Sandy Mishkin (L) & Steven Feldman, FCNews Associate Publisher

NATIONAL HARBOR, MD.—Sandy Mishkin, co-founder of CCA Global Partners and the only president the organization has ever known, was honored Jan. 9 with the inaugural Floor Covering News Lifetime Achievement Award. The award was presented to Mishkin by associate publisher and editorial director Steven Feldman at Carpet One’s 25th anniversary gala here ( FCNews, Jan. 11/18).

Floor Covering News established the Lifetime Achievement Award to recognize and celebrate those people who have not only made significant contributions to the floor covering industry, but more important, worked toward its betterment and made a difference over a sustained period of time. Simply stated, it is intended to recognize service and leadership that is of a scope and duration to be considered a lifetime achievement.

“We wanted to honor those people who have dedicated their life to improving the floor covering industry,” said Mike Blick, co-owner and publisher of FCNews. “We felt it was about time for us to have our own award annually honoring an individual who has made significant contributions. We chose Sandy as our inaugural recipient because he exemplified that person.”

Mishkin is a most-deserving recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award, dedicating his life to an industry in which he broke into in the early 1960s as a 19-yearold assistant floor covering and furniture buyer for the Korvette’s department store chain. He later crossed over to the manufacturing side as vice president of merchandising for Trend Mills and then Horizon Industries. But it was at CCA Global Partners, then Carpet Co-op of America, where Mishkin would land in 1985, helping to build one of the industry’s most powerful groups. His product development and merchandising skills have played a key role in CCA Global’s ability to offer the exclusive products and brands that differentiate the company from competitors. Examples would include Lees and Bigelow.

Mishkin was both honored and humbled to receive the award, especially in front of all the Carpet One members. “I can’t express the gratitude of getting the inaugural award,” he said. “What makes it even more special is it is not politically motivated.”

Mishkin has spent nearly a half-century in floor covering. “I love this business,” he said. “I have devoted 47 years of my life to it, and I never looked at it as one day of work. This industry has been good to me. I’ve had more fun being part of this industry’s growth and helping to change its course. I give credit to everyone, because none of this is accomplished alone.”

Howard Brodsky, co-founder and CEO of CCA Global, believes FCNews could not have made a better choice for its inaugural recipient. “I was personally thrilled to see Sandy receive Floor Covering News’ first Lifetime Achievement Award,” he said. “No one could be more deserving. Sandy has had such a major influence on the industry. He has always been considered the best product person. And he’s a wonderful close friend.”

Peter Spirer, former president and CEO of Horizon, has known Mishkin from the very beginning. “At Horizon he was in charge of our merchandising program to establish a presence on the retail floor,” he said. “We always referred to that as the Stevie Wonder Suddenly Sighted test. The idea was that if a consumer walked in the store and was suddenly gifted with sight, the first thing she would see is Horizon. He did a brilliant job for us.”

But it is Miskin’s head and heart that sets him apart, Spirer said. “He is one of the most astute people in the industry. He is aware of everything and has an amazing memory. He’s also a friend to so many people. It’s because he is a generous man who never forgets his friends.”

The key to his success has been his ability to always think like a retailer. “That’s how he was trained, and it never left him,” Spirer said. “It’s no wonder he was able to contribute so greatly to Carpet One.”

When Mishkin reflects on his career, he recalls the first Carpet One convention as a highlight. “We had about 40 people. I walked around with a bullhorn. Each member walked around with me as I showed them how we purchased every product. Those were our first purchases from our mills. It kind of legitimized what we were doing. For the first nine months we were just newspaper headlines. This convention showed we were real. That took us to the point of reality.”