Since 1997, Alliance Flooring has recognized and honored some of the most innovative and brightest retailers and suppliers in the flooring industry. “These awards symbolize the persistence and excellence achieved by our members and suppliers during the past year,” said Ron Dunn, the group’s co-CEO.
Retailers of the Year
This award is presented to members who exemplify leadership in rebate volume earnings, support of our merchandising launches, Convention & Summit Attendance, networking with fellow members, store branding and use of our website programs.
Duke Karns receiving the Carpetland USA Retailer of the Year Award.
Carpetland USA Retailer of the Year: Duke Karns, Carpetland USA, Lafayette, IN
Ryan Dunn, CarpetsPlus COLORTILE’s co-COO and VP sales, said, “Duke Karns started in the flooring industry in 1976 as a commercial sales rep. After managing a Carpetland store for 16 years, he took over as owner in 1995. In 2000, he became part of the Alliance Flooring family. His many years of experience served him well during the business shifts over the last few years helping him continue running his business profitably. He supports the Carpetland Buying Committee’s endeavors as well as the CarpetsPlus programs including the Destination Boutique and the ProPlus website. His sales in our program continue to grow and his attendance at our events is never in question.”
After receiving the award, Karns said, “Really, this goes to all the people working for me back in Lafayette. Thank you to all the Carpetland stores represented here and the entire family of Alliance Flooring.” He closed by saying, “Always say something good to somebody.”
CarpetsPlus COLORTILE Retailer of the Year: Stacey Pape, SP Floors & Design Center, McMurray, PA
Ryan Dunn said, “Stacey’s family business joined as a charter member in 1997 and were consistently one of our top 25 performing members. In 2010, she was hit with a situation that turned into an opportunity for her to go out on her own. Instead of throwing in the towel, she decided to tough it out. She fought for market share in her area and, after 5 years she’s outpacing her previous sales in the family business. She will also go down in history as being our first CarpetsPlus COLORTILE Destination location AND the host of our 2016 Summit.”
Stacey Pape and Veronica Sutyak receiving the CarpetsPlus COLORTILE Retailer of the Year Award.
Pape addressed the audience after receiving the honor, “Totally unexpected. Wow. It really is family that gets us here and this girl is family (pointing to her general manager Veronica Sutyak). Working out of our basement, I don’t know how many people know what it took to get here but I couldn’t have done it without her. I couldn’t have done it without these guys (Alliance Flooring execs), they’re amazing. You guys are all amazing. Receiving this award is awesome, thank you!”
Sutyak also spoke a few words, “It was all these people here and at all of CarpetsPlus that helped us go from that basement to a temporary facility, filled it up with displays, got us moving and everybody here has been an integral part of all of that. It has worked out pretty well and we think of everyone here as family. Thank you.”
Ron Dunn closed the Awards Banquet and the Convention with a few words of thanks, “In our industry, people sell people. Without each supplier, each member, each person, this would not have been the convention it was. So thank you for coming, thank you for the energy that you bring here. For the way you’re willing to network and share and create a culture that is truly something very special. We look forward to seeing you in Pittsburgh at our Summit. Let’s all have a fantastic year!”
OTHER AWARDS
Outstanding Performance Awards
These awards are presented to suppliers and members who, in 2015, exemplified leadership in areas such as support of our 2015 private label merchandising, convention attendance, support of group endeavors and continued growth of their business within our program.
(L-R) Joe Reddington, Ken Sherwood, Frances Parker, Scott Ervin
Outstanding Performance Supplier Award Winners
• Joe Reddington, Mohawk Industries
• Ken Sherwood, Beaulieu
• Frances Parker, Brown Industries
• Scott Ervin, Wells Fargo
Outstanding Performance Member Award Winners
• Carpetland USA: Eric Langan, Carpetland USA, Davenport, lA (accepted by Doug Bertrand)
• East Region: Josh & Steve Elder, Gainesville CarpetsPlus COLORTILE
• Central Region: Missy Bakken, DeGeus CarpetsPlus, Rochester, MN
• West Region: Tom Hebert and Lisa Branch, Tom’s Floor Store, Bozeman, MT
Highest Sales Increase Award Winners
These awards are presented to those members and a supplier whose continued efforts have increased their volume in both program sales and rebates over the last year.
Supplier Winner: Patrick Falk, IVC (second year in a row)
(L-R) Doug Bertrand, Steve & Josh Elder, Missy Bakken & Lisa Branch
Member Winners
• Carpetland USA: Gene Podell, Carpetland USA, Roanoke, VA
• East Region: Claire McCoy, Rugs, Rolls and More, Plaistow, NH
• Central Region: Rod & Angie Marchand, Tom’s Home Furnishings, Harvey, ND
• West Region: Mark Caruso, Caruso’s Floors, Spokane, WA
National Retail Salespeople of the Year
Sandra Stanifer, COLORTILE and Carpet, Redmond, OR.
Hard Surface Supplier of the Year: Welton Davison, Shaw Industries
Jon Logue said, “Our Supplier of the Year in the Hard Surface category is truly a dedicated professional. His efforts in supporting our programs in all areas contributed to a great 2015. His support of our Design Values program and aggressive promotions led to an increase of 19% in overall Hard Surface sales. He has worked to bring our group strong marketing ideas along with new, exciting product technology. This is especially true in the resilient category including EVP and LVT.”
Carpet Supplier of the Year: Ann McDermott, Shaw Industries
Kevin Logue said, “Ann McDermott, our Supplier of the Year Award for Carpet, is a strong, innovative supplier partner. The 2015 Destination Boutique was the biggest and most successful launch we have ever done. The Color Destination Color wall was, and will continue to be the anchor of that program. We couldn’t have done it without you, Ann.”
