Volume 27/Number 21; March 3/10, 2014
By Ken Ryan
Hicksville, N.Y.—Three top-tier flooring companies were recognized for excellence in training programs and processes in earning spots on the annual “Training Top 125,” published by Training magazine.
Mohawk Industries ranked No. 5 overall—it’s fourth time in the top 10. Shaw Industries jumped 40 spots to No. 29, while Tandus Centiva, a Tarkett company, improved 13 spots to No. 56.
When compiling the Top 125, Training considers factors such as financial investment in employee development and how closely development efforts are linked to business objectives.
The top flooring companies were cited for the following:
Mohawk Industries’ Waste Stream Management training
Mohawk has adopted a zero landfill approach in its waste stream management, with a goal of eliminating all waste from its manufacturing facilities; four sites accomplished this feat in 2013.
Individual site coordinators at Mohawk are trained on how each type of waste can be redirected into the recycling stream by a subject matter expert who engages them in a detailed analysis of the facility’s waste receptacles. On-site recycling programs now extend to plastic, paper, cardboard and aluminum cans. Waste stream management training programs yielded savings of millions of dollars last year, including revenue from sales to recyclers, as well as the reduced cost for materials sent to landfills.
“The value of continued education and quality training programs cannot be overstated,” said Mike Zoellner, vice president of marketing services at Mohawk. “Continual learning is the key to success in a highly competitive economy.”
Shaw Industries’ Total Business Transformation (TBT)
Comprised of key decision makers throughout the Shaw organization, TBT is a process that is changing the way the manufacturer connects with its dealers. The focus: to determine if the solutions and resources available to its customers in the Shaw Flooring Network really work.
“At the center of the process is an intense focus on understanding the nuances of each dealer’s business and the owner’s goals,” said Danny Crutchfield, director of corporate training and organizational development for the Shaw Learning Academy.
Retailer Aimee Johnson, vice president at Inspired Floors For Less, Benton Harbor, Mich., said, “The biggest challenge was to really utilize what Shaw has to offer. Through TBT, Shaw educated us and it was a no-brainer once we understood the tools and how to use them.”
Also attesting to the positive effects of TBT, Chad Simpson, owner of Simpson’s Great Floors in Brantford, Ontario, added, “The process has made us better managers and business owners. TBT has not only changed how we look at our entire organization, it has also changed the way we look at Shaw.”
Tandus Centiva’s Target Account Selling
This three-day program allows salespeople to evaluate a business opportunity and choose an appropriate strategy.
Components include compiling customer profiles, conducting opportunity assessment, determining the customer’s key requirements, and identifying decision makers. In 2013, Tandus Centiva achieved an 85% close rate for large projects when the account executive utilized Target Account Selling.
April Wilder, learning and organizational development manager at Tandus Centiva, said the company targets the specified commercial market.
“We analyze each project and ask questions: ‘Can I win this project?’ ‘What does the competition have that we don’t?’ What has made this successful is the buy-in from everyone at Tandus Centiva that this program works.”