St Louis—Jim Gould has formed the Floor Covering Institute (FCI), a consulting firm designed to help both domestic and foreign companies find solutions in today’s global economy. Gould, who recently left his post as chief product officer of CCA Global Partners ( FCNews, Oct. 1/8), said the original goal was to kick things off Jan. 1, but with CCA and Domotex asia/Chinafloor already on board as clients and others in the waiting, “the wheels are already turning.”

FCI has three targets, he explained during an exclusive interview with FCNews. First is sourcing product for the U.S. market. This could be either helping a foreign company come in with the right type of product or helping a domestic company find a product from another country to import.

The second area deals with helping companies export U.S.-made flooring around the world. “This is probably the most overlooked area in the industry,” Gould noted. “We have the best manufacturers when it comes to certain products and already missed a number of opportunities.”

The third part is helping with mergers and acquisitions and “many people and companies do not understand the industry or U.S. market,” he said. FCI can help from a market standpoint by advising whether an opportunity will be created and whether a partnership or acquisition is the best route to go.

Lastly, Gould wants to bring in industry experts either as partners, affiliates or whatever is decided as best. These are people who have a great deal of industry experience but are currently on their own—semi-retired, unemployed and so on.

Playing off the institute name, he refers to these people as faculty because of their knowledge and the fact they would be sharing it with others. For example, “if Walter Guinan were still alive, I would ask him to be a part of FCI.” In addition, whether through these individuals or by his own contacts, FCI will set up affiliations with companies that specialize in various parts of doing business on local, regional, national or international levels.

Gould told FCNews the impetus for FCI happened many years ago when, as the owner of Midwest distributor Misco Shawnee, he played a key role in helping Pergo establish itself in the U.S. “I was amazed at the amount of information it needed and many of the things I took for granted just from living in the U.S. and working in the industry my whole life.”

From where to set up an office to who to use to get samples and labels made to an international bank and everything in between was the type of information being requested, and not just from Pergo but from “many” companies looking to come into the U.S.

To that end, he created Distribution Services Inc. (DSI), an international third-party distribution company that provided services to manufacturers entering the U.S. market. In fact, DSI initially provided Pergo with business services and national warehousing. And, in 1998, he performed the same service for Unilin’s Quick•Step when it came to the states.

FCI is a different type of venture, Gould explained, as it is strictly consulting based, but one of its main targets will be helping companies get what they need to run successful operations in the U.S. That’s where the affiliations come into play. For example, if a manufacturer is searching for a logistics company, FCI would be able to provide a solid recommendation.

“The concept is to help connect U.S. companies and their products with the rest of the world,” he concluded. “And, at the same time, help foreign companies make sense of the complicated U.S. market.”

For more information on FCI, contact Gould at 314.812.2700.