Anaheim, Calif.—A pioneering retailer and entrepreneur who has been successful in two connected but very different ventures will be the lone inductee for 2008 into the World Floor Covering Association’s ( WFCA) Flooring Industry Hall of Fame this spring.

Terry Wheat, president and CEO of Wheat’s Carpet One in Tuscaloosa, Ala., and president and CEO of flooring software developer RFMS, will be inducted at a reception and ceremony in conjunction with the WFCA annual meeting in Chattanooga, Tenn., on April 30.

“Terry is the prototypical Hall of Fame inductee,” said Chris Davis, WFCA’s president and CEO. “He was elected to this honor for his sustained achievements and contributions over every aspect of his life throughout his entire career.”

Said WFCA chairman Donny Phillips, “Having known Terry for years, it’s fantastic to see him rewarded for his tireless efforts of consistent performance in our industry by being inducted into the Hall of Fame. He started in this business young and on a shoestring and through hard work and perseverance built not only two solid companies, but made significant contributions to his industry and community during his career.”

Wheat founded what is now Wheat’s Carpet One in 1969 at age 21 with more moxie than money, convincing World Carpets to extend him credit and terms. The operation began out of the kitchen of his rented house in west Alabama.

Wheat’s store became the incubator and continues today to serve as the developmental laboratory for what would become Wheat’s greatest contribution to the flooring industry. In the early ’80s, Wheat sought to adapt the profitability models he had developed in 13 years as a retailer to the personal computer. By 1985 he had developed a thoroughly integrated software package for his company and began sharing the software with other retailers. Thus, RFMS was born.

Using feedback from other dealers to fine tune his product, by 1987 Wheat began to aggressively market the RFMS system. In less than 10 years, usage grew from four clients to more than 1,100 clients.

Today, RFMS is recognized as one of the leading providers of business management and software solutions for the flooring industry with 2,000 clients, representing more than 5,000 store locations and more than $6 billion in annual sales.

Wheat and his firm have been major players in advancing the floor covering industry’s B2B platform, working in concert with other vendors and participants at every level of the distribution channel to simplify and make everyday business functions easier, less costly and vastly more efficient.

At present, 20% of the RFMS client base is actively receiving product catalogs, shipping notices and electronic invoices from major vendors. Flooring dealers now have the ability to send purchase orders to these same vendors without human intervention. The vendor then sends back the acknowledgement with all shipping information.

The take-off estimating software RFMS has designed and built, coupled with scheduling software that completely organizes the installation process, add the complete business management systems that allows a dealer to take an order from estimating to general ledger, and now the ability to communicate with major vendors electronically means there is very little the astute dealer cannot accomplish with complete proficiency. Wheat and his firm have completely committed themselves to an education program that makes sure certain clients are utilizing their tools to the maximum, noted Davis.

Despite the demands of business, Wheat continues to volunteer literally hundreds of hours of time per year to community, educational, religious, professional and personal development, charitable and other philanthropic pursuits Each year his employees are allowed numerous hours of salaried time to devote to various causes, time, incidentally, that does not count against the employees’ vacation time.

Wheat has been an active and contributing director of the WFCA and has also been involved with the Carpet & Rug Institute (CRI), Home Builders Association of Tuscaloosa and co-developed Mohawk Vision 2000 seminars. “His level of commitment to his profession and his community,” concluded Davis, “make him a worthy addition to the Hall of Fame.”

For more about the WFCA and its programs, call 800.624.6880.