Uncategorized – American Home Surfaces Group – AHSG

AHSG & Commercial USA Make Moves | Flooring Covering Weekly

adminAHS2021 — Thu, 18 Jul 2024 16:24:47 +0000

Reposted from: https://www.floorcoveringweekly.com/
Date: Tuesday, July 16, 2024
Author: Amy Rush-Imber

AHSG & Commercial USA Make Moves

[Roswell, Ga.] FCW’s Amy Rush-Imber with AHSG/Commercial USA’s newly named president Tony Wright and CEO/COO Joe Weber talked about the excitement building for September Convention in Naples, Fla. and the unique proposition it offers its members and partner vendors.

Here in Roswell, Ga., Wright shared, “Our dealers are independently minded. They want their freedom while benefiting from the relationships we have with allied companies like Cyncly and Roomvo.”

The group, he said, are taking advantage of the brands invested in and built by vendor partners. “Manufacturers spend a ton of money on their brands and we want to support it, “ he said.

Convention, with the theme “Every Step Counts,” September 22-25 will feature keynote speaker Joel Seydl, senior economist with JP Morgan Private Bank; Scott Humphrey, CEO of WFCA; and panel discussions about best practices.

AHSG & Commercial USA Gain Ground | Flooring Covering Weekly

adminAHS2021 — Wed, 24 Jan 2024 07:10:55 +0000

Re-posted from: AHSG & Commercial USA Gain Ground

Despite economic tailwinds, both divisions see growth

[Atlanta] American Home Surfaces Group (AHSG) and Commercial USA are dealing with the changing marketplace by adapting and shifting focus to address where the market is growing and where opportunities are.

The key, said Tony Wright, executive vice president, is recognizing where each business segment has growth potential. AHSG is the retail division of the business while Commercial USA addresses the commercial side.

“The business conditions for retail flooring have been well-documented,” he said, pointing to higher interest rates, inflation and geopolitical issues. “However, these are just the conditions within which retailers are operating and I don’t think this defines the state of AHSG retail members. If there’s that anything I have learned about retail flooring store owners over the past 30 years, it is that they are adaptive, resilient and innovative when faced with business challenges, and this really defines the AHSG members.”

In addition, the company’s commercial businesses are seeing strong growth. “Our Commercial USA members are benefitting from what continues to be a strong market for commercial construction,” Wright added. “Commercial USA members report a healthy backlog, so there is reason for continued optimism.”

BULLISH ABOUT 2024
AHSG executives are optimistic about both the retail and commercial segments as they launch their 2024 initiatives, including bringing both divisions together at its annual convention in September which will mark AHSG’s 25th anniversary. The commercial division, with 275 members with 350 locations, is 10 years old while the retail group has 305 members with 400 locations.

For 2024, both companies are looking at what they should prioritize, said Wright. “We are looking at suppliers, at business and where we want to be. There are big opportunities to get it all together.”

Both divisions head into 2024 with plans for growth and improvement, Wright continued. “Our plans in 2024 for both AHSG and Commercial USA will continue to be adding more benefits for our members and adding more value for our supply partners.”

This will include new members and bolstering its relationship with its supplier partners. “There is strength in numbers and we will be recruiting new members for AHSG and Commercial USA,” Wright said. “Our members are independent-minded owners who want to leverage the relationships that we have forged for their businesses’ benefit. We have had many requests from suppliers to join our groups, but we will continue to be discriminating in who we partner with regarding our suppliers.”

Bruce Weber, founder and chairman of the board, added that one key factor is AHSG does not do private label. “We have never done it. I do not believe in it. It would be the last thing I want to do with all the work suppliers have already put in. And it hasn’t hurt us one bit.”

Wright added that the AHSG/Commercial USA suppliers have already done the heavy lifting. “We can leverage the market expertise of the suppliers and let our members take advantage of it. It’s a big benefit.”

For example, one thing AHSG does is co-invest in displays. “This way not all the weight is on the suppliers’ shoulders,” said Joe Weber, chief executive officer.

Added Wright: “AHSG has always co-invested with our supplier partners in our members’ showrooms to ensure they have the most current displays and this will be a point of emphasis in 2024.”

In addition, both divisions will focus on helping its members with training. “Whether product knowledge, sales training or installation training, we will work with suppliers and industry education organizations to facilitate training for our members,” said Wright. “Also, we will identify allied business partners that we can align with that provide needed and beneficial services to our members’ flooring business,” such as succession planning, consumer finance, software integration or marketing.

In addition, the company hopes to expand its membership. “We need to fill some voids and there are definite opportunities,” Wright said. “We need to identify what the highest priority is.” The company’s largest footprint is in Texas but there are opportunities for growth in many regions, from the Midwest to California.

TRAINING & SERVICE
Key initiatives for 2024 and beyond are training and service. “We are working with vendors to train, train, train,” said Joe Weber.

“Talking to members, training is the biggest need,” agreed Wright.

This includes training for installation, one of the biggest challenges for both divisions. “The shortage of trained and qualified flooring installers has been and continues to be one of the most acute challenges in the industry,” Wright continued. “We hear this from our members every day. AHSG and Commercial USA want to be a part of the effort to solve this.” The company underwrites its members’ enrollment in trade organizations that address this and will partner with members who choose to offer training.

As Bruce Weber puts it, it’s all part of AHSG’s “6 S” strategy: “See them, sell them, sympathize with them, save them if they have an issue, service them and secure them. As long as we keep doing our jobs, we will win.”

Standing, from left: Tony Wright and Joe Weber, with Bruce Weber

NEXT GEN
In July of 2023, Bruce Weber transitioned out of his role as chief executive officer of American Home Surfaces Group (AHSG) into the role of Chairman of the Board. At the same time, his son, Joe Weber, was named CEO. This reflects a growing trend in the floor covering industry of generational leadership at both the retail and supplier levels.
Bruce Weber started the company 25 years ago after working in the industry for other companies. “The senior national vice president for Daltile said if I wanted to break loose and start up my own group, then Daltile would support me.”

He started the company with no money and today has more than 800 member locations under the AHSG and Commercial USA brands. What’s more, the company has more than 2,000 Daltile displays across those brands.

Bruce Weber was looking to move out of his role and turned to his son, Joe Weber, who had not envisioned a career in flooring. In fact, Joe Weber said, this is a serious issue for the industry. “I think we really need to improve our industry’s recruiting and awareness to the younger generation, especially on college campuses. I was always fascinated by Dalton, Ga. but it wasn’t until I attended our first convention that I realized what a great industry this is to be in.” He had worked in the insurance industry, which he called “rather boring,” and added, “I was immediately drawn to all the great people I was fortunate to get to meet and know.”

Bruce Weber didn’t directly encourage his son to join but always talked about the business with him and took his son along to meet members and suppliers. “He helped with our accounting and reporting while he was at the University of Georgia. We used to meet halfway [between the school and Atlanta] so we could exchange reports and data,” Bruce Weber added.

Joe Weber said he doesn’t envision making major changes to the organization. “It’s business as usual as my father has done an incredible job grooming me for this transition for many years. We’ve always been great partners and he means the world to me.”

One major move was hiring Tony Wright as executive vice president to round out the team. “Tony fits incredibly well with our culture and has an excellent background and experience,” Joe Weber said.

Joe Weber may not be the last generation involved. “We have two granddaughters who already have their names on the office doors here,” said Bruce Weber.

Floor Covering Weekly

adminAHS2021 — Tue, 24 May 2022 16:20:38 +0000

What’s Trending in Floors in Entry-Level Builder

adminAHS2021 — Wed, 20 Apr 2022 15:25:21 +0000

Ken Ervin, hardwood flooring manager for Flooring Services in Dallas, Texas, shares what’s happening in the entry-level builder market. Recorded at the American Home Surfaces Group and Commercial USA national convention.

Pain Points for Flooring Dealers In 2022

Wed, 13 Apr 2022 19:42:25 GMT
Members at the American Home Surfaces Group and Commercial USA national convention reveal some of the pain points of their flooring businesses today.

It’s Big Business for AHSG & Commercial USA Flooring Dealers

Wed, 13 Apr 2022 19:13:38 GMT

From the 2022 American Home Surfaces Group and Commercial USA national convention in Nashville, Tennessee, flooring dealers celebrate some businesses’ successes in 2022.

The Launch of American Kitchen and Bath Affiliation

Wed, 13 Apr 2022 18:56:52 GMT

Bruce Weber, president, of American Home Surfaces Group, reveals a new division, American Kitchen and Bath Affiliation (AKBA), which introduces a marketing strategy that helps flooring dealers connect with National Kitchen and Bath Association members at a local level.

ASHG & Commercial USA Members Meet Up In Nashville

Wed, 13 Apr 2022 18:32:32 GMT

American Home Surfaces Group and Commercial USA buying groups got together in Nashville, Tennessee.

Connections strengthen at AHSG/Commercial USA

adminAHS2021 — Fri, 15 Apr 2022 16:58:32 +0000

[Nashville] Night two at AHSG and Commercial USA Convention here in Nashville brought its members and vendors together at the showcase. Here, Atlanta Flooring Design Center’s Donny Phillips shared with FCW that March 2022 was the company’s best month on record. Indeed, this group finds power in its partnerships and co-investment in the future.

Atlanta Flooring Design Center’s Steve Wright, Donny Phillips, Eric Fritsch, and Nik Burdett

Flooring Direct’s Steve Wright and Mobile Marketing’s Carole Cross

Shaw’s Steve Sieracki talked about the company’s focus to “Reimagine its customer, the consumer and our products squarely on innovation.” And that, he said, includes the launch of Pet Perfect carpet featuring Anso high-performance fiber, adding that the consumer wants style and design but also carpet that will perform.

Steve Sieracki

Daltile’s Patrick Warren and Whitney Welch

Nourison emphasized the opportunities with area rugs and the ease of bringing in a small footprint program

AHSG, Commercial USA Kicks Off ‘America’s Got Talent’ Annual Convention

adminAHS2021 — Fri, 15 Apr 2022 16:48:05 +0000

April 11, 2022

Tanja Kern

American Home Surfaces Group and Commercial USA kicked off their national convention this week at the Gaylord Opryland in Nashville, Tennessee.

“Last time we met was right before the pandemic hit, and we’ve had many more members come on since then—81 new members—and almost all of them are here,” said Joe Weber, vice president, AHSG and Commercial USA.

Combined, the groups have more than 220 members and 770 showrooms accounting for $2.5 billion in sales, according to Bruce Weber, AHSG and Commercial USA president. Weber said that during the pandemic the group’s residential remodel/replacement and new home business grew 30% while the group’s commercial business grew 20%, namely in hospitality, corporate and medical. They welcomed a number of suppliers since the last convention, including Bostik, Mohawk, Shaw, Taylor Adhesives, Uzin-Utz and XL brands.

In addition, Weber unveiled a new division, American Kitchen and Bath Affiliation (AKBA), which introduces a marketing strategy that helps dealers connect with National Kitchen and Bath Association members at a local level.

Pamela McNally, vice president of marketing, NKBA, told dealers at the convention that they have major opportunities to grow their business by offering kitchen and bath services: “People are spending more time at home, but they’re also saying, ‘Okay, this is my forever home.’ Guess what? They don’t mind spending a little bit more to get what they want.”

She said millennials are currently the bigger buying segment and technology is increasingly important in their buying decisions: “Here’s the thing that I really truly believe in: hyperlocal. I try to buy local as much as I can, so I feel like that trend is becoming more and more prevalent even for modelers and designing designers, especially with artisan and products. Everybody wants some sort of personalized outreach.”

The opportunity in kitchen and bath is echoed by AHSG and Commercial USA membership.

“Last year we had a tremendous year–we grew about 20%,” said Donny Phillips, president, Atlanta Flooring Design Centers, based in Suwanee, Georgia, serving 11 locations in the southeastern United States. “Just this last March we had our largest month we’ve ever had in 36 years. That was lined up because we had several big commercial jobs that were booked in March, several builder jobs, and our cabinet division grew a lot. Add to that our custom build and retail. Frankly, all five divisions we hit on every cylinder. For the year, it could slow down a little bit, so conservatively, I’m looking at five to 10 percent growth.”

While AHSG and Commercial USA dealers are flush with opportunity, the challenges they face are the same as others in the industry: supply chain issues, rising inflation and the availability of qualified floorcovering installers.

“We could grow our business a lot more if we were comfortable with the labor market,” said Tim Hightower, owner and president, Southern Hardwood, Carpet & Tile in Birmingham, Alabama. “Right now we see price increases every week. If you’re in commercial contract work and you don’t move quick, it could cost you a lot of money. I’ve got a saying: ‘Stay worried to keep from getting worried,’ so I’m thinking six months, a year from now. 2023? I’m worried about potential recessions.”

“I think we can probably outsell the amount we can get installed—we have more business than we can get down,” said Chuck Short, vice president supply chain, Arbor Contract, which has 16 locations coast to coast specializing in multifamily replacement and new construction. “It sounds like from what we heard here at the conference that we can expect the supply chain issues, installation challenges are going to continue one to two more years. That is going to be a challenge that all of us in this industry are going to have to work on.”

Brightworth details underlying economic conditions

adminAHS2021 — Fri, 15 Apr 2022 16:42:51 +0000

Wednesday, April 13, 2022

By Amy Rush-Imber

[Nashville, Tenn.] One of American Home Surfaces Group and Commercial USA’s promises to members is to bring them meaningful information to help them navigate the landscape and grow their businesses.

Here at its convention, held at the Gaylord Opryland earlier this week, Nathan Corbitt, partner and wealth advisor for Brightworth, took the stage to reveal some of the dynamics impacting today’s global economy and the floor covering marketplace.

“We help business owners run and grow their business in any economic environment,” offered Corbitt, adding that there are three major themes impacting today’s story: “American Disengagement; monetary policy/supply; supply chain troubles,” he noted. “In the U.S., there is a lot of room for growth.”

Current conditions, Corbitt reported, include one of the tightest labor markets seen in history; the oil surge; and, the Russian invasion of Ukraine. “Anytime there is a major economic power with land invasion, there is a fear factor. But if you combine the economy of Russia and Ukraine, they are 0.5 percent of global economy,” he reported, adding that three areas that are a focus, though, are energy, agricultural exports and metals and mining exports.

While labor, inflation and supply chain disruption are all pressure points, Corbitt contended that they aren’t pandemic related but rather a result of demographics. And from that respect, he said, the U.S. is in a very positive position. “Over the last 70 years, we’ve seen a tremendous amount of growth in this country. Globally, we’ve seen poverty plumet and education skyrocket. And, we’ve seen more people living in freedom today than we ever have before.”

For a healthy demographic, he reported, you want a population base that is growing and skews on the younger side. But, he said, “In Russia, there are not enough people on the younger demographic. That explains a lot of what we are seeing out of leadership in Russia.” When it comes to Europe, Corbitt shared, “France is one of the best; Germany is as dire as it can get. They don’t have the demographic base to grow their economy.”

The U.S. and the Boomer population did something, he noted, “They had babies. Those are Millennials and they are a bigger population and they are entering their production years.”

The good news, he said, “We don’t live internationally. There is a lot of good news in the U.S. And, less of a supply chain of anything coming from overseas is an opportunity for right here.”

When it comes to inflation, Corbitt said, “That’s something we haven’t seen in a long time — upwards of 7 percent.” But, he added, “Profitability and margins are good and there’s a ton of liquidity in the system.” And while interest rates are expected to continue to rise, he noted, “For real estate, when times are good, people like to buy, sell and renovate their real estate. When times are bad, people want to buy, sell and renovate. This industry will continue to accelerate.”

AHSG/Commercial USA convention begins

adminAHS2021 — Tue, 12 Apr 2022 20:31:00 +0000

Monday, April 11, 2022

[Nashville] American Home Surfaces Group (AHSG) and Commercial USA kicked off their 2022 convention, dubbed “America’s Got Talent.” The convention began with founder Bruce Weber sharing strong stats for the group: There are combined some 750 member showrooms; AHSG members experienced growth of more than 30 percent last year while Commercial USA members grew by 20 percent; and, muscle has been put around launching the new AKBA kitchen and bath division.

Bruce Weber

This was followed by an economic update by Brightworth’s Nathan Corbett.

Daltile’s Patrick Warren along with Tony Wright and Phil Graves took AHSG members through the company’s Power 5 here in Nashville which includes Stepwise, DEFEND, Revotile, ProExchange, and Xteriors.

Patrick Warren

Next up was Daltile’s Whitney Welch to talk about the commercial sector.

The celebration kicked off last night with friends, food and fantastic music. Thank you to Bruce and Joe Weber for including FCW!

Finding old friends from Arkansas Rebecca Bodiford (far right) and her husband Tony and Bonnie Singleton and her husband Lawrence.

Brian Preuss of Uzin Utz with AHSG and Commercial USA’s Joe Weber

Stacy and Steve Wright of Flooring Direct in Dallas

The group treated members to the music of The Chapel Park Band.

Daltile sets stage for Jason Derulo

adminAHS2021 — Wed, 16 Dec 2020 20:36:41 +0000

Wednesday, December 16, 2020

[Dallas] As part of Daltile’s ongoing digital and social media outreach, Daltile has partnered with well-known celebrity singer, songwriter and dancer Jason Derulo who featured Daltile products as the stage and backdrop for two of his recent music videos. Videos for his hit songs “Savage Love” and “Let Me Take You Dancing” were broadcast on Good Morning America and TikTok, and have been cumulatively viewed by more than 65 million people. Derulo is officially part of Daltile’s new “Style Squad”. Style Squad is Daltile’s most recent influencer campaign, made up of popular personalities who are fans of Daltile and have used various Daltile products in their own projects.

“Today’s consumers are heavily influenced by the opinions and projects of influencers, such as celebrities, designers, bloggers and media personalities,” said Amber Leigh Martinson, senior director of marketing for Dal-Tile Corporation. “As a marketing-savvy brand, Daltile is leading our industry in utilizing key influencers such as Jason Derulo to reach consumers. We prominently feature these influencers’ projects on Daltile’s digital and social spaces, showing the consumer that Daltile is a big player in style and design, offering the fashionable, on-trend products that consumers want. This type of digital/social presence helps further set our Daltile retailers up for success with our products, by reaching and influencing customers before they even enter retailers’ showrooms.”

Derulo filmed both of these music videos in his own backyard entertainment area which was designed utilizing the wrap-around-luxury of Daltile products. Derulo’s outdoor entertainment area includes a 75’ pool, a bridge leading from the pool to a covered entertainment area, a built-in bar, multiple big screen televisions and a spa. Daltile products prominently featured include:
–Daltile’s Panoramic Porcelain Surfaces XL Slabs, Statuario
–Daltile’s Absolute Black Granite, Natural Stone
–Daltile’s Uptown Glass, Mosaic Tiles, Hexagon, Ebony

“Daltile’s stylish product line is luxurious enough to be included in the design of a celebrity home, and also durable and functional enough to create a lasting outdoor paradise for entertaining guests – and shooting some high-profile music videos too!” concluded Martinson.

Click below to view Derulo’s music videos featured on Good Morning America and TikTok:

For additional information on Daltile’s Style Squad, visit https://www.daltile.com/trend-hub/style-squad.