Shaw was founded in 1967 as a small carpet manufacturer. From the beginning, the company focused on building the capabilities needed to better serve customers.
Within a decade, Shaw was producing its own yarn and investing across its supply chain to improve quality, service and delivery. By 1971, Shaw had become a publicly traded company with approximately $43 million in sales and 900 associates. In 1985, it joined the Fortune 500 with more than $500 million in sales and nearly 5,000 associates.
Growth wasn’t driven by investments alone. It was supported by a culture that valued continuous learning, operational excellence, safety, respect and strong community partnerships. Those principles helped Shaw adapt as technologies advanced, customer expectations changed and new opportunities emerged.
Over the following decades, Shaw continued expanding beyond its carpet foundation into rugs, hardwood, laminate, tile, resilient flooring, carpet tile and turf. Rather than allowing its manufacturing footprint to define the business, Shaw evolved its portfolio around changing customer needs, eventually building the family of residential and commercial brands that serve the market today.
That same forward-looking approach established Shaw as an early leader in sustainable product design and manufacturing. Beginning with the introduction of EcoWorx carpet tile in 1999, the company invested in innovations that advanced more responsible manufacturing while maintaining high performance. Those efforts helped create today’s industry-leading portfolio of Cradle-to-Cradle Certified products and continue to influence how Shaw approaches innovation.
Shaw’s disciplined, long-term approach ultimately attracted the attention of Berkshire Hathaway. In 2001, the company entered a new chapter built around shared beliefs in strong leadership, enduring customer value and investments designed to strengthen the business over time.
Since then, Shaw has continued expanding its capabilities to meet the changing needs of the market. The acquisition of USFloors in 2016 strengthened Shaw’s position in resilient flooring and added COREtec, an innovative brand that expanded the company’s presence in one of the industry’s fastest-growing categories.
Today, Shaw is a more than $5 billion global provider of flooring and other surface solutions, supported by approximately 18,000 associates and a portfolio spanning residential, commercial and outdoor environments. While the business has changed dramatically over the past six decades, the philosophy behind its growth has remained remarkably consistent.
Throughout its history, Shaw has been willing to learn, invest, adapt and sometimes fundamentally change how it operates to create greater value for customers. For independent retailers, that commitment has meant a partner that continues to invest in products, innovation, service and support designed to help them meet changing consumer expectations and remain competitive in an evolving marketplace.
The milestones tell only part of the story. Behind every investment, acquisition and expansion was a belief that standing still is not an option. Shaw has continually evolved while remaining grounded in the values that have guided the company from the beginning.
That commitment has transformed a small carpet manufacturer into one of the world’s leading flooring companies. More importantly, it continues to shape how Shaw creates value for customers and prepares for what’s next.
Shaw’s history and industry leadership have earned the company a strong portfolio of leading brands designed to meet a range of consumers, wherever they are in the market. Each residential brand is unique and differentiated to meet the needs of all types of consumers, from entry-level and high-end to Main Street, as well as the accessories needed to install them. Anderson Tuftex, COREtec, Shaw Floors, Philadelphia Commercial and TotalWorx Accessories reflect Shaw’s ability to serve a broad range of residential, commercial and specialty needs while helping retailers offer the right solution for every customer.
