Lancaster, Pa.—Armstrong Flooring has named its 2015 Elite Retailers of the Year: Gold – AJ Rose Carpets and Flooring; Silver – Long Island Paneling, Ceilings & Floors; and Bronze – The Floor Store. The award is based on a variety of factors including sales, lead conversion rates, overall program support, showroom quality and website excellence.
“With 170 Elite showrooms nationwide, we wanted to recognize and thank the best of the best for their continuing excellence and commitment to the Armstrong Flooring Elite Program,” said David McClatchy, national sales manager, Retail Strategic Accounts (RSA). “These annual awards give us the opportunity to do just that and we are grateful for our partnership with these outstanding retail locations.”
The 2015 Gold Elite Retailer of the Year, AJ Rose Carpets and Flooring, is the leading retailer in Massachusetts with three locations (Burlington, Natick, and Saugus) in the Boston area. AJ Rose has been in business since 1977 and sells and installs all kinds of flooring from carpet and hardwood to luxury vinyl.
In addition to being excited winners, AJ Rose acknowledged the benefits of being an Elite Retailer. “Being an Elite dealer has provided us with a launching pad to be the leader in hard surface in our region,” said AJ Boyajian, owner. “Partnering with Armstrong Flooring has allowed us to provide our customers with exceptional products at great pricing, all backed with outstanding service. That is a powerful proposition for our customers which is why we feel the program has been so successful for us.”
Silver Elite Retailer of the Year, Long Island Paneling, Ceilings & Floors (LIP), with six locations on Long Island in New York, was founded in 1964 by Frank Sternberg. Still a family business, in 1992 the operation was taken over by Sternberg’s son Robert and general manager Joe Bair. It was Robert Sternberg’s wife Gail, an interior designer, who observed the move away from carpeting and suggested hard surface flooring would be a good fit for the store. Today LIP carries more than 1,000 floors in stock.
The Floor Store, based in the San Francisco Bay area, has been named the Bronze Elite Retailer of the Year. The Floor Store started with one location in 1983 and has grown to eight locations across California. The family run business’ outstanding commitment to customer satisfaction is what earned them this honor.
2015’s honorable mentions went to Dalene Flooring Carpet One for Showroom Experience and Carpet King for Lead Conversion. Dalene is a company that has been serving Connecticut families and communities since 1949. As a fourth-generation family business, it is committed to providing a wide selection of flooring and services from design to installation, all backed by its Beautiful Guarantee. Carpet King operates in the communities surrounding Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minn., with a total of 17 showrooms. It specializes in flooring and has been in business since 1946. Carpet King sells and arranges the installation of famous brand-name flooring products; they are specialists in making sure each floor covering is right for each project.
“All of this year’s winners are consistently on the forefront of our industry and have been a valuable partner in their areas,” McClatchy said. “Each exceeds every criterion for the Elite Retailer of the Year award.”