EXCELLENCE RECOGNIZED:  MOHAWK NAMES FLOORSCAPES AND

COLORCENTER NATIONAL DEALERS OF THE YEAR

Avalon Carpet Tile and Flooring; Richie Ballance Flooring Honored

SAN ANTONIO (January 21, 2010)—Two elite retailers have been singled out as Mohawk Floorscapes and Mohawk ColorCenter National Dealers of the Year for 2009.

Avalon Carpet Tile & Flooring, Cherry Hill, NJ, has been named the Mohawk Floorscapes Dealer of the Year; and Richie Ballance Flooring, Wilson, NC, was named Mohawk ColorCenter Dealer of the Year. The awards were presented at Mohawk’s recent aligned dealer convention in San Antonio.

The National Dealer of the Year Awards recognize exceptional work within the Mohawk aligned dealer network, which is comprised of many of the best retailing minds in the nation.  The awards are based on a number of criteria, including a percentage increase over previous year’s business, excellence in promoting the store concept, ongoing commitment to training, store standards, brand building, merchandising and installation ideas and community involvement.

Floorscapes:  Avalon Carpet Tile & Flooring

Maryanne Adams, president of Avalon, accepted the award for her company, which has 13 stores in the New Jersey, Delaware, and Philadelphia area. It was the second time Avalon has won the award, the only dealer ever to have accomplished this. 

 “We were in very good company with the other regional nominees,” she said.  “It’s quite an honor to win.”

Avalon first won the Floorscapes Dealer of the Year Award in 2005.  Ranked 7^th among the nation’s top 75 flooring retailers, the company experienced tragedy a year and a half ago, when John Millar, its president, died suddenly.

However, the more than 280 employees of the company pulled together, and the organization has become even stronger.  Adams, a 22-year veteran of Avalon, noted that every Avalon employee contributed to their success.

“We are recognized in the flooring industry, and we knew we were being watched,” she said.  “We wanted to keep moving the company forward with John’s vision.”

“Avalon Carpet Tile & Flooring continues to grow because of the empowerment of its people,” said Manny Llerena, Vice President of Retail Marketing for Mohawk.

“The fact that Avalon has experienced success even in this difficult economic climate is no surprise. The company pays attention to all key business practices, especially customer service. Each and every customer receives ‘red carpet treatment,’ creating a positive, unique experience that distinguishes them from the competition.

“Avalon is constantly providing training to its employees utilizing the Mohawk University initiatives and have maximized the Mohawk Floorscapes differentiation in the CustomWeave assortment with HGTV’s Taniya Nayak,” Llerena continued.  “Avalon has set very high standards for itself, and it excels because its employees come to work anxious to exceed them.  We’re proud to award the company a second Floorscapes National Dealer of the Year Award.”

ColorCenter:  Richie Ballance Flooring

Richie Ballance was surprised to receive the honor. 

“Over the years, you sit there and think, ‘it would be neat to be up on stage, but you don’t expect it to happen to you,” he said.

Llerena noted that Richie Ballance Flooring had many reasons to be recognized for remarkable accomplishments.

“Richie, his wife and business partner, Phyllis, and their son Justin have taken advantage of the Mohawk ColorCenter Elite program precisely in the way we intended for retailers to use it,” Llerena said.  “It has been a tool for them to make their store stand out and to boost their sales and profitability, and we are proud to partner with them to help build their business. 

“It is by no means a one-way relationship.  Richie, Phyllis and Justin have built their reputation on unprecedented customer service, and they represent Mohawk and its products in the best possible light.  We are delighted to recognize them as our ColorCenter National Dealer of the Year.”

A 32-year veteran of the flooring industry, Ballance became a Mohawk ColorCenter dealer in 1992.  In 2007, the Ballances decided to step up to the Mohawk ColorCenter Elite program.  “We wanted a way to differentiate ourselves from our competition,” Ballance said.  “We looked carefully at the ColorCenter Elite program.  The display system impressed us, and we believe customers come in and think ‘these people are really in the flooring business—they don’t just have a bunch of samples scattered about.’”

The Ballances began seeing the difference the ColorCenter Elite system made on their bottom line, too.  “The rebates were substantial, along with a system that brought us more sales.  Our Mohawk hard surface sales are up 74% with the ColorCenter Elite system,” Richie Ballance noted.

Founded in 1974, the Mohawk ColorCenter^® program is the flooring industry’s oldest co-branding program and provides consumers with an easy-to-understand presentation of carpet, hardwood, laminate, ceramic, resilient, cushion, rugs, and other flooring products. 

Mohawk Floorscapes
Regional Dealer of the Year Nominees

1. 1.  Paul Clayton, Builders Floor Covering, Suwanee GA        
2. 2.  Bob Tiffany, Manasota Flooring Inc., Sarasota FL
3. 3.  Steve Chirico, Great Western Flooring Company, Oswego IL
4. 4.  Mike Hughes and Tommy Hughes, Kelly's Carpet Omaha, Omaha NE
5. 5.  Carlos Ledesma, America's Finest Carpet, San Diego CA
6. 6.  Joseph Montemagni, Baystate Rug, Chicopee MA
7. 7.  Jack Fitzpatrick and Jack Fitzpatrick, Jr., Jack's Carpet Inc., Houston TX
8. 8.  Hans Stark and Alicia Stark, Michigan Tile & Carpet, Battle Creek MI
9. 9.  Maryanne Adams, Avalon Carpet Tile and Flooring, Cherry Hill NJ
10. 10.  Bob Bell, Carpet Mill, Moscow ID
11. 11.  Peter Indelicato and David Nicodemo, Colautti Brothers Floors, Windsor Ontario
12. 12.  Fred Gaines, Bell's Carpets and Floors, Inc., Raleigh NC
13. 13.  Sam Allman, Sr. and Curt Allman, Allman's Carpet, Bountiful UT
14. 14.  Larry Flick, The Floor Store, Richmond CA

Mohawk ColorCenter
Regional Dealer of the Year Nominees 

1. 1.  Elisabeth and John Stubbs, Enhance Floors & More, Marietta GA
2. 2.  Randy Stinson, Stinson Carpet Inc., Lakeland FL
3. 3.  Neil and Penelope Fuhr, Carpets Plus Outlet, Kenosha WI
4. 4.  Jim and Gloria Hanson/Chad Hanson and Natasha Jensen, Hanson Furniture & Carpet Inc., Milbank  SD
5. 5.  Vic Balian, Carpet Emporium, Moreno Valley CA
6. 6.  Todd and Renne Wenner, Lima Carpet, Avon NY
7. 7.  Doc Wright, Wright Floor Covering, Houma LA
8. 8.  Jack and Mary Curry, Creative Carpets and Supply, Greenville OH
9. 9.  James Mallary and Paul Allen, Mallary Carpet and Flooring, Glen Burnie MD
10. 10.  Chad and Chet Whitney, The Floor Show, Ponderay ID
11. 11.  Ray Whaling and Deryl Dueck, World Class Carpets, London Ontario
12. 12.  Richie Ballance, Richie Ballance Flooring, Wilson     NC
13. 13.  Jack Woodward, Royal Floors, Farmington NM
14. 14.  Jaime Martinez, Jaime's Flooring Center, Fresno CA

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Mohawk is a leading supplier of flooring for both residential and commercial applications. Mohawk offers a complete selection of broadloom carpet, ceramic tile, laminate, wood, stone, vinyl, rugs and other home products. These products are marketed under the premier brands in the industry, which include Mohawk, Karastan, Ralph Lauren, Lees, Bigelow, Dal-Tile, American Olean and Quick-Step. Mohawk's unique merchandising and marketing assist our customers in creating the consumers' dream. Mohawk provides a premium level of service with its own trucking fleet and over 250 local distribution locations.

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