Solon, Ohio—Paul Walker has been named president of Diamond W, a flooring distributor located in City of Industry, Calif., that distributes Tarkett residential and commercial resilient products, effective October 7, 2019. He will be replacing Mike Klingele, who is retiring after 18 years of service to the company and nearly 50 years in the flooring industry, effective December 31, 2019.
Walker joins Tarkett from MeisterWerke, a German manufacturer of mid to high-end flooring in multiple product categories. Most recently, he served as general manager of the company’s North America business and was responsible for the development of market and product strategy targeting wholesale distribution and commercial/project segment with a multi-category product portfolio.
Prior to MeisterWerke, Walker served in a senior leadership role at HomerWood Premium Hardwood, a wholly owned subsidiary of Armstrong World Industries, Premier Flooring Solutions, a distributor of residential hardwood flooring products and Junckers Industries, one of Europe’s largest manufacturers of solid hardwood flooring for the residential, commercial and sports markets.
While retiring from his president role, Klingele will continue to support the business, serving in a part-time consulting role beginning the first of the year. In the interim, Klingele will play an integral role in supporting the new president of Diamond W during the transition period.