David Wootton is an international business professional with 18 years
    experience as a hands on chief executive of major U.S. flooring  
    manufacturing companies. His passion is troubleshooting and helping
    flooring businesses improve their business disciplines.  He is principal of
    The Wootton Group, LLC.

    Mr. Wootton's expertise lies in strategic development, global sourcing,
    turnarounds and mergers and acquisitions.  He guides businesses through
    asset utilization, strategic realignments and divestitures, working with
    companies to strengthen their strategic teams and key personnel.  As CEO,
    Mr. Wootton led both Harris-tarkett and Columbia Flooring through
    ambitious expansions and successful growth periods. From 1998 to 2007,
    Mr. Wootton lead Columbia through conversion of A Virginia plywood plant
    to a hardwood flooring plant and multiple acquisitions of manufacturing
    facilities in Georgia, Arkansas, Tennessee, West Virginia and offshore in
    Malaysia.  By 2007 Columbia was the second largest hardwood flooring
    manufacturer in the U.S. when it was purchased by Unilin, a division of
    Mohawk Industries, Inc. Prior to his tenure in the flooring industry, he held
    executive positions with automotive chemical manufacturer, Dinol, and a
    large residential and commercial construction company, Bovis Construction
    Ltd., both based in the U.K.  Mr. Wootton is a resident of Atlanta, GA with
    offices in both Atlanta and the UK.  
David Wootton
David Wootton
Full Biography

    David Wootton, Floor Covering Institute member, is an international business professional
    with 17 years experience as a hands on chief executive of major U.S. flooring
    manufacturing companies.  

    As chief executive officer, he led both Harris-Tarkett and Columbia Flooring through
    ambitious expansions and successful growth periods. As chief executive officer, he led both
    Harris-Tarkett and Columbia Flooring through ambitious expansions and successful growth
    periods. As principal of The Wootton Group LLC, and member of the Floor Covering
    Institute, he now offers assistance to businesses in all stages of their business life cycle
    including strategic development and global sourcing, turnarounds, mergers and
    acquisitions. He guides business through asset utilization, strategic re-alignments and
    divestitures and works with corporations to strengthen their strategic teams, networks
    and key personnel.

    A native of Great Britain, Wootton came to the US in 1990 as President of Harris-Tarkett
    and later Tarkett Inc. Under his direction, Harris Tarkett expanded from a small
    manufacturer of unfinished solid hardwood to become a leader in both prefinished and
    unfinished flooring with solid and engineered construction platforms. Wootton lead
    expansion of Harris-Tarkett’s manufacturing facilities and product lines and expanded the
    distribution network nationally. By 1999, Harris Tarkett was the third largest manufacturer
    of hardwood flooring in North America producing a range of prefinished and unfinished solid
    and engineered plank, strip and parquet products.

    In 1999, Columbia Forest Products recruited Wootton to become president of its new
    hardwood flooring division.  From 1999 to 2007,  Wootton lead Columbia through a long
    period of growth starting with the conversion of a Virginia plywood plant to a hardwood
    flooring plant and multiple acquisitions of  manufacturing facilities in Georgia, Arkansas,
    Tennessee, West Virginia and off-shore in Malaysia. By 2007 Columbia was the second
    largest hardwood flooring manufacturer in the U.S. when Unilin, a division
    of Mohawk Industries, Inc., purchased it.

    Prior to his tenure in the flooring industry, Wootton held executive positions with Dinol, a
    manufacturer of automotive chemicals in Great Britain, and Bovis Construction Ltd., a large
    commercial and residential construction company. Wootton has held several flooring
    industry leadership positions including membership on the Board of Directors of the
    National Association of Floor Covering Distributors (1998-2001) and National Wood Flooring
    Association (1993-1996). He was recognized as Floor Covering Person of the Year by the
    readers of Floor Covering Weekly in 1993. He holds a degree in Business Studies from
    Sheffield College of Commerce and Technology (UK), speaks English, French and German,
    and lives in, and maintains offices in both the U.S. and the U.K.  David Wootton can be
    reached at david@thewoottongroup.com, phone: 404 233-1750;  www.thewoottongroup.
    com.
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Contact:  Ph: 404-233-3093    
Mobile: 404 391-9751     
david@thewoottongroup.com