Over the past five decades, the flooring industry has changed dramatically with new product categories, evolving distribution models and technology reshaping how companies operate. Few businesses have witnessed that transformation as closely as Comp-U-Floor, which has grown alongside the industry since computers first began finding a place in flooring operations.
Comp-U-Floor entered the flooring industry in the 1970s, when founder and CEO Edgar Aya recognized that flooring businesses had operational needs that the technology of the day did not yet address. Aya, an engineer with a master’s degree in computer science, had already started several businesses and worked as an IBM partner when an opportunity in ceramic tile caught his attention.
What began as a solution for ceramic tile retailers soon grew into something much broader. Comp-U-Floor began attending flooring trade shows annually and expanded its technology to serve additional flooring categories. As computers became more important to business operations, the company grew alongside an industry beginning to recognize the potential of specialized software.
That growth accelerated in the 1980s when Shaw Industries selected Comp-U-Floor as its primary computer system. Aya traveled to Dalton where the two companies established a relationship that helped introduce Comp-U-Floor to a much larger portion of the flooring industry.
“When you get one of these big companies to sponsor you, finances change tremendously,” Aya said.
The credibility that came with the relationship helped Comp- U-Floor attract customers across different areas of the industry. Around the same time, Aya’s son, Alex, joined the company. The two developed a long-term business plan that helped establish Comp-U-Floor as a multi-generational family business. Alex Aya has now served as company president for roughly 20 years.
For Alex Aya, maintaining the relationships built during that growth has become as important as the technology itself. “We have a fantastic relationship with our customers,” he said. “We become their IT department.”
That level of support has helped Comp-U-Floor build relationships that span decades. Ed Lint, vice president of Lint Tile, Irwin, Pa., said his company has worked with Comp-U-Floor for many years and values both the platform and the people behind it. “Hands down they have the best flooring software in the industry,” Lint said. “It’s very advanced yet very user friendly. They also offer a strong and friendly support team that is always a phone call or email away.”
Built to evolve
Comp-U-Floor began by developing point-of-sale software before moving into Windows-based systems and, eventually, cloud technology. Edgar Aya said the company has approached those transitions as more than routine upgrades. As technology changes, Comp-U-Floor has repeatedly rebuilt its software to take advantage of new capabilities rather than layering new features onto an aging platform.
“As technology evolves, we rewrite the software for our customers from the ground up,” he said.
Comp-U-Floor relies heavily on feedback from the retailers, distributors and other flooring businesses using its systems every day. Customers bring different operational needs to the platform, and those requests often influence how the software develops.
“Our customers tell us what they want and need and we work that in,” Edgar Aya said. “Different customers want different features. The software evolves via each customer.”
That customer-driven approach also guides how Alex Aya views the company’s responsibility as new technologies emerge. “We never leave anyone behind,” he said. “We guide them and bring them into the new technology. We listen to our customers.”
That relationship is especially important in flooring, where the needs of a retailer can differ considerably from those of a distributor. Comp-U-Floor’s platform touches areas, including estimating, inventory, installation and financial management. That makes the software part of the infrastructure that keeps a flooring operation moving.
Steve Clamp, president of Great Britain Tile, Land O’ Lakes, Fla., has seen that evolution firsthand during more than 20 years as a Comp-U-Floor client. He said the software has helped his company grow while supporting functions across both the front and back office. In particular, Clamp pointed to faster quote development for retail and builder customers as well as accounting, vendor and subcontractor payments, purchase orders and margin tracking. “The staff is always a pleasure to deal with and very responsive with questions or issues,” Clamp said.
For Edgar Aya, that level of interaction remains one of the company’s most valuable sources of product development. When customers identify a need, the company listens. “Feedback is the most important thing,” he said.
Technology with a practical purpose
Despite the dramatic changes in technology, Edgar Aya said the basic reason flooring businesses invest in software has remained fairly consistent: They want to operate more efficiently. “At the end of the day, it’s the efficiency,” he said. “Solid software foundation allows you to be highly efficient with no mistakes so you can provide the best service to the client.”
That need has only grown as competition has intensified across both the retail and distribution sides of the industry. A strong technology platform can reduce mistakes and improve access to information. It can also allow employees to spend less time navigating disconnected processes.
Kevin Rose, president and owner of Carpetland USA, which operates nine locations across Iowa and Illinois, said those capabilities have remained valuable throughout his company’s more than 20-year relationship with Comp-U-Floor. “Comp-U-Floor has a very responsive team and a fluid accounting package that handles our flooring needs for projects of all sizes,” he said. “Our relationship extends over 20 years, and their support team is always friendly and expeditious.”
Cloud technology has expanded those possibilities by giving users access to their systems from different devices and locations. That accessibility has fundamentally changed what customers can expect from business management software.
“Being able to access software from any platform, anywhere, adds a deep level of convenience and accessibility,” Alex Aya said. “Plus, the cloud provides outstanding security.”
For a company that has already navigated the transition from early computer systems to Windows and then the cloud, the next major change is coming into focus. Management believes artificial intelligence will have a significant impact on both Comp- U-Floor and the broader flooring industry.
“AI is going to be so important to the world,” Edgar Aya said. “AI is going to change the industry drastically.”
Comp-U-Floor is exploring how it can incorporate AI into its systems, particularly on the back end. The company sees opportunities for the technology to reshape system design and make software more intuitive. It also believes it can improve how flooring businesses interact with information.
“If I am a business owner and am looking at ROI, I am seeing that AI is going to allow me to better compete in the marketplace,” Edgar Aya said.
For Comp-U-Floor, AI represents another chapter in a story defined by adapting to new technology without losing sight of the businesses using it.
That philosophy also extends to the company itself. Comp-U-Floor remains headquartered in the Orlando, Fla., area, something Edgar Aya views as an important part of its identity. He said the company regularly receives proposals from larger organizations interested in working together. Some of those opportunities could move operations outside the country.
Ownership remains committed to keeping the business rooted in the U.S.
“I am very proud that we are a U.S.-based company,” Edgar Aya said. “We believe our company is a U.S. asset. Today, more than ever we need to protect our assets.”
