing Services
    • Reprints
    • Market Research
    • List Rental
    • Survey/Respondent Access
  • STAY CONNECTED
    • LinkedIn
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • YouTube
    • X (Twitter)
  • PRIVACY
    • PRIVACY POLICY
    • TERMS & CONDITIONS
    • DO NOT SELL MY PERSONAL INFORMATION
    • PRIVACY REQUEST
    • ACCESSIBILITY

Copyright ©2025. All Rights Reserved BNP Media.

Design, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing