Article Number : 3321 |
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| Date | 6/5/2008 9:32:53 AM |
| Written By | LGM & Associates Technical Flooring Services |
| View this article at: | //floorbiz.com/BizResources/NPViewArticle.asp?ArticleID=3321 |
| Abstract | St Louis, MO – June 3, 2008 ---- David Wootton and his firm, the Wootton Group LLC, have joined the Floor Covering Institute, according to Jim Gould, Institute president and founder... |
| Article | St Louis, MO – June 3, 2008 ---- David Wootton and his firm, the Wootton Group LLC, have joined the Floor Covering Institute, according to Jim Gould, Institute president and founder. Wootton adds expertise in manufacturing and international business gained over 17 years in the industry, notably as President of Columbia Flooring and Harris-Tarkett. He is now principal of his own firm, the Wootton Group, and has joined the Floor Covering Institute as a Faculty Member. “David’s international business experience is valuable to the institute because many of our clients are international or want to be,” said Jim Gould. “I have known David since he came to the USA nearly two decades ago. His experience with domestic and international acquisitions, manufacturing and multiple business disciplines fits well with the kinds of issues our clients face and he is a welcome addition to our faculty.” The Floor Covering Institute is the vision of Jim Gould, a veteran of the industry whose goal is to build a private consulting group for the flooring industry comprised of experts in the industry. “Our faculty’s global network will of resources will add value not only to our clients but to the experts who associate with us”, explained Gould. “Using David as an example,” he continues, “the Institute gains specialized expertise for our clients and the Wootton Group will receive referrals from us.” David Wootton led both Harris-Tarkett and Columbia Flooring through ambitious expansions and successful growth periods. As principal of The Wootton Group LLC, and member of the Floor Covering Institute faculty, he now offers assistance to businesses in all stages of their business life cycle including strategic development and global sourcing, turnarounds, mergers and acquisitions. David can guide businesses through asset utilization, strategic re-alignments and divestitures, and work with corporations to strengthen their strategic teams, networks and key personnel. A native of Great Britain, Wootton came to the US in 1990 as President of Harris-Tarkett and later Tarkett Inc. Under his direction, Harris Tarkett expanded from a small manufacturer of unfinished solid hardwood to become a leader in both prefinished and unfinished flooring with solid and engineered construction platforms. Wootton lead expansion of Harris Tarkett’s manufacturing facilities and product lines and expanded the distribution network nationally. By 1999, Harris Tarkett was the third largest manufacturer of hardwood flooring in North America producing a range of prefinished and unfinished solid and engineered plank, strip and parquet products. In 1999, Columbia Forest Products recruited Wootton to become president of its new hardwood flooring division. From 1999 to 2007 Wootton lead Columbia through a long period of growth starting with the conversion of a Virginia plywood plant to a hardwood flooring plant and multiple acquisitions of manufacturing facilities in Georgia, Arkansas, Tennessee, West Virginia and off-shore in Malaysia. By 2007 Columbia was the second largest hardwood flooring manufacturer in the U.S. when Unilin, a division of Mohawk Industries, Inc., purchased it. Prior to his tenure in the flooring industry, Wootton held executive positions with Dinol, a manufacturer of automotive chemicals in Great Britain, and Bovis Construction Ltd., a large commercial and residential construction company. Wootton has held several flooring industry leadership positions including membership on the Board of Directors of the National Association of Floor Covering Distributors (1998-2001) and National Wood Flooring Association (1993-1996). He was recognized as Floor Covering Person of the Year by the readers of Floor Covering weekly in 1993. He holds a degree in Business Studies from Sheffield College of Commerce and Technology (UK), speaks English, French and German, and lives in, and maintains offices in both the U.S. and the U.K. |