David Wootton Joins Institute
FCI Gains International Business Acumen and Manufacturing Expertise
St Louis, MO – June 3, 2008 ---- David Wootton and his firm, the Wootton Group LLC, have joined the Floor Covering Institute, according to Jim Gould, Institute
president and founder. Wootton adds expertise in manufacturing and international business gained over 17 years in the industry, notably as President of Columbia
Flooring and Harris-Tarkett. He is now principal of his own firm, the Wootton Group, and has joined the Floor Covering Institute as a Faculty Member.
“David’s international business experience is valuable to the institute because many of our clients are international or want to be,” said Jim Gould. “I have known David
since he came to the USA nearly two decades ago. His experience with domestic and international acquisitions, manufacturing and multiple business disciplines fits
well with the kinds of issues our clients face and he is a welcome addition to our faculty.”
The Floor Covering Institute is the vision of Jim Gould, a veteran of the industry whose goal is to build a private consulting group for the flooring industry comprised of
experts in the industry. “Our faculty’s global network will of resources will add value not only to our clients but to the experts who associate with us”, explained Gould.
“Using David as an example,” he continues, “the Institute gains specialized expertise for our clients and the Wootton Group will receive referrals from us.”
Read Wootton's full bio.
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Ramey and Migliore Join Institute Bringing luxury Market & Installation Expertise
St Louis, MO - March 30, 2008 ---- The Floor Covering Institute has added luxury market and installation resources to its expanding expertise, announcing the
addition of two new faculty members; Chris Ramey, President and Founder of Affluent Insights, and Lew Migliore, President and Founder of LGM Technical Carpet
Services and Associates ("LGM"). Ramey, is an expert in the luxury markets, while Migliore is a veteran expert in flooring installation, quality standards and complaint
management.
Christopher P. Ramey is an expert in the luxury market with 30 years of experience in the floor covering industry and president and founder of Affluent Insights, an
international business development firm specializing in helping companies penetrate the luxury market. He is Chairman of The Florida Luxury Marketing Council, a
think tank for marketers focused on selling to the affluent. With a unique perspective for retailers and manufactures in the floor covering and home furnishings
markets, Ramey dispels misconceptions to reveal the right customer target and how to serve those customers. He consults daily with fine luxury brands and advises
the industry as a speaker, writer and business consultant.
Ramey writes columns for Floor Covering Weekly’s “Strategic Insights”, and the Greentree Gazette, a business publication for academia. He sits on the advisory
committee of Aventura Magazine, a lifestyle magazine for the affluent, is a member of the executive committee of the Luxury Marketing Council and is a member of
Retail Wire’s “Brain Trust”. To contact Affluent Insights: (561) 876-8077 www.affluentinsights.com. Contact Chris Ramey at cpr@affluentinsights.com.
Read the full Ramey bio.
Lewis G. Migliore is a 30 year industry veteran recognized for his technical expertise in carpet and vinyl installations and problem resolution. Migliore is president
and owner of LGM Technical Carpet Services and Associates (“LGM”) with expanded expertise in wood, ceramic, laminate, substrates as well as other flooring
materials. LGM deals with a multitude of floor covering problems including manufacturing, specifications, installation, performance, use and maintenance. Technical
consulting on commercial flooring materials is also a focus of LGM.
Migliore’s is an ardent educator of the industry, teaching claims and installation management as well as lecturing and writing on the subjects nationally .He is the
author and columnist of “The Claims File” for Floor Covering News and publishes “The Commercial Flooring Report” distributed to commercial flooring readers
nationwide. He has written padding and installation specifications, maintenance manuals and claims policies for manufacturers and end users. To contact LGM
Technical Carpet Services and Associates: (706) 370-5888; email lgmtcs@optilink.us;
www.lgmandassociates.com.
Read the full Migliore bio.
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Gould Forms Floor Covering Institute
Advisory Group Designed for the Global Economy
ST LOUIS, MO - October 1, 2007---- Jim Gould has formed the Floor Covering Institute (FCI), a consulting firm designed to help both domestic and foreign companies
find solutions in today’s global economy. Gould, who recently left his post as chief product officer of CCA Global Partners (FCNews, Oct. 1/8), said the goal was to
originally kick things off Jan. 1, but CCA and Domotex asia/Chinafloor already on board as clients, and others in the waiting, “the wheels are already turning.”
FCI has three targets, he explained during an exclusive interview with FCNews. First, is sourcing product for the U.S. market. This could be either helping a foreign
company come in with the right type of product or helping a domestic company find a product from another country to import. The second area deals with help
companies export U.S.-made flooring around the world. “This is probably the most overlooked area in the industry,” Gould noted. “We have the best manufacturers
when it comes to certain products and have already missed a number of opportunities.”The third part is helping with mergers and acquisitions and “many people and
companies do not understand the industry or the U.S. market,” he said. FCI can help from a market standpoint by advising whether an opportunity will be created and
whether a partnership or acquisition is the best route to go. Lastly, Gould wants to bring in industry experts either as partners, affiliates or whatever they decide is best.
These are people who have a great deal of industry experience but are currently on their own—semi-retired, unemployed, and so on.
Playing off the institute name, he refers to these people at faculty because of their knowledge and the fact they would be sharing it with others. For example, “if Walter
Guinan were still alive, I would ask him to be a part of FCI.” In addition, whether through these individuals or by his own contacts, FCI will set up affiliations with
companies that specialize in various parts of doing business on local, regional, national or international levels.
Gould told FCNews, the impetus for FCI happened years ago when, as the owner of Midwest distributor Misco Shawnee, he played a key role in helping Pergo
establish itself in the U.S. “I was amazed at the amount of information it needed, and many of the things I took for granted just from living in the U.S. and working in the
industry my whole life.” From where to set up an office to who to use to get samples and labels made to an international bank and everything in between was the type
of information being requested, and not just from Pergo, but from “many” companies looking to come into the U.S.
He created Distribution Services Inc. (DSI), an international third-party distribution company that provided services to manufacturers entering the U.S. market. In fact,
DSI initially provided Pergo with business services and national warehousing. And In 1998, he performed the same service for Unilin’s Quick•Step when it came to the
U.S.
FCI is a different type of venture, Gould explained, as it is strictly consulting based, but one of its main targets will be helping companies get what they need to run
successful operations in the U.S. That’s where the affiliations come into play. For example, if a manufacturer is searching for logistics company, FCI would be able to
provide a solid recommendation. “The concept is to help connect U.S. companies and their products with the rest of the world,” he concluded. “And, at the same time
help foreign companies make sense of the complicated U.S. market.”
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