Garner, N.C.—Following an intensive search, Anthony Sturrus has been named president of Pergo, Inc. In addition, he will be serving as senior vice president, Region North America. He has also been named to Pergo’s senior executive team. Sturrus becomes just the second person to lead Pergo’s North American operations as he succeeds Lars von Kantzow who resigned nine years after bringing the Swedish company across the Atlantic and building one of the industry’s more recognizable consumer brands. Sturrus comes to Pergo from Baldwin Hardware, where he spent nine years as the company’s president and CEO.

Baldwin is a highly diversified—approximately 16,000 SKUs—broadly distributed building products company selling to the domestic and international markets. Its mid- to high-end products include locks, lighting, giftware, bathroom accessories, cabinet products, etc. Based in Reading, Pa., Baldwin is a division of Masco Corp., a $9 billion conglomerate engaged in the manufacturing and distribution of building products for the commercial and residential markets, with brand names such as Delta faucets. In terms of sales, he said Baldwin’s are “comparable” to Pergo’s. “We were considered the crown jewel in Masco’s portfolio in terms of both our growth record and opportunities.”

Having led more than one company in the building products industry (prior to Baldwin, he was with a similar type of multi-channel company), Sturrus feels his experience has prepared him well for the flooring industry. “Floor covering has some of the same issues as other building products-related industries,” he explained during an exclusive interview. “It’s highly competitive, even combative,” noting, “it didn’t take me long to size that one up. Also, there are channel conflict issues between specialty dealer and the home centers. There are no real secrets in the industry as everyone seems to watch each other pretty closely. Some of the key drivers are the same, such as style and design, and cost.”

Also, having worked in Reading, Sturrus was keenly aware of Armstrong World Industries which is located in nearby Lancaster, Pa. “I was near Armstrong so I have a pretty good sense of what is happening and has happened in the industry. I also paid attention to companies who are involved in other building categories, such as Formica, which also has a tremendous consumer brand name.” In terms of Armstrong, Sturrus did more than just pay attention to the industry’s largest resilient mill. “I recruited a number of people from Armstrong because it not only has such a strong reputation of having quality people, it does. It’s always been a model company.”

As for Pergo, Sturrus said he was well aware of the company and its products long before taking on his new position. “Pergo was very high on my awareness list. I knew of it as a strong consumer brand and, in some respects, as an industry. There are not many companies across the country that have such a high recognition.” One other piece of experience he feels makes him ready for the task: “I am a user of floor coverings. I’ve been in the market and I know and understand certain things about the consumer side of the industry.”

Despite all this, Sturrus said his number one goal during his first 30 to 45 days is to “listen. I always listen and place that at a high priority in order to be able to do the proper job, but right now it is more important than ever.” He plans to talk first-hand with key retail customers and distributors to get a feel as to where they perceive Pergo to be now and to where they would like it to be, not to mention find out exactly what they need to be successful. “I want to find out what we’ve done well and what we need to do better so that our direction, programs and products are aligned with the needs of our customers,” Sturrus explained.

The time of his hire could not have been better in terms of helping him do this as well as getting a good feel for the industry as a whole, as flooring’s main trade show, Surfaces, is set to take place in Las Vegas starting Jan. 28. “I plan to not only meet with but get feedback from a great many of our customers during the market. “I see this as a great opportunity for Pergo to reach even greater heights,” he added, “because if we meet the needs and objectives of our customers and help them succeed, then we, too, can be successful. It’s all about relationship building and building equity into it because then we can work through any conflict.”

Once he gets a sense of how Pergo is perceived and what needs to be done, Sturrus plans “to move quickly and decisively” and have his agenda set within 120 days. “We have to have a specific game plan in place as soon as possible due to the competitiveness of the industry and the rapid changes taking place across all types of businesses. “This will take some work and will be an intense process,” he continued, “but I want us to be an aggressive, proactive company, not one that reacts to things. That’s how I’ve always worked.” Regardless of his plan, one thing Sturrus already knows is, the importance of leveraging Pergo’s strong consumer brand. “Pergo has done a good job building it and it is a prime aspect of the company and needs to be maintained. Not just in ads, but other elements—innovation and performance—as well and be committed to bringing it back to the level it was.”

Sturrus feels this will not be too hard with the team he has inherited at Pergo. “In the short time I’ve been here, I was quickly able to see that Pergo has some of the brightest, most talented people I’ve come across—at all levels. And, the best part is, they are not only creative, but very energetic. In fact, the same can be said at the corporate level. I’ve been to Sweden a number of times already and everyone there is very supportive of and energized about the American division. They truly want it to succeed.” T

hey should, as Pergo’s North American operations account for approximately two-thirds of the company’s worldwide sales. Finally, Sturrus takes over a company that is currently involved in merger negotiations with Witex and its parent, HW Industries ( FCNews, Nov. 25/Dec. 2). “I haven’t given that much thought in terms of what the effects will be” he concluded. “I’m not even sure of the status of the negotiations. When and if the time comes I will deal with it, but I’ve always been an optimist and I’m sure everything will be worked out. For now, though, my focus is on taking what I see as a significant opportunity for Pergo and making it a reality. And the best way to do that is to truly listen to what is needed and be customer responsive.” —Matthew Spieler