Passings 2010 Article Number : 6362

Article Detail

Date	2/10/2011 9:43:08 AM
Written By	LGM & Associates Technical Flooring Services
View this article at:	//floorbiz.com/BizResources/NPViewArticle.asp?ArticleID=6362
Abstract	Every year at this time we remember friends and colleagues who passed away, how they touched our lives, how they made a difference, and we pay them a final tribute. We celebrate their achievements and we appreciate their contributions to our industry...
Article	High unemployment, continuing home foreclosures, an economy with barely a pulse and an almost inextricable involvement in two wars kept the country mired in a recession in 2010. Although Ben Bernanke, chairman of the Federal Reserve, said the recovery had begun, the growth was slow. Very slow. Consumer confidence closed the year on a high note—higher than expected— so that could portend a spillover of confidence and optimism into 2011. Business across the country was spotty, varying by location and product type. Most retailers struggled to stay above water—some drowned, but most just floated—and floor covering specialty storeowners were in the same boat. Some flooring retailers reported satisfactory sales and others fell on hard times. It was certainly difficult but considering the three years prior, 2010 wasn’t all that bad afterall. Every year at this time we remember friends and colleagues who passed away, how they touched our lives, how they made a difference, and we pay them a final tribute. We celebrate their achievements and we appreciate their contributions to our industry. It is unfortunate that we cannot list, nor do we know, every person in our industry who died last year; our efforts are limited to those of whom we are aware and those included in published obituaries. So, before we relegate 2010 to the bookshelf, here is our year-end homage to our friends and associates, to the good times we shared, the warm memories and golden moments left behind and the friendships that remain, and to their smiles and warm handshakes. Ab imo pectore. Manufacturers Erich Arje, 88, spent 51 years in the flooring industry, which started shortly after serving in the Army during World War II. He began as a salesman with a small distributor which led to him joining the sales force of Aldon Rug Mills in 1954, where he rose to New York regional sales manager before moving on to become an executive with Metroflor, which later became Metro-Mosaics. In 1983, he formed the sales agency Arje-Shapiro with his brother in-law, David Shapiro, and continued working until retiring in 2005. Arje’s flooring legacy is also felt from the 35 years that he spent as chairman of the Floor Covering Divison of the Anti-Defamation League. Robert Brown, 82, was a founding partner and CEO of BiWood International, also known as BiWood Flooring, and worked at the company up until his death. He spent much of his career in international business, developing strong relationships throughout Asia. Carl Demoray, 91, was called a “natural salesman” by colleagues, and enjoyed a long and successful career, which began as a sales manager of Cumberland Mills at its inception. He eventually moved on to Lanas Carpet and, ultimately, Carpet Crafts, where he served as sales manager prior to his retirement. Herbert Doerr Jr., 92, was the fourth generation of his family to be immersed in the carpet business. His great grandfather founded Philadelphia Carpet Co. in 1846, exposing Herbert to every facet of the business. He eventually focused his career on sales. In 1958, he and his brother became aware of the tufting revolution and purchased a mill in Cartersville, Ga. In 1967, they sold Philadelphia to Shaw Industries. Herbert then purchased a mill on his own in Chattanooga, Tenn., and commuted to and from his home in Philadelphia until he sold the company in 1970 and retired. Larry McCurdy, 75, was a director of Mohawk Industries and chairman of its Audit Committee. He had been a member of the mill’s board since the company’s IPO in 1992. With a perspective that was able to positively combine all aspects of finance, marketing and manufacturing, McCurdy was considered to be a “key contributor” to Mohawk’s growth the past two decades. Elizabeth Miller, 50, was a designer who went from owning her own firm, Miller-Farrell Designs, to Mohawk where she became a design executive for its Karastan Rugs division and played a key role in the company’s styling direction during her tenure. Before joining Mohawk, she worked as a consultant to the company. Miller joined the company shortly after it purchased American Rug Craftsman (ARC) in 1993. ARC eventually morphed into Mohawk Home. In 2002, she moved to the Karastan division as vice president of style and design, working out of the company’s New York City showroom up until her death. Roger Milliken, 95. (Editor’s note: Milliken passed away Dec. 30; see page 6 of the print edition for obituary.) Harry Mills, 86, spent more than four decades in the carpet industry and served as an executive for several of the category’s leading commercial manufacturers. During his tenure, he served in the contract division for Shaw Industries, was the vice president of marketing for Stratton Industries; WestPoint Pepperell Contract Carpet; and for Lotus Carpets, a division of Columbus Mills. He retired in 1997. Willis Murdock Jr., 80, spent his entire career that spanned more than three decades with one company: WestPoint Pepperell. He joined the company following his military service as a Marine during the Korean conflict. Murdock rose through the ranks and eventually became senior vice president of sales, the position he held when he retired in 1987. George Palm, 85, had a flooring career that would span 50 years. He started out in his mom’s retail business, The Palm Floor Covering Co., in 1949, but it was the manufacturing side of the business where he would eventually stake his fame. In 1954, Palm joined Lees Carpets, known then as James Lees & Sons Carpets, and remained with the company until 1987 when he “retired” and became self employed as a certified carpet inspector until 1999 when Palm officially called it a career. Robert Lee Vander Werf, 77, had a long, successful career as a carpet mill sales executive. He industry career started in 1960, when Vander Werf became a salesman for Alexander Smith. In 1963, he accepted a position with Trend Mills and soon became Midwest regional manager. Six years later, Vander Werf joined General Felt Industries in an executive capacity and remained with the company for 15 years. He joined Mohawk Industries in 1980 and was named the executive in charge of the company’s Galaxy division. In 2004, Vander Werf was honored by the Chicago Floorcovering Association for his outstanding achievements and many contributions to the industry with an event that raised $10,000 for the Floor Covering Industry Foundation. He retired in 2009. Distributors Dick Dychuck, 68, was a longtime executive vice president of Canadian distributor Goodfellow and was credited with building the wholesaler’s Ontario and western markets by utilizing his leadership, people skills, compassion and vision. Helene Eisner, 78, spent 32 years working for Elias Wilf, becoming the face of the distributor and, when she retired in 1998, many called her the heart of the company as well. She joined Elias Wilf in 1966 as secretary to its president, Arnold Cohen. But it didn’t take long for her skills to shine and she was quickly promoted to assistant to the president. Eisner reigned over Wilf’s three showrooms in Philadelphia, Baltimore and Atlanta. Seymour Gardner, 80, began his illustrious career in the distributing business and spent a half century doing what he loved, culminating in the founding of the wholesaler that bears his family name. At 19, he joined American Rug, a New York distributor, but left to serve in the military during the Korean conflict. When he returned to civilian life in 1952, he joined Benj. Berman’s service department and spent the next 22 years working his way up to vice president of sales. In 1974, Gardner left Berman to start his own distributorship, Gardner Carpets— division of Garner Industries, and sold only carpet and padding. Today it offers a full range of products. In 1995, he began the transition of management to his son, Glenn, and, by 2004, officially retired. Paul Goodman, 82, founded the flooring wholesale business, CISU, which, today, is known as CMH Space Flooring, estimated by Floor Covering News to be the industry’s third largest distributor with 2010 sales of $135 million, and serving more than 5,000 retailers in the Carolinas, Georgia, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia and Alabama. His son, Kent, remains the company’s president. Sander Rubenson, 88, was the founder and president of Reuben-Lloyd Co., a carpet distributor he opened with his father in 1954. After 42 years in the business, he sold the company to Pennsylvania Floor Covering in 1996 and retired. Fred Shapiro, 93, spent most of his life in flooring distribution, and eventually became president of both a major company and the segment’s most notable organization. Following his service in the Navy during World War II, he joined Felix Half & Bro., a Pittsburgh distributor for Magee Carpets and Armstrong resilient products. Two years after being named president, he had taken the company from $2 million in annual sales to $14 million. In 1979-80 he served as president of the National Association of Floor Covering Distributors. John Snyder, 68, began his industry career in 1964 at the manufacturing level with Armstrong. Nine years later he moved to the distribution side, joining then flooring newcomer Adleta Corp., and he never left. Snyder began as a resilient sales manager when the company entered the industry in 1973 as an Armstrong wholesaler. After six years he was promoted to vice president and, in 1992, was named president. It was under his leadership, Adleta went from a north Texas distributor to one that now serves seven states and is among the top 15 wholesalers in flooring. Snyder remained active in the company until his death, serving the last three years as a director. Retailers Leon Engel, 72, grew up in the specialty retail environment—starting at age 12 in his father’s store, which was opened after WWII. In 1967, he moved to Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., to run his aunt’s flooring store. But it was his retail store in Chicago that brought him his fame. In 1970 Engel opened Home Carpet and Linoleum Center, which he changed to Home Carpet One in 1987 when he became as one of the earliest members of Carpet One. He would also go on to own all three ProSource showrooms in the Chicago area. Also in 1987, he served as president of the Chicago Floorcovering Association and, in 2008 was honored as the organization’s Person of the Year. A testament to his reputation as an honest, hardworking member of the industry and community, more than 500 people paid their respects during a memorial service. Jim Flack, 74, started in the flooring industry as an installer and worked his way to owning a successful, multi-state retail business. Known as “the carpet dealer with the hole in his head,” he founded All State Carpet Service in 1952 and then Expressway Carpets, which grew to five states: New York, Illinois, Georgia, Florida and Texas. His family still operates the New York location. Bill Grate, 86, opened Mr. G’s Interiors in 1963 in Arizona. The operation grew to where there were Mr. G’s stores throughout the valley when he and his wife retired in 2005. Harold Keshishian, 81, grew up in the rug trade and was known around the nation’s capital as the “expert’s expert” on the subject. He joined the family business Mark Keshishian and Sons in 1956. By that time, the 25-year-old business was a D.C. institution, having furnished carpets that cover the city’s most distinguished floors, including the White House. His knowledge of rugs and ability figure out their history led to a presidential appointment to the State Department’s Cultural Property Advisory Committee in 1992 and he was sometimes called on by the U.S. Customs Service to examine rugs seized from smugglers. He shared his lifetime of knowledge at Washington’s Textile Museum on the first Saturday of each month with his “rug mornings” lectures and also wrote two books on rugs. Richard Kinstlinger, 91, got his industry start with his brother, Max, first sweeping floors and then learning how to sew carpet at Gindhi Carpet. Over time, they became a formidable team with Max sewing and binding the carpets and Richard installing them. In the mid- to late-1950s the brothers founded Regal Carpet & Tile, which would go on to become a fixture in the industry. With locations in Cleveland and Atlanta, Kinstlinger would often travel between them and his reputation for building relationships was so strong, he was reputed to have once sold carpet to a neighbor on a flight to Georgia. Greg Musselman, 63, was more than a floor covering retail salesman; he was considered a mentor to those who knew him. Working for the Big Bob’s Flooring Outlet in the Midwest, his talents and gifts as a salesman were so obvious that he quickly became the No. 1 salesperson no matter which store he was transferred to. Colleagues said Musselman took customer service to another level by turning it into a belief system. So much so, Big Bob’s is encouraging all in the company to include W.W.G.M.D (What Would Greg Musselman Do?) into their customer service statements. Installation Mylan Boysen, 69, was a well-known installation inspector and owned and operated Mike’s Floor Covering Inspections in Garden City, Mo., until his retirement in June 2010. His reputation came from being someone who always wanted to know the latest information regarding flooring. He was affiliated with numerous organizations as an inspector, including the International Certified Floorcovering Installers Association (CFI), of which he attended one of the first inspector courses the group held and was an active member until his death. Robert Wilson, 66, became the first person in Kentucky to be certified as a Master Installer by the International Certified Floorcovering Installers Association (CFI). The owner of R.E. Wilson Carpet for over 20 years, he became a CFI ambassador, which included writing stories for the association’s newsletter and promoting pride, professionalism and dedication to the finest customer service wherever he went. Wilson attended every CFI convention prior to his death and was a driving force behind the organization’s Kentucky chapter, often times investing his own money “to tell the CFI story.” In his honor, the chapter extablished an annual scholarship in his name to be awarded to a young installer of less than 25 years of age and three years experience. Miscellaneous Leonard Bilello was a salesman with cushion maker General Felt Industries (GFI). Friends and relatives said he left behind a legacy of love, friendship, generosity and humor. Robert Botelho, 57, spent more than 30 years in the industry, working his way up from installer to store owner and eventually moving over to the supply side as an executive for a flooring software company. Known for his dedication and hard work, his 75-hour work weeks were credited for his Massachusetts retail business averaging 8% to 10% annual growth and expanding to three stores, including a cash-and-carry operation. In the mid 1990s he became president of the then floundering New England Floor Covering Association and revitalized the group, increasing membership and regularly drawing more than 180 people to meetings. He would eventually head south to work for RollMaster Software where he would become executive vice president. Sonna Calandrino, 63, had a flair for fashion, a keen sense of style and a profound desire to help people. These traits plus her entrepreneurial spirit helped make Calandrino an industry icon. During her more than three decades in flooring she saw success as a retailer, consultant, speaker, columnist and publisher. As a retailer, Calandrino grew the business into a 10-store chain in upstate New York; as a consultant, she was the architect of Mohawk Industries’ Floorscapes retail buying group; as a speaker, she was a fixture at industry events, keynoting conventions and seminars with her upbeat, positive message of education, profitability and flooring as fashion; as a writer, she was the first female to have a regular column in an industry trade magazine and would end up writing for all the major publications during her career, and as a publisher, she founded Fabulous Floors, the first consumer magazine devoted to flooring as a key interior design element, which is entering its 9th year. In 2006, when commemorating its 20th anniversary, Floor Covering News named her one of the top 20 most influential women in the industry. Glen Kalil, 64, started a successful carpet business with his brother, Gene, following college. When another brother, Edward, suggested they grow the operation worldwide, he moved to California and began traveling around the world, amassing a collection of Persian rugs that have been featured in articles, books and museums all over the globe. Kalil was regarded as an innovator in the Persian carpet business and was considered one of the world’s foremost experts on antique Oriental rugs. Brett Kerr, 37, was a national accounts manager for hardwood floor finishing manufacturer Bona US. He began as a territory manager in the Midwest as had just been promoted to national accounts manager in charge of the company’s Home Depot business. Aristide Laurenzi, 88, was the former owner of Delmhorst Instrument Co., a manufacturer of moisture meters. He emigrated to the U.S. in 1950 and eventually joined Delmhorst in 1962. Seven years later he became a partner in the company and sole owner in 1978. He remained active as chairman until 2005 when he turned the business over to his four children. Robert Rennie, 64, worked as a sales executive for flooring adhesive and installation accessories manufacturers for more than 35 years. He entered the industry in 1971 with Berkheimers’ Distributing before finding his calling on the product making side of the business. In 1974 Rennie became district sales manager for W.W. Henry Co., and rose up to general sales manager of the West before leaving in 2000 to be the North American sales manager for Orcon Corp. In 2008, he went back to the glue side to be Para-Chem’s Pacific Region sales manager, where he remained until his passing.