Article Number : 3118 |
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| Date | 3/26/2008 9:18:43 AM |
| Written By | LGM & Associates Technical Flooring Services |
| View this article at: | //floorbiz.com/BizResources/NPViewArticle.asp?ArticleID=3118 |
| Abstract | RANCHO CUCAMONGA, CALIF.— Hardwood floor manufacturer Max Windsor Floors is going national. Since it launched its line of engineered floors in the U.S. four years ago, the company has confined its sales base to California and adjoining western states... |
| Article | RANCHO CUCAMONGA, CALIF.— Hardwood floor manufacturer Max Windsor Floors is going national. Since it launched its line of engineered floors in the U.S. four years ago, the company has confined its sales base to California and adjoining western states. To expand the line throughout the country, Max Windsor appointed carpet industry veterans Peter Spirer and Bob Rawlins as national marketing managers with the mandate to create national distribution and further develop its brand. Spirer founded Horizon Industries in 1972, which he ran until its sale to Mohawk in 1992. He also served two terms as chairman of the Carpet & Rug Institute and was an original inductee to the Floor Covering Industry Hall of Fame. Rawlins served as Western region vice president for Horizon. “Only a company as attractive as this could have gotten me back to working full time,” Spirer said. “Bob and I had been planning a venture in the hardwood sector for months. We made a wish list of the kind of product line we wanted and made a sourcing trip to China in November. We returned disappointed and empty handed. There’s plenty of wood made there, but we didn’t find any situation with real substance. “But in mid-December, Bob called me with a simple message: ‘Tear up the list. We found what we’ve been looking for, and it’s just up the road here in California.’” A week later, the former colleagues and close friends had structured an agreement with Max Windsor Floors to take the company national. Rawlins was particularly impressed with Max Windsor’s growth. “The momentum of this company is amazing. Customers swear by the product and think the world of company management.” This was particularly evident at Surfaces, he said. “Not only did we succeed in showing the line to scores of new buyers from around the country, but hundreds of the company’s existing accounts came to see and buy the new introductions. There was an energy on our stand which was nothing short of fantastic. You would never know that business is soft for many of these store owners and buyers. They could not have been more enthusiastic.” Khelin Young, general manager, Max Windsor, said the company has aspired to gain a foothold on the national scene but was unsure of how to go about it. “But when we met with Bob and Peter, we were able to see the stages of development through the eyes of people who had successfully done exactly what we were seeking.” The company claims its extraordinary sales growth is based on an equally extraordinary philosophy: Manufacture immaculate quality product, sell it at competitive prices and never be out of stock. Max Windsor floors are manufactured in northern China in a modern facility of more than 1 million square feet. The factory adjoins wood forests where several domestic species are grown in accordance with strict forest conservation practices. North American wood species as well as South American, Asian and African exotics are imported to broaden the spectrum of selection. Much of the production is earmarked for export to Europe and the U.S., with the rest sold domestically. “This is a dazzling challenge, and we love it,” Spirer said. “This company knows how to do business the right way, and customers pick up on that instinctively. Bob and I are excited to have made this liason. Now it is our responsibility to seek and bring on the best sales agents in the country and establish a network of the nation’s leading retailers. We have more than 20 open territories, which we will soon be filling. For us, it’s building a business from scratch. This is how it begins. This is the fun part.” Visit Max Windsor Floors on line at www.maxwindsor.com. For more information, contact peter@maxwindsor.com. |