National Harbor, Md.—Mohawk Industries honored its top Floorscapes and ColorCenter stores by selecting two retailers as National Dealers of the Year at 
the close of convention here. Joe Montemagni of Baystate Rug and Flooring, Chicopee, Mass., was named 2010 Mohawk Floorscapes National Dealer of the Year; and Todd and Renne Wenner of Lima Carpet Corp and Design Center, Avon, N.Y., were tapped as the 2010 Mohawk ColorCenter National Dealer of The Year. The awards were presented by Mohawk Vice President of Retail Marketing, Manny Llerena.
“This is an honor reserved for the best of the best, and we are delighted to welcome Joe, Todd and Renne into the distinguished circle of retailers who have earned the National Dealer of the Year Award,” Llerena said.
Baystate Rug and Flooring is recognized as one of the most innovative retailers in the nation, and Llerena said the store “topped the charts on practically every selection criteria for National Dealer of the Year.” He said Montemagni embodies all five characteristics of the entrepreneur discussed at convention: leadership, passion, adaptability, ambition, and courage, adding he takes full advantages of the tools provided by Mohawk as part of the Floorscapes program.
“This is a remarkable realization of goals we set a while ago,” said Montemagni. “After attending our first Floorscapes convention and seeing the dealers nominated for this award, we couldn’t even imagine what it would take to be considered. But as you start to take away more and more from the Floorscapes program, you start to think, ‘why not us?’ We have pushed ourselves to become better and better.”
Lima Carpet Corp and Design Center joined the Mohawk ColorCenter program in 1996. Llerena noted that last year, in spite of tough economic conditions, the company’s net sales and margins grew double digits. “Todd and Renne’s attention to merchandising is impeccable, and they provide high quality training for their people. Everyone on the staff takes part in the T.O.P.S. (Techniques of Professional Selling) program provided by Mohawk University, and every customer who comes into the store is welcomed by the entire Lima Carpet team as if they were part of the family.”
“I’m living a dream,” said Todd Wenner. “You put your heart and soul into the business, but you never expect anything like this. There is no way we could 
have done it without the help of family and all the staff at the store. It’s not just us winning the award—it’s the whole company.”
“It truly is an honor to be a Mohawk ColorCenter dealer,” said Renne Wenner.
Mohawk’s National Dealer of the Year Award is based on a number of criteria, including percentage increase over the 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. Twenty-four Mohawk Floorscapes and ColorCenter retailers from across the United States and Canada were nominated as regional winners for this year’s award (regional nominees are attached).
To learn more about Mohawk’s Aligned Programs, see your Mohawk Representative or email Aligned_Dealer@mohawkind.com.