After a Decade on the Road, New Biz Owner is Ready to Plant Roots

(GRAND RAPIDS, Michigan)---After 11 years and two ownership changes in his company – with another in the works - Erick Hatfield was finally ready to keep his two feet planted firmly on the ground instead of crisscrossing the country by plane every week. Hatfield, along with his wife, Sharee, found that opportunity with Floor Coverings International. On Feb. 11, the couple launched operations as one of the franchisor’s newest owners, visiting customers’ homes in a Mobile Flooring Showroom stocked with thousands of flooring samples from top manufacturers. “Owning a small business has always been a dream of mine and this became a perfect time to pursue that option,” said the 48-year-old Hatfield. “I also wanted to be part of my community, because I had spent the past 11 years traveling every week and all my business activities were conducted everywhere except in the community where I lived.”

Hatfield had spent 25 years working in sales, marketing and operations for personal-care manufacturing companies. For the last 11 years, Hatfield was a vice president and general manager of a $150-million division of one of North America’s largest independent manufacturers of consumer-packaged goods, with full profit and loss responsibilities as well as overseeing operations of five manufacturing plants. But the company was owned by a private equity firm looking to divest its stake. It would have been the third change of ownership in Hatfield’s nearly 11 years. So last September, Hatfield and his employer parted ways on good terms and Hatfield took a month to determine what he wanted to do next and identify a new career path that would best utilize his experience and strengths in leadership, sales and operations.

In Floor Coverings International, Hatfield found a company that has tripled in size since 2005 by putting a laser focus on consumer buying habits and expressed desires, its impressive operating model, growth ability, marketing, advertising and merchandising. Floor Coverings International further separates itself from the competition through its customer experience, made up of several simple and integrated steps that exceed customers’ expectations. “Initially, I was looking to start or purchase a business locally, but I couldn’t find anything that was a good fit,” Hatfield said. “I shifted my focus to franchising since it offered the opportunity to start something from scratch that I could build my way while also having a proven business and operating model to draw from.” Hatfield worked with a franchise broker who identified his best options. “I quickly narrowed my choice to Floor Coverings International,” Hatfield added. “It’s highly regarded in the industry, focused on customer service, growth-minded and well-managed.”

Floor Coverings International serves customers throughout greater Grand Rapids - including Ada, Cascade, Kentwood, Wyoming, Grandville, Walker and Plainfield - offering an unmatched selection of flooring products including carpet, hardwood, ceramic, tile and vinyl, as well as specialty products such as bamboo and slate. “In this age of online shopping and home delivery, consumers are migrating from ‘going to the store’ to having the store come to you,” Hatfield said. “This fits the Floor Coverings International model extremely well since our model is to use our mobile showrooms to bring products directly to the home, so consumers don’t have to go to a brick and mortar store.”

For information, visit https://grandrapids.floorcoveringsinternational.com

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ABOUT FLOOR COVERINGS INTERNATIONAL

Floor Coverings International is the #1 Mobile Flooring Franchise in North America. Utilizing a unique in-home experience, the mobile showroom comes directly to the customer’s door with more than 3,000 flooring choices. Floor Coverings International has 150-plus locations throughout the U.S. and Canada with plenty of opportunity for continued expansion in 2019. For franchise information, please visit www.flooring-franchise.com and to find your closest location, www.floorcoveringsinternational.com.