After Circling the Globe for 20 Years, this Former Oil Industry Exec is Ready to Tackle the Great Indoors

Having spent nearly 20 years experiencing the best and worst of the Great Outdoors on a global basis, Graham Macleod is looking forward to finally being able to spend some quality time focusing on another passion of his – great-looking interior spaces.

This past spring, Macleod became a franchisee of Floor Coverings International, which offers an unmatched selection of flooring products including carpet, hardwood, ceramic, tile and vinyl, as well as specialty products such as bamboo and slate.

The 41-year-old Macleod was born in Aberdeen, Scotland. For nearly 20 years, he worked as a mechanical engineer in the oil and gas industry, seeing the best and worst of some of the world’s most interesting places.

“I traveled to places most people only hear about and typically would not want to visit, but also some really pleasant places, too,” Macleod said. “I’ve experienced winter storms in the North Sea and the heat of West Africa. But I’ve also visited the Canary Islands and the Olympic Villages in China.”

But in Macleod’s own words, he had “traveled for most of my working life and it was time to change. I came to a fork in the road and took a left turn.” Not to mention that Macleod and his wife, Jennifer, are parents to 19-month-old daughter, Maisie.

“I wanted to be sure I was here for her, so something had to change,” Macleod said. “A better work/life balance was needed.”

For Macleod, Floor Coverings International could not have offered a better fit. He has always had a passion for home remodeling and interior design and his previous career afforded him the opportunity to remodel his own homes, while also adding his own personal touch and flare.

Serving customers in Spring Branch, Spring Valley and Jersey Village, Floor Coverings International’s expert Design Associates offer free in-home Design Consultations, visiting customers’ homes in a Mobile Flooring Showroom with thousands of flooring choices to assist them in choosing the perfect flooring solution.

His timing for entering the flooring industry also couldn’t be better. According to a recent report by The Freedonia Group, the demand for hard-surface flooring in the U.S. is expected to increase 6.1 percent per year to 11.3 billion square feet in 2019, valued at $16.7 billion. The fastest growth will come from the residential market, driven by gains in housing completions and a shift toward hard-surface flooring in living and dining areas, where carpet has predominated, the report said.

Not only is the industry flush with potential, but 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.

“I would really like to see this business grow exponentially,” Macleod said. “I have great aspirations. Within the next five years, I would like to have two or three additional territories with a staff of about 12 to 15 employees.”

As with any small business, Macleod has already had to deal with unexpected twists and turns. Not long after Macleod became a Floor Coverings International franchisee, Jennifer lost her job as a human resources executive as a result of the downturn in the oil and gas industry. But the couple made lemonade out of lemons!

“With Jennifer’s availability, I gained a built-in office manager, allowing me to concentrate on building the business from a sales and marketing point,” Macleod said. “Jennifer’s job loss was a hard blow to stomach, but we talked it through with the understanding that one day this franchise will be our future.”

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ABOUT FLOOR COVERINGS INTERNATIONAL

Floor Coverings International has over 100 locations throughout the U.S. and Canada and expects to add 50 additional units by the end of 2016, targeting markets such as Boston, Chicago, San Francisco, and Atlanta as well as other strategic markets across North America. For more information, please visit www.floorcoveringsinternational.com/