By Louis Iannaco
Flooring America franchisees regularly count their blessings, not to mention their profits, for having joined the team. Whether it’s training, networking or buying power, members are provided with everything they need to be successful in good and bad times.

“In these difficult economic times, to be able to partner with an innovative company that is looking out for the best interests of the group, where they are not alone on an island, that’s a huge benefit,” said Mike Cherico, senior vice president of membership for CCA Global, Flooring America’s parent company. “We encourage networking at every turn; we like to facilitate it, where people can get best practices from each other and help their businesses.”

Training leads the way
Flooring America’s buying power is a given, Cherico noted, but when it comes to training and education, “it’s something we’re experts in.” While the economy may have caused others to cut back in this area “we keep pushing and making sure we are helping our members invest in their people.”

Joan Cocuzzo, principal and president of Flooring America in Franklin, Mass., said its training “keeps us informed both on technical product information and installation training so we can offer the best buying experience and installation guarantees on the planet.”

Dan Taylor, president, Picket Fence Design in Southern California, told FCNews his company would be much different today had he not joined Flooring America— much smaller and probably not as financially healthy. “We may have gotten lost in the pack of contractors that really don’t have a game plan and just run their businesses day-to-day, hoping things will work out. Flooring America helped us be aggressive with our strategy to survive and thrive in a down economy.”

He cited the networking opportunities as particularly helpful. “Product, warranties, pricing, programs, business practices, expenses, advertising, marketing, social networking, profits, etc., you can learn so much from your peers when there is open dialogue and sharing of knowledge and experience. That alone is priceless.”

Like Taylor, Kelby Frederick, president and co-owner of My Flooring America in Dallas/Ft. Worth, believes sharing information is critical. “Flooring America is not a program or department, it’s a commitment to a way of doing business. We don’t want people to join unless they’re passionate about their business and anxious to contribute to the group’s success. When passionate owners are willing to collaborate and execute the programs created by Flooring America, we become participants in our mutual success.”

Marketing and advertising
Aside from training, Cocuzzo cited marketing and brand recognition as major attributes. “The main reason we joined was for its dynamic advertising program. The Internet has changed everything about advertising and CCA has kept up with the latest and greatest aspects of this new vehicle for reaching out to consumers. We were immediately on board with search engine optimization, Facebook, Twitter—you name it—and took to it much faster than if we had done it alone.”

But her advertising is facilitated because consumers know Flooring America. “Consumers today don’t want to spend a lot of time researching where to buy. When you belong to a group like Flooring America, the name recognition is already done for you. From the name Flooring America to its website to the TV and radio ads, the group’s professionalism is apparent. All the work has been done.”

For Gary Canizaro, owner and president of Premiere Flooring America in Kenner, La., his Flooring America experience has been about the small things. “By implementing several small changes, I was able to increase my gross profit margin by a solid 10 points in three years. By fully embracing the system and…making little changes in the way you operate, any owner can transition from working in to working on the business and eventually enjoy owning it a whole lot more.”

Merchandising muscle
Another major benefit of membership is Flooring America’s unique merchandising program. Citing the Vision retail showroom as the best in the industry, Frederick said, “there’s no way we would have had the resources to design and implement a showroom this professional. It’s a consumer-driven selling system that truly resonates with the shopper.”

Like Frederick, Randy Wood of Village Carpets’ Flooring America in El Cajon, Calif., believes in the group’s merchandising. “We get a wide variety of products from a range of vendors. They’re brought together in a simple, attractive package customized for your showroom. Before, we had so many mismatched displays, there was no way we could make the showroom look good—now it has great flow and continuity.”

Ultimately, Frederick concluded, being a Flooring America member is all about strength and execution. “When you combine the strength and resources of CCA with the passion of the members, you truly create the best company in the industry.”