- James C. Gould is president and founder of the Floor Covering Institute; A 40 year veteran of
the floor covering industry, he has been recognized as "One of the Industry's 20 Most
Influential Men."
Mr. Gould has owned, operated and founded multiple national and international floor covering
enterprises beginning with Misco Shawnee, a full-line Midwest flooring distributor once ranked
8th in the nation. He founded Distribution Services, Inc. to provide logistics and administrative
services to international companies and used DSI to be the first to bring new products and
companies to the U.S.; most notably Pergo then Quickstep.
Friday, June 19, 2009 - Interview by Christine Whittemore
Meet Jim Gould - Floor Covering Institute Series
Read the rest of the interview
Meet Jim Gould - Floor Covering Institute Series
- In this series, I introduce you to the members of the Floor
Covering Institute. This post focuses on James C. [or Jim] Gould,
president and founder of the Floor Covering Institute.
I first met Jim in mid 2004 shortly after he joined CCA Global
Partners as chief product officer. Very quickly, I realized that his
product knowledge and marketplace perspectives were unlike any
I had encountered so far in the flooring industry. Not only had Jim
developed a comprehensive perspective of the flooring industry,
in terms of product categories, end uses possible, marketplace
success and how to distribute products effectively, but he also
brought a global understanding of industry dynamics. Plus, he
spoke French!
Many in the flooring industry consider Jim a “visionary.” You see,
he has the ability to envision opportunities before others do.
Examples: Pergo laminate, Casa Italia ceramic, Resista fiber at
CCA [see below for more details]... Jim examines a problem and
comes away with a totally different perspective and solution. And,
not just in the flooring industry...
Take St. Louis Children's Hospital on whose board he has served
for the past 15 years and where he heads the Patient Care and
Quality Committee. St. Louis Children's Hospital has just made U.
S. News Honor Roll of Top Children's Hospitals in America - the
only children's hospital ranked in the Top 10 of every measured
category and it ranks #5 nationally in a study by Parents
magazine.
Jim is also a past Chapter Chairman of the Young President’s
Organization and chaired a week long International YPO
University that included such notables as Presidents George W.
Bush, Shimon Peres and F.W. de Klerk aboard Cunard’s QE2...
C.B.: Jim, please tell me about yourself.
Read the rest of the interview
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- He founded the ceramic line, Casa Italia, and used it to launch a network of ceramic distributors. In the late 1990s Mr. Gould purchased the
intellectual assets of Color Tile, Inc. from bankruptcy and formed a new buying group, Color Tile LLC, which he later sold. In 2004 he became
the first Chief Product Officer for CCA Global Partners; while there he created CCA's first direct import division giving member retailers the
opportunity to import directly through the CCA's portal. He formed the Floor Covering Institute in late 2007.
- Mr. Gould has been actively engaged in the global floor covering market since the early 1990s and has an extensive network of resources
around the globe. He presently consults with clients in Asia, Europe, the U.S. and New Zealand and works with all categories of companies from
retail to manufacturing, growers, distributors, associations and buying groups. Jim writes and publishes often on the Institute's blog site, www.
blog.foorcoveringinstitute.com, and is research and writing is published in both U.S. and international industry publications. His white paper on
the Lacey Act, which delves into the issue of the standard of care to which the industry will be held by the new timber provisions, has been called
a "must read" by members of the media and industry. Contact: jgould@floorcoveringinstitute.com Ph:314-812-2710
| Full Biography Jim Gould is President and Founder of the Floor Covering Institute LLC.
Institute LLC, a consulting concern focused on the global floor covering industry. A 40 year floor covering entrepreneur recognized as "One of the Industry's 20 Most Influential Men" , Gould is known for spotting opportunity where others do not. Gould formed the Institute in 2007 to focus on creating opportunities in the floor covering industry. The Institute has gained an international reputation as an independent concern with clients and associated faculty around the world. Despite his focus on international markets and clients around the world, Gould’s passion is helping the entire industry and he remains involved with all product categories and channel segments from retailers to manufacturers. International exhibitions, Domotex Germany and Domotex Asia, are clients and he regularly speaks at Surfaces and Coverings. Wall Street and equity research analysts often consult Gould for his analysis and insight. Considered a thought leader, Gould writes for industry trade media, the Floor Covering Institute’s blog and his industry white papers are published internationally. For 35 years Gould owned and operated Misco Shawnee, one of the largest floor covering distributors in the US. In 1991 he founded Distribution Services, Inc. (DSI), a third party logistics service provider to international flooring manufacturers. Gould introduced Pergo to the US 1992, while DSI performed their national logistics; Misco then became Pergo’s first US distributor. The same plan was followed 5 years later when Unilin's Quick Step entered the US market. Recognizing the market potential of ceramic tile, in the early 1990s Gould founded an Italian ceramic tile line called Casa Italia, uniquely sold through full line flooring distributors. In 1997 Gould purchased the intellectual assets of Color Tile, Inc. from Chapter 11 bankruptcy and reorganized it into a buying group with franchised retail units. In recognition of his promotion of the ceramic category, the Spanish government and ceramic tile manufacturers’ association, ACER, recognized him with the “Jerry Fisher Memorial Award in 2002. After selling all of his companies in 2003, CCA Global Partners recruited Gould as its first Chief Product Officer. At CCA, he expanded the company's global sourcing and proprietary product offerings. He also created CCA’s first direct import division with North American fulfillment and logistics to help fill members’ desire for imported products. Active in industry organizations Gould’s leadership positions include: President, National Association of Floor Covering Distributors (NAFCD) (1994); Board of Directors, World Floor Covering Association (WFCA) (1981-1987); Chairman, Floor Covering Consumer Credit Association (FCCCA) (2003- 2005); Board of Directors, Floor Covering Industry Foundation (FCIF) (2001-2005). Industry recognitions include: "Distributor of the Year 1988", National Congress of Floor Covering Associations; "Top 25-St. Louis Small Business Award", St. Louis Business Journal, 1988 & 1989 ; "Entrepreneur of the Year", NASDAQ, Ernst & Young, Sprint, USA Today 1996; "1997 People of the Year", Flooring Magazine; "Top 150 Privately Owned Businesses", St. Louis Business Journal 1998, 1999; "Jerry Fisher Memorial Award" Spanish Government Ceramic Tile Association, Ascer 2002; and "Top 20 Most Influential Men in the Industry", Floor Covering Weekly 2006. Gould has been a member of the Board of Trustees of St. Louis Children's Hospital for 18 years and currently serves as its Vice Chairman. Other Board positions include: G. S. Robins and Co., Tarleton Construction Co., Shure Manufacturing, Rohan Woods School and the A. J. Bitker Memorial Charitable Foundation. He is a past Chapter Chairman of the Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO) and a graduate of Northwestern University. Gould can be contacted at jgould@floorcoveringinstitute.com. |
Jim Gould, Founder
| Jim Gould |
| Creating opportunities for the floor covering industry |
| Consultants' Pages |
| Read Christine Whittemore's interview with Jim at Flooring the Consumer |
Read Jim's latest research paper on China's floor
covering industry:
China Briefing: the Growing Opportunity in China
A look at China's economy, consumer market, floor
covering demand and logistics channels for the floor
covering industry.
Introduction The rate and duration of China’s economic rise is
unprecedented in human history. New cities housing millions of
people now stand over what was farm land only a few years ago.
While much of the world suffers economic paralysis, China continues
its economic climb and will soon become the world's largest economy.
The only question is when it will happen, not if.
The USA has been slow to recover from the housing downturn. The
American floor covering industry has contracted 30% over the last
three years while China’s flooring industry is growing at the rate of
15% per year. Catalina Reports estimates that China’s floor covering
market was 42 billion square feet in 2011, more than twice the size
of the US market which is estimated at 17.6 billion square feet. The
opportunity and future need for floor covering is so large it’s
staggering, even difficult to calculate.
While millions of Chinese remain poor, hundreds of millions will see
their disposable incomes grow dramatically in the next few years. The
government has targeted increased consumerism and development
of Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities in the Western and Central regions as two
major goals to be accomplished in the 12th Five Year Plan (2011-
2015). Economic growth and increased consumption will require
improved logistics to get products to the new consumers. China is
focused on addressing the weaknesses in the existing logistics and
distribution system to enable the country to meet the challenges it
has set out for itself in the current Five Year Plan.
Read the entire document.
covering industry:
China Briefing: the Growing Opportunity in China
A look at China's economy, consumer market, floor
covering demand and logistics channels for the floor
covering industry.
Introduction The rate and duration of China’s economic rise is
unprecedented in human history. New cities housing millions of
people now stand over what was farm land only a few years ago.
While much of the world suffers economic paralysis, China continues
its economic climb and will soon become the world's largest economy.
The only question is when it will happen, not if.
The USA has been slow to recover from the housing downturn. The
American floor covering industry has contracted 30% over the last
three years while China’s flooring industry is growing at the rate of
15% per year. Catalina Reports estimates that China’s floor covering
market was 42 billion square feet in 2011, more than twice the size
of the US market which is estimated at 17.6 billion square feet. The
opportunity and future need for floor covering is so large it’s
staggering, even difficult to calculate.
While millions of Chinese remain poor, hundreds of millions will see
their disposable incomes grow dramatically in the next few years. The
government has targeted increased consumerism and development
of Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities in the Western and Central regions as two
major goals to be accomplished in the 12th Five Year Plan (2011-
2015). Economic growth and increased consumption will require
improved logistics to get products to the new consumers. China is
focused on addressing the weaknesses in the existing logistics and
distribution system to enable the country to meet the challenges it
has set out for itself in the current Five Year Plan.
Read the entire document.