Garden City, N.Y.—Mohawk and Engineered Floors were the big winners in FCNews’ Award of Excellence 2022 competition, with Mohawk winning Best Overall in the over-$5 billion category and Engineered Floors taking honors in the under-$5 billion category.
Sponsored by FCNews and Informa Exhibitions, organizers of Surfaces, two-dozen awards were handed out during a special ceremony held here.
In addition to Best Overall (over-$5 billion category), Mohawk’s Aladdin brand won for Main Street Commercial, and perennial tile winner Daltile claimed Group A for ceramic. Engineered Floors, meanwhile, was victorious in Group A for carpet.
Best Overall in the Award of Excellence 2022 measured suppliers in 10 categories—product innovation, design, service, ease of doing business, professionalism of sales force, training/education, handling of claims, digital tools, on-time delivery and credit terms. In the mega over-$5 billion category, Mohawk edged Shaw.
“Winning Best Overall in the Award of Excellence is an achievement we don’t take lightly,” said Jeff Meadows president of residential sales for Mohawk. “Considering multiple factors, from products to service, this win tells us that what we’re doing for our customers and how we’re doing it is working. We will use this victory as momentum to continue to improve and innovate. Thank you to Floor Covering News for always sharing our stories and bringing the industry together. And thank you to everyone who voted for us. You inspire us to do better.”
Mike Sanderson, vice president of marketing for Engineered Floors, was similarly enthusiastic about his company’s Best Overall victory in the under -$5 billion category. “We are certainly humbled to have received this award for being the best manufacturer overall. We would like to extend our appreciation to the FCNews family and especially to all of our valued customers that voted for us.”
Among the other 21 winners in the Award of Excellence 2022 were first-timers along with perennial champions. The latter would include Daltile, which won in Tile Group A for the 24th consecutive year, the longest streak in the history of the program. “As Dal-Tile celebrates our 75th anniversary, it brings smiles to everyone here to be awarded the Award of Excellence for both Daltile and Marazzi (Group B) brands,” said Patrick Warren, vice president of residential sales, dealer & showrooms. “Reflecting on the last 75 years, it is the dealer segment that built our success, and we are thankful for our partnerships, business relationships and, more importantly, for the friendships Daltile has throughout this amazing industry.”
Benchmark of excellence
The Award of Excellence program has become the industry benchmark of supplier excellence since they are voted on by customers. With Mohawk and Shaw competing for Best Overall, the competition turned fierce among other suppliers in other categories. The voting in Carpet Group A, for example, was separated by five votes among Anderson Tuftex, Karastan and eventual winner Engineered Floors.
“At Engineered Floors, we strive every day to be the flooring provider of choice to all of our valued customers,” Sanderson said. “We look forward to serving our customers in the future and contributing to their continued success, for it is only when our customers are successful that we consider ourselves successful.”
In Carpet Group B for the Award of Excellence 2022, Nourison nabbed its first Award of Excellence win, much to the delight of Andrew Peykar, president. “We were honored to be recognized with our first FCNews Award of Excellence,” he said. “After the challenges of the past several years, it is rewarding to know that our customers value our partnership, and we are grateful to them for their support. We would also like to congratulate our fellow manufacturers for their efforts and contributions to this competitive industry.”
Staying with soft surface, Stanton was a repeat winner in Area Rugs, beating out stiff competition from the likes of Karastan and Masland. “Stanton is very appreciative of our retailer support in selecting us as their favorite area rug manufacturer once again,” said Christine Zampaglione, senior director of marketing, Stanton. “As a manufacturer of broadloom, the win in this category truly underscores Stanton’s unique position in our space as a leader in style and design, which effortlessly translates to custom-sized area rugs. More so than ever, the consumer wants rugs to custom fit their space without having to settle on aesthetic. Stanton is honored that our retailers have the utmost confidence that we can consistently deliver a superior experience and exemplary products to their discerning consumers.”
In hard surfaces, Hallmark Floors was victorious in the Hardwood Import: Asia category. “With sincere appreciation we wish to thank FCNews for allowing us to be nationally recognized along with our peers,” said Mark Casper, vice president of sales and marketing. “Our customers’ acknowledgment of our efforts is the unbridled truth that our basic template through service, partnership, culture and treating everyone we encounter in a fair and reasonable manner has served us well and we are thankful for this award. These last two years have sincerely created the best stress test for your go-to-market strategy, so we would like to congratulate all our specialized retailers and distributors because we were tested and found to be the best in your class.”
Like Hallmark, Fabrica Fine Hardwood, a brand of The Dixie Group, was a first-time winner in the Import: Europe/South America segment. “It was an honor to be recognized as a key supplier in the wood category,” said Jamann Stepp, vice president of hard surfaces. “We feel that Fabrica Fine Hardwood brings best-in-class styling and design to the extremely competitive hardwood category, and that is evident based on this award as voted by retailers across the county. For that, we are thankful and appreciative. We are very excited about the future of our hardwood business and will continue to design and procure exceptional hardwood products based on what today’s consumer is demanding.”
In the Hardwood for the Award of Excellence 2022: Domestic category, Anderson Tuftex beat out six worthy competitors to take home top honors. It was one of three first-place finishes for Shaw’s brands, with COREtec winning for WPC/Rigid Core A and Wood/Rigid Hybrid. In fact, since COREtec first launched its signature waterproof flooring it has never failed to finish first.
“It’s an honor to receive three Awards of Excellence this year—to be recognized by our customers and to have the privilege of working with amazing teams that make magic happen every day,” said Natalie Cady, director of premium brands retail channel, Shaw. “The name COREtec is synonymous with innovation. It’s been 10 years since COREtec introduced rigid core to the market, and the brand is still driving innovation for the category today. A/T is a brand built on legacy and proudly carries the Anderson hardwood name—and we’re honored to have retailers who are as passionate about this brand as we are. All of Shaw’s associated brands are leveraged to deliver unmatched solutions and services to those who use our products every day, as we work to help our customers prepare for future growth. Thank you from all of us at A/T and COREtec.”
Aladdin Commercial, a brand that dates back 65 years, won for Main Street Commercial in another highly contested category. “Earning the Main Street Commercial win once again this year is a tremendous honor,” Meadows said. “We’ve worked hard to show that Aladdin Commercial is more than a collection of flooring products. We are a comprehensive Main Street program built specifically to provide the right flooring solutions for any end user application. This win encourages our team to continue helping our customers win in the marketplace. Thank you for voting for Aladdin Commercial in this year’s Award of Excellence.”
(To view the full photo spread of all 22 winners, please see the digital edition)
