WASHINGTON—Mohawk, Shaw and Starnet dealers are being introduced to a new aligned dealers program that was just launched by the Carpet America Recovery Effort ( CARE).

In the program, aligned dealers from Starnet to Mohawk’s ColorCenter and Floorscapes to Shaw’s SFA who join CARE will be given a discount on membership fees. “Each new member will also receive a special packet, including a framed certificate, window cling, counter card, business card template, press release template, and other marketing materials to help them show their customers they’re making a sustainable difference,” said Georgina Sikorski, CARE’s executive director. “We plan to roll this program out to other dealers based on the success of the initial launch.”

The aligned dealers will receive a discount on their membership fees to CARE, she noted. “The mills are helping to defray their cost of membership as part of their aligned dealer affiliation.”

Membership fees are listed on the CARE Web site, carpetrecovery.org, as follows: Residential retailers who take in $7.5 million in gross annual revenue or above pay $500, while commercial flooring dealers and contractors who take in $7.5 million in gross annual revenue or more pay $1,000. Additional information on membership fees for carpet manufacturers, suppliers, flooring co-ops, buying groups and associations, and others can be found on the site.

“By becoming a member of CARE,” noted Sikorski, “the dealer shows its customers that its business supports programs to recycle carpet. It is also important to note CARE is a not-for-profit (501c3), so all membership dues are tax deductible.”

The funding raised from the aligned dealer program will be used to discover and increase the available market opportunities for post-consumer carpet, she explained. “The additional funding raised from this program will allow CARE to invest in various initiatives that will help to increase what CARE is currently able to do to support its membership network.”

Shaw, Mohawk and Starnet are playing “a huge role in launching the aligned dealer program,” Sikorski said. “CARE is attending all of their aligned dealer meetings across the U.S. to educate their dealers about carpet recycling and how CARE membership can positively impact their business.”

Jenny Cross, director of sustainability for Mohawk, noted the importance of being affiliated with the program. “As a founding member of CARE, we at Mohawk know the engagement of the entire industry, not a select few, will be the key to the success of carpet reclamation. Retail involvement is important because our retailers and installers are the critical, final link to the carpet being removed from homes and readied for recycling.

“Today,” she explained, “very few retailers truly understand the issues associated with carpet recycling or how limited the current network really is. As with all the programs we offer to our aligned dealers, membership with CARE will bring them insight that can be used to improve their businesses and will show their consumers that they are committed to helping to find a solution to an industry wide issue.”

As for expanding the program in the future, Sikorski concluded, “CARE is more than willing to partner with other industry players to create a program similar to the one CARE has launched with Shaw, Mohawk and Starnet.”

For more on CARE and its aligned dealer program, visit carpetrecovery.org.