From left: Alan Lorberbaum, Julian Saul and Phil Gutierrez.

Anaheim, Calif.— Alan Lorberbaum. Julian Saul. Phil Gutierrez. Their names are synonymous with the growth and success of the flooring industry and come April 28, they will forever be immortalized as each has been elected into the World Floor Covering Association ( WFCA) Industry Hall of Fame.

This year’s ceremony will also be a family reunion of sorts as Lorberbaum, who passed away last year, joins his late wife, Shirley, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame posthumously in 2003, and Saul joins his late father, Harry, who was inducted in 1994. Though Gutierrez does not have any family already in the Hall, he has been a father figure to specialty dealers across the country since taking ownership of the Abbey Carpet franchise network in the late 1970s.

They join the 32 previous inductees to the Hall of Fame since its inception in 1992, according to Chris Davis, president and CEO of the WFCA.

The new inductees will be honored, along with all members of the Hall of Fame, at a black-tie gala benefiting the Floor Covering Industry Foundation (FCIF), which will be held Saturday, April 28, at Cipriani’s-42nd Street in New York.

“This is an excellent and well-deserved group of individuals to be added to the Industry Hall of Fame,” said Robert Hill, WFCA’s chairman. “They all meet or exceed the standard of excellence established by previous inductees.”

Each year the WFCA calls for nominations, which are then screened by a special committee. There is no guarantee a person will be inducted each year. In fact, there were no inductees last year, and Jim Walker of the International Certified Floorcovering Installers Association (CFI) was the lone inductee in 2005.

As for this year’s class, the three individuals are truly among the industry’s who’s who as their accomplishments are rivaled by few.

Lorberbaum and his wife, Shirley, founded Aladdin Mills in 1957 as a rug and bath mat business and built it into one of the industry’s most formidable carpet manufacturers. Aladdin was one of the first carpet producers to invest in fiber extrusion, new technologies and distribution systems to provide a higher level than then existing industry standards. In 1994, Aladdin merged with Mohawk Industries, with Lorberbaum becoming the largest stockholder and joining the Mohawk board. His son, Jeff, is currently the company’s chairman and CEO, which is now the largest manufacturer in the floor covering industry.

Saul joined Queen Tufting in 1963 after graduating from Georgia Tech. At that time the company, founded by his father, Harry, produced products such as chenille robes. The youngster’s allergic reaction to cotton dust forced him to discuss with his father about changing the business to produce carpet from synthetic yarns. They made that switch in 1969 and never looked back. By 1995, Saul, who was now president and CEO of Queen Carpet following his father’s death in 1994, had built the company into the fourth largest carpet manufacturer, and was acknowledged by Forbes as the 277th largest privately held company in the U.S. In 1998, Queen merged with Shaw Industries and Saul became president of Shaw until his retirement last July.

Saul’s philanthropic efforts have been significant, particularly his work on behalf of the FCIF, of which he was an early and tireless supporter contributing both time and money.

Gutierrez has been in the floor covering industry for over 40 years, beginning as a buyer at Richard’s Department Store in Miami. In the late ’70s, he took ownership of Abbey Carpet, one of the original flooring franchises and which, at that time, had a negative net worth and only a handful of members. From those humble beginnings, Gutierrez has built a company (Abbey, Floors To Go and The Floor Club) into over 1,000 franchises. Prior to Abbey, there was no such thing as a “group.”

Through his vision and leadership, the strength of marketing or buying groups now play an important and vital role in the distribution of flooring products. Abbey has historically and consistently been acknowledged by franchise business publications as one of the best operations available in the marketplace. Gutierrez’ vision of the retail landscape has proven successful for those who have elected to follow his leadership. He is also a very philanthropic individual who generously supports the FCIF.

For more information about WFCA’s Industry Hall of Fame, call 800.624.6880. To learn more about the FCIF, call 714.634.0302.