HICKSVILLE, N.Y.—Industry professionals appreciate the power and importance of good training. Whether it’s education regarding sales techniques, installation methods or best business practices, knowing how to do something consistently well is one of the hallmarks of a strong leader. Recently, the flooring industry has seen its share of leaders recognized for the emphasis each puts on comprehensive training methods.

For the second consecutive year, Mohawk Industries has been selected to Training magazine’s “Top 125” training organizations. This is considered the most elite ranking among Fortune 500 companies for training and learning development.

Mohawk jumped from its ranking of No. 64 last year to No. 19 in this year’s evaluations. The company was praised for its New Hire Sales College, which recruits and trains young men and women for a career in sales, and for Antioch plant coater operator training that resulted in “significant measurable results.”

Additionally, Mohawk Greenworks training was singled out as an example of training tied to company objectives.

“Just to make this list is a high achievement,” said Mike Zoellner, vice president of learning development for Mohawk. “To be recognized as one of the top education organizations in American business is a major honor—and a reflection of the ideas and work that Mohawk University employees put into our program. Training and education is a critical part of our partnership with Mohawk dealers and employees, and it becomes more important as our business becomes more competitive.”

Zoellner noted that the flooring industry was well represented in the awards program. In addition to Mohawk, Shaw Industries and the Tandus Group were also ranked in the magazine’s Top 125 list. “This recognition and the efforts of the Carpet & Rug Institute (CRI) CEU program really serve to underscore this industry’s commitment to training and education,” he said.

Speaking of Shaw, its Learning Academy was recognized for the fourth consecutive year, making it the only flooring manufacturer to receive this honor for that duration. “Shaw is excited and proud to once again be a member of the Top 125,” said Danny Crutchfield, Shaw’s director of corporate training and organizational development. “We have always been committed to the development of our people. Getting the right people doing the right things in the right way at the right time connects directly to our business strategy. The Shaw Learning Academy also provides learning and development opportunities to our customers to help facilitate their success.”

The Shaw Learning Academy started nearly 20 years ago as a single sales training program and has since evolved into eight “Centers of Excellence” whose mission is “to partner with internal and external clients to help achieve the objectives of the business by delivering worldclass development opportunities and training services.”

Tandus was recognized for its excellence in employee sales training for the second year in a row. “To be among a list of such influential industry leaders is truly humbling,” said Chris Clement, director of product applications for Tandus.

Training magazine is a 41-year-old professional development publication that advocates training and workforce development as a business tool. The magazine focuses on management issues such as leadership and succession planning, recruitment and retention, and training issues such as learning theory, on-the-job skills assessments and aligning core workforce competencies to enhance the bottom line impact of training and development programs. An outside research and statistical data company makes the initial recommendations.

Tandus was also named a finalist in the Stevie Awards’ sales training program of the year for its program, Elements, which provides comprehensive training and selling information for the Tandus sales team.

Call Mohawk University at 800.664.2958, Shaw Learning Academy at 800.811.2404 and Tandus at 706.259.2601.