Robert A. (Bob) Hill, a flooring industry titan and founder and chairman of Floor Covering Associates (FCA), has passed away. He was 86 and lived in Chicago.
Hill grew FCA Associates from a single store located in an Illinois cornfield in 1976 into what is now one of the largest flooring retail companies in the industry. Today, FCA includes retail stores, a nationwide buying group and a cutting-edge online business, Efloors.com, which Hill created and launched in 1999—long before internet shopping became the norm.
Renowned as an industry leader and constant innovator, Hill’s many professional honors included roles as chairman of the board of World Floor Covering Associates, president of the National Floorcovering Alliance (NFA) and recognition as both retailer and subcontractor of the Year. In 2011, Hill was named Man of the Year by the Chicago Floorcovering Association.
A proud teenage “farm boy,” Hill was president of his local Future Farmers of America chapter and happily recalled raising chickens, cows, goats and an award-winning pig. The first person in his family to attend college, Hill graduated from the University of California at Berkeley, where he majored in psychology and supported himself with a variety of odd jobs that included a stint fighting fires in Alaska and service as an Army medic.
A lifelong learner, Hill taught himself everything from classical guitar to website design and, through his many travels, interests and voracious reading, was constantly absorbing and sharing new ideas. His expertise ranged from astronomy to politics to sociology to opera, with a special passion for Shakespeare and classical music. No one held a candle to his waffles, his “Papa-Bob potatoes” or his special scrambled eggs. A giant and generous mind, Hill was endlessly interesting and interested.
In 2007, Hill and his wife, Thea Flaum, created the Hill Foundation for Families Living with Disabilities, a non-profit organization supporting families dealing with spinal cord injuries. Among other contributions, the foundation hosts a ground-breaking website, FacingDisability.com, which features thousands of videos drawn from in-depth interviews with people with spinal cord injuries, their families, caregivers and experts. Their work is regularly featured at national spinal care medical conferences. Countless families have been impacted and uplifted by their work.
Bob Hill was born in Oakland, Calif., in 1936 to the late Victor Arthur and Genevieve (nee Trezza) Hill. He is survived by his wife, Thea Flaum; his brothers Dennis (Sandy) and Arthur (Jennean) Hill; his children Vicki (William) Kowaleski and Miranda (John) Kotarac; and step children, Jonathan Flaum and Alison (Paul Schulman) Flaum; his grandchildren, Wiliam Kowaleski Jr., Sarah (Donald) Lorusso, Kristifer (Tara) Kowaleski, Kylie Kowaleski, Eli Flaum, Jackson Flaum, Lionel Schulman and Lucy Schulman; and his great grandchildren Sawyer, Camden, Noah, Seven and baby Callum, who was born the day after his passing. Hill was also beloved by his nieces, Pamela, Richelle and Megan, and his nephew, Douglas, as well as scores of other relatives and friends.
The private family funeral will be followed by a memorial service this summer. Contributions in Bob Hill’s memory may be made via FacingDisability.com or to the Hill Foundation, 737 N. Michigan Avenue, Suite 1560, Chicago, IL, 60611.