Panama City Beach, FL, September 10, 2019 — Jeff Fenwick, President & CEO, and Dominic Coletta, Executive VP of Operations, spent a day on the set of Military Makeover with Montel Williams, to donate their time and lend a helping hand in refurbishing the home of Gold Star Widow Cody Patron.

Fenwick and Coletta were motivated to volunteer when their travel schedules prevented them from attending the previous makeover in May, where more than a dozen Tarkett employees spent the day sprucing up a veteran’s family home in western New York.

“Tarkett is proud to support U.S. veterans through our sponsorship of Military Makeover – donating products and service hours to help remodel or rebuild the homes of deserving service men and women,” said Jeff Fenwick, President & CEO, Tarkett North America. “This partnership is one important way we demonstrate our commitment to doing good in our communities and giving back to those who need our help.”

Military Makeover with Montel Williams, airing nationally on Lifetime Television, offers hope and a helping hand on the home-front to members of the military and their loved ones. This special series enlists conscientious companies, designers, and local volunteers to transform the homes and lives of veteran families across the country and make a difference in their communities.

In this most recent project, the team tackled one of its most ambitious makeovers yet for Gold Star Widow Cody Patron.

On August 6, 2011, Cody Patron’s world came crashing down. She received word that after serving more than a decade in the Marine Corps, her husband, Sergeant Daniel J. Patron, was killed in Sangin Valley, Afghanistan. Through his time in the USMC, Daniel dedicated himself to saving as many lives as he possibly could, earning The Purple Heart and The Bronze Star Medal for his heroic service. In the years since Daniel’s passing, Cody has worked to pick up the pieces with her daughter, Layla.

However, tragedy struck again in October 2018 when the Patron home was destroyed by the catastrophic Hurricane Michael, which made landfall as a Category 4 and destroyed much of the Florida Panhandle region. After sustaining devastating water and wind damage, Cody’s home, located in Panama City Beach, is barely livable. With bare concrete floors, hanging ceiling debris, and a torn roof, the home is in desperate need of some tender loving care.

The first step in helping Cody and Layla start anew is giving the family home the renovation it so desperately needs. That’s why Military Makeover and its compassionate team of volunteers, partners, and supporters are hard at work to transform their home into a place of healing and happiness.

“These makeovers start from the ground up, so the floor install sets the tone for the rest of the work that follows, said Ryan Stanley, Construction Manager and Host. “That’s why it’s important for the flooring to go in easily, and quickly. And Tarkett has been a terrific partner in that regard.”

Makeover Design Host Jennifer Bertrand chose Tarkett’s top of the line ProGen™ rigid core vinyl throughout the vast majority of the home. The Durham Pine Sun-Toned design is new for 2019 and is as beautiful as it is durable. “This new style is gorgeous,” said Bertrand, “and even though it’s not hardwood, you can feel the wood texture in each plank.” The design has subtle color variations, so depending on the room it’s in, it pulls out different colors whether you’re in the kitchen, family room, main hallway or master bedroom.

With an active household, durability was also important. And ProGen is up to that task too, tackling anything that may be dropped or spilled on it. It’s easy to clean and maintain with just a damp mop needed to handle most messes. Most importantly, their floor is 100% waterproof, which is a must in the heat and humidity of Florida, along with kids running into the house from the pool all day long.

Layla’s playroom received SureSet LVT in Concrete Surf. It’s 100% waterproof, easy to clean, and it looks like real concrete. Except it’s way more comfortable underfoot, and its waved backing helps absorb sound and reduce moisture. Plus, if you change your mind and want to change the design in the room, the releasable adhesive lets you reposition the tiles up to 10 times.

Finally, Layla’s bedroom received a complete makeover from floor to ceiling, beginning with Tarkett Sedona, a 100% solution-dyed polyester carpet. The Sand Dunes pattern is the perfect reflection of the beauty of Floridian lifestyle. For this makeover, Tarkett teamed up with Kilgore’s Flooring & Ceramic Tile of Panama City Beach, FL, to provide all of the installation expertise for nearly 2000 sq. ft. of rigid core vinyl, LVT and carpet.

“Tarkett has always been committed to doing good in the communities where we live and work, but this was a chance to go further and involve our partners in those efforts,” said Fenwick. “It’s a natural extension of our Tarkett Cares program, where we donate not just product, but our own time and effort to many worthy causes like hurricane relief and Habitat for Humanity.”

Tarkett Cares encourages all employees around the world to spend up to two days a year of their work time on a charitable initiative and to share their time and expertise on a volunteer basis.
Employees throughout North America have participated in local projects in their own communities.

Military Makeover featuring the Patron family will air over six episodes, starting on August 30th. To learn more about Tarkett North America, visit www.tarkettna.com.

About Tarkett
With a history stretching back 135 years, Tarkett is a worldwide leader in innovative flooring and sports surface solutions, with net sales of more than €2.8 billion in 2018. Offering a wide range of products, including vinyl, linoleum, rubber, carpet, wood, laminate, artificial turf and athletic tracks, the Group serves customers in over 100 countries across the globe. Tarkett has 13,000 employees and 36 industrial sites and sells 1.3 million square meters of flooring every day, for hospitals, schools, housing, hotels, offices, stores and sports fields. Committed to "Doing Good—Together," the Group has implemented an eco-innovation strategy that is based on Cradle to Cradle principles and promotes a circular economy, with the ultimate goal of contributing to people's health and wellbeing, and preserving natural capital. Tarkett is listed on Euronext Paris (compartment A, ISIN: FR0004188670, ticker: TKTT) and is included in the following indices: SBF 120 and CAC Mid 60 www.tarkett.com.

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