April 1/8, 2019: Volume 34, Issue 22
By Ken Ryan
Gilford-Johnson named Bennett’s Carpet its 2018 Advantage Partner Dealer of the Year. Pictured is John Bennett, store owner, flanked by GJ’s Jodie Doyle and Josh Morris.
Top 20 distributor Gilford-Johnson Flooring celebrated the 10th anniversary of its Advantage Partners loyalty retail program during its recent spring meeting at the Belterra Casino Resort in Florence, Ind.
Since its founding, membership in the Advantage Partners program has surged to more than 300 retailers and doubled just since the beginning of 2016. “When we developed this program 10 years ago, we were really on the leading edge of distributor loyalty programs, and we’re humbled by the fact our retail partners continue to support our efforts,” said Jodie Doyle, vice president, residential sales, Gilford-Johnson. “Everything we do is with the customer in mind, and this year we received some tremendous feedback on our new vendor introductions.”
According to Rob Purkins, senior vice president, residential, this year’s show focused more on new products entering the market. “We normally pencil this in as a huge selling event. While our sales were very good, the amount of new product we were able to show our customers will certainly pay dividends as we move through 2019.”
Among first-time suppliers was Johnson Premium Hardwood, which is making a bigger push into the rigid core segment. To that end, the supplier showed off a new line to complement its popular Farmhouse Manor series. “The Johnson Hardwood space was one of the hottest corners of the showroom,” Doyle said. “Couple their new SPC offering with some outstanding new visuals on the hardwood side, and our customers and sales reps alike are extremely excited about the future with Johnson Premium.”
Bill Schollmeyer, CEO of Johnson Premium Hardwood, confirmed the brisk activity during the meeting. “The GJ sales reps did a great job of walking their best dealers through our booth, and the result was a large number of new dealers will now display our line in their stores. Since engaging with GJ last July, we’ve seen growth in sales volume, territory coverage and, most important, relationship building with the entire GJ team. My only wish is that we would have partnered up years ago.”
Raskin showcased new additions to its existing Acrylx solid surface program, including Brooklyn Reserve. “The visuals will just blow you away,” Doyle said. “In addition, they have a real game-changer with their Gencore SPC program. Our customers are really excited to get these products into their show- room ASAP.”
EarthWerks, which has been a Gilford-Johnson vendor for 15 years, introduced a new SPC line called Stadium. The collection, which features a 60-inch-long plank with EIR and a painted bevel, will be housed in the company’s new Core master display. “For several years, we have asked them to give us a destination display for their Core products, and they have come through in a big way,” Doyle explained. “We have customers already asking when they are going to receive their programs in their showroom.”
Amy Sadler, national sales manager for EarthWerks, said the new product line and display were big hits. “We sold many pallets and displays at the event and are proud to be such an important part of this wonderful show.”