The meeting will involve senior White House staff, senior federal agency officials and a select group of cooperative leaders from across the country including Brodsky. The goal of the meeting is to engage in an open dialogue with Administration on issues surrounding cooperative business in the United States.
“It is an honor and a great opportunity to be invited to this meeting,” said Brodsky. “Any attention we can bring to cooperatives on a national scale will be beneficial.”
Brodsky is currently the on the board of the National Cooperative Business Association and is a member of the National Cooperative Hall of Fame. His own cooperative – CCA Global Partners – has been helping retailers maintain their independence while enabling them to compete with larger corporations for over 27 years.
“I am excited to share my experience as a member of a cooperative and as a leader in the cooperative business world with the White House Administration,” said Brodsky. “My hope is that our discussions in May will lead to policies that will ultimately make cooperative businesses stronger and more prevalent in the United States.”
In addition to his daily involvement with cooperative businesses, Brodsky has also spearheaded the Choose A Co-op Movement to help educate consumers about the benefits of cooperative businesses. In an effort to spread the word about cooperative businesses, Brodsky developed a video explaining the benefits of cooperative business and an active Facebook page which includes a co-op locator and Choose A Co-op infographic. More information can be found at ChooseACoop.com.
About CCA Global Partners
CCA Global Partners, Inc. is a privately held cooperative based in the United States with member businesses in the U.S., Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. For a quarter of a century, CCA Global has partnered with entrepreneurial businesspeople to create a cooperative powerhouse unmatched in the marketplace. With 12 independent business brands and more than 2,700 locations, CCA Global Partners is well positioned to positively impact the success of independent businesses. For more information on CCA Global Partners, go to http://www.ccaglobal.com.
“I think so highly of the program, and it is a real honor to be part of it,” said Howard Brodsky.
Brodsky’s experience in turning his own family business into a global company with locations in the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, give him insight, enthusiasm and business networks that will be invaluable in selecting a top group of women entrepreneurs and helping them fulfill the potential they envision for their companies.
“Some women might not be thinking big enough, but part of it is realizing they can grow just as quickly as other entrepreneurs have,” said Brodsky. “It’s part confidence, part awareness. Ernst & Young is uniquely positioned to help them make that connection”
Brodsky and the other successful entrepreneurs, investors and business leaders will ultimately select 10 Entrepreneurial Winning Women. These Entrepreneurial Winning Women will join an elite business network of the country’s best high-growth companies and participate in a customized executive leadership program with year-round activities.
Applicants for Ernst & Young’s Winning Women Program will be accepted through April 30, 2012. For more information, visit the Winning Women Program website at http://www.ey.com/us/entrepreneurialwinningwomen
About CCA Global Partners
CCA Global Partners, Inc. is a privately held cooperative based in the United States with member businesses in the U.S., Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. For a quarter of a century, CCA Global has partnered with entrepreneurial businesspeople to create a cooperative powerhouse unmatched in the marketplace. With 12 independent business brands and more than 2,700 locations, CCA Global Partners is well positioned to positively impact the success of independent businesses. For more information on CCA Global Partners, go to http://www.ccaglobal.com.
Houston, TX (January 17, 2012) – Members of the Carpet One Floor & Home cooperative from across the United States and Canada joined together in Houston for their 2012 Winter Convention at the George R. Brown Convention Center. Throughout the two-day event, Carpet One Floor & Home members were introduced to new products, exclusive merchandising programs, and a fully integrated marketing program to support two major national promotions for the spring selling season.
The theme of the convention – Win as One – Opportunity in the New Economy – highlights the key benefit of the Carpet One Floor & Home cooperative - that members can win by leveraging the power they have as one and how they can take market share by leveraging their differentiated products and services. The convention theme Win As One plays to the culture and foundation of Carpet One Floor & Home’s twenty-seven year history and captures the members’ competitive spirit.
To help members diversify and capture more business, Carpet One Floor & Home is launching Core Elements, a new main street commercial flooring program. Core Elements includes coordinated hard surface products targeted towards very specific, well-defined end users.
The Voyager Collection, offers a new collection of exotic hardwoods, cork, and bamboo products. The new Voyager Collection compliments the already strong hard surface offering in Carpet One Floor & Home Stores.
Resista SoftStyle - one of Carpet One Floor & Home’s most successful brands – received an update at this Convention with ten new patterned styles.
“Our new products and programs for 2012 are all focused on the goal of growing sales and market share,” said Eric Demaree, President of Carpet One Floor & Home. “We want members to leave Convention confident that they have the tools they need to win in today’s economy.”
To close the Convention, Carpet One Floor & Home welcomed keynote speaker Billy Beane – General Manager of the Oakland Athletics baseball team and the inspiration best-selling author Michael Lewis’ 2003 best-selling book Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game, now a major motion picture starring Brad Pitt. Beane delivered a timely message based on his experience managing a winning team without a large payroll. He inspired members with ways we can all “win as one” and take advantage of “Opportunities in the New Economy.”
About Carpet One Floor & Home
Carpet One Floor & Home (www.CarpetOne.com) is North America’s leading floor covering retailer, with more than 1,000 independently owned and operated locations in the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. Carpet One Floor & Home stores are known for a broad selection of carpet, wood, laminate, ceramic, vinyl, and area rugs, including exclusive brands like Bigelow and Lees. They offer a unique customer experience with the exclusive SelectAFloor merchandising system that simplifies the shopping experience and The Beautiful GuaranteeTM, which guarantees that the customer will be 100% happy with their floor.
Central to DC1 and all Carpet One Floor & Home stores is the exclusive SelectAFloor system (SAF). This powerful selling system simplifies the shopping process by highlighting lifestyles and warranties in an easy-to-understand merchandising vehicle. SAF highlights product performance, including The Beautiful Guarantee. This industry-first guarantee promises customers who do not think their floors look beautiful will get a free replacement, including free labor, from the Carpet One Floor & Home member.
A central part of the design updates is the new welcome hub. This hub will merge the existing “power aisle” with a new welcome area. This hub will become the gateway and organizational anchor to all the store’s departments. The hub will also feature a new welcome desk, service area and resource center.
Other new elements designed to provide an exceptional customer experience include a waiting area for children and adults including a coffee bar/beverage station, new lighting and signage to help the customer navigate the store, and a warmer aesthetic.
Carpet One Floor & Home members will benefit from a more flexible fixture system that fits with a variety of store footprints, allocation of space for regional fixtures and the Infinity System which allows stores to easily shift the way samples are displayed.
“The basic principles of the DC1 store design remain intact but I believe these updates will significantly improve the Carpet One Floor & Home experience,” said Theresa Fisher, Senior Vice President of Visual Merchandising for Carpet One Floor & Home.
About Carpet One Floor & Home
Carpet One Floor & Home (www.CarpetOne.com) is North America’s leading floor covering retailer, with more than 1,000 independently owned and operated locations in the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. Carpet One Floor & Home stores are known for a broad selection of carpet, wood, laminate, ceramic, vinyl, and area rugs, including exclusive brands like Bigelow and Lees. They offer a unique customer experience with the exclusive SelectAFloor merchandising system that simplifies the shopping experience and The Beautiful GuaranteeTM, which guarantees that the customer will be 100% happy with their floor.
The Choose A Co-op movement’s goal is to break through the clutter of individual shop local movements and show consumers how choosing a coop can give them the best of both worlds – competitive prices and a local business they can trust. The infographic, video and social networking sites are just the beginning of what will be a much larger movement towards educating consumers about the value of cooperative businesses.
With over 6500 views on YouTube, the word is quickly spreading. This initial buzz is helping to build excitement as 2012 – The International Year of the Co-op – approaches.
The Choose A Co-op video can be viewed at http://www.YouTube.com/ChooseACoop. Choose A Co-op can also be found on Facebook at http://www.Facebook.com/ChooseACoop and Twitter at http://www.Twitter.com/ChooseACoop.
Choose A Co-op was created and launched by CCA Global Partners. Cooperatives interested in joining CCA in this movement should contact them at info@ccaglobal.com.
About CCA Global Partners
CCA Global Partners, Inc. is a privately held cooperative based in the United States with member businesses in the U.S., Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. For a quarter of a century, CCA Global has partnered with entrepreneurial businesspeople to create a cooperative powerhouse unmatched in the marketplace. With 12 independent business brands and more than 2,700 locations, CCA Global Partners is well positioned to positively impact the success of independent businesses. For more information on CCA Global Partners, go to http://www.ccaglobal.com.
“We were glad to once again have the opportunity to bring together business partners and friends to support a worthy cause.” said Howard Brodsky, co-Founder and co-CEO of CCA Global Partners. “We all enjoyed the day of golf, but more importantly we raised significant funds for the FCIF.”
Floor covering industry members and supporters from across the country attended this year’s event. Manufacturers, distributors, retailers, industry trade associations, and individuals from representing these companies contributed to the FCIF through the Alan Greenberg Memorial fund by participating in the tournament as well as through sponsorships, and donations.
“CCA is proud to host this event which creates awareness and encourages others in the industry to donate to the FCIF,” said Rick Bennet, co-CEO of CCA Global Partners. “It is important to us that we continue to provide assistance to those in our industry that need it.”
For more information on applying for aid, please visit www.FCIF.org.
About CCA Global Partners CCA Global Partners, Inc. is a privately held cooperative based in the United States with member businesses in the U.S., Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. For a quarter of a century, CCA Global has partnered with entrepreneurial businesspeople to create a cooperative powerhouse unmatched in the marketplace. With 14 independent business brands and more than 2,700 locations, CCA Global Partners is well positioned to positively impact the success of independent businesses. For more information on CCA Global Partners, go to http://www.ccaglobal.com.
About The Floor Covering Industry FoundationThe Floor Covering Industry Foundation was created nearly thirty years ago to focus industry attention on the health, human service and welfare needs of floor covering industry members in times of life-altering medical hardships. Since its founding, the FCIF has distributed more than $2.5 million in grants with compassion, confidentiality and dignity. Beneficiaries include flooring retailers, installers, retails salespeople, distributor personnel, mill employees, and industry executives.
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“Every year, we look forward to this event that provides our industry partners and friends the opportunity to enjoy a day of golf while raising money for an organization that supports those in our industry who experience life-altering hardships,” said Howard Brodsky, co-Founder and co-CEO of CCA Global Partners.
The golf tournament has become a highly anticipated event for the floor covering industry each year and brings together industry partners from across the country. Funds raised at the event help FCIF provide financial support to those who are or have been affiliated with the floor covering industry who experience catastrophic illnesses, severe disabilities, or other life-altering hardships.
This year, Howard Brodsky has also taken on the role of Chairman of the FCIF’s board of directors. “My goal as Chairman is not only to increase the funds available through FCIF but also to bring much needed relief to more people by ensuring that members of the floor covering industry are aware of the fund and know how to apply for assistance,” said Brodsky
Flooring industry manufacturers, distributors, retailers, industry trade associations, and individuals have the opportunity to contribute to the FCIF through the Alan Greenberg Memorial fund through participation in the tournament, sponsorships, and donations.
“We are honored that we can help support FCIF in a substantial way and will continue to support their efforts in any way we can,” said Rick Bennet, co-CEO of CCA Global Partners.
For more information on the 2011 Alan Greenberg Charity Golf Tournament, please contact Paula Holt at (800) 466-6984 ext. 1101 or pholt@ccaglobal.com.
About CCA Global Partners CCA Global Partners, Inc. is a privately held cooperative based in the United States with member businesses in the U.S., Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. For a quarter of a century, CCA Global has partnered with entrepreneurial businesspeople to create a cooperative powerhouse unmatched in the marketplace. With 14 independent business brands and more than 2,700 locations, CCA Global Partners is well positioned to positively impact the success of independent businesses. For more information on CCA Global Partners, go to http://www.ccaglobal.com.
About The Floor Covering Industry FoundationThe Floor Covering Industry Foundation was created nearly thirty years ago to focus industry attention on the health, human service and welfare needs of floor covering industry members in times of life-altering medical hardships. Since its founding, the FCIF has distributed more than $2.5 million in grants with compassion, confidentiality and dignity. Beneficiaries include flooring retailers, installers, retails salespeople, distributor personnel, mill employees, and industry executives. For more information, go to http://www.fcif.org.
Carpet One Floor & Home members were introduced to the new Invincible Luxury Vinyl Tile line, the exclusive Forever Hardwood, and the new Resista Refresh carpet. The new products will be introduced into Carpet One Floor & Home stores in the coming month.
Luxury Vinyl Tile from IVC joins hardwood in Carpet One Floor & Home’s exclusive Invincible brand of performance flooring introduced last year and focuses on durability. Forever Hardwood – an exclusive, propriety wood program from Mannington – is a high performance product with a ProTec finish making it highly resistant to denting gouging, fading and staining. It is made in America from using recycled materials. Resista Refresh will expand on the highly successful Resista carpet line.
“The products we have to introduce to our members at this convention are truly groundbreaking,” said Eric Demaree, President of Carpet One Floor & Home. “We are confident that these products will help our members continue to differentiate themselves from the competition.”
Carpet One Floor & Home also introduced members to the newly designed homepage of CarpetOne.com which focuses on engaging customers throughout the shopping process.
Special guest speaker, Jeffrey Gitomer, a best selling author and internationally know sales consultant showed members how to attract and maintain loyal customers for life. Gitomer is the author of nine books, including New York Times best sellers, The Sales Bible and The Little Gold Book of YES! Attitude. His books have sold millions of copies and have been translated into14 languages.
A convention in Anaheim would not be complete with out an outing to Disneyland. Members enjoyed a Thursday night at the theme park with their Carpet One Floor & Home family.
About Carpet One Floor & Home Carpet One Floor & Home (www.CarpetOne.com) is North America’s leading floor covering retailer, with more than 1,000 independently owned and operated locations in the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. Carpet One Floor & Home stores are known for a broad selection of carpet, wood, laminate, ceramic, vinyl, and area rugs, including exclusive brands like Bigelow and Lees. They offer a unique customer experience with the exclusive SelectAFloor merchandising system that simplifies the shopping experience and The Beautiful GuaranteeTM, which guarantees that the customer will be 100% happy with their floor.
The convention theme – Blueprint for the Future – highlights the much anticipated plan and encourages members to look towards future opportunities and new ways of doing business. At the first convention since the announcement of new leadership for Flooring America & Flooring Canada Co-Presidents Keith Spano and Jim Duff presented members with an impressive line-up of new products and programs.
“We are excited for members to see the new introductions we have been working on for them” said Jim Duff, Co- President of Flooring America and Flooring Canada. “From the 3-year plan to product introductions and marketing strategies, members will return to their stores with valuable tools for their businesses.”
Three new products introduced at convention will be an integral part of planning for the future. Members were introduced to an exciting new Luxury Vinyl Tile program and new wood products as well. Members were also introduced to the new Resista Refresh line which builds off the already successful Resista carpet line.
“Our new product introductions offer our members yet another way to differentiate themselves from their competition,” said Keith Spano, Co-President of Flooring America and Flooring Canada. “The new programs along with marketing and merchandising support will benefit all our members.”
Guest speaker, Jonathan Trivers – a well know industry expert - combined his industry knowledge with personal life experiences to bring a powerful message to the Flooring America/Flooring Canada membership.
Flooring America and Flooring Canada’s convention also included a Beach Bash at Newport beach and many other opportunities for members to network. Convention closed with “Gold Rush” which offered members an opportunity to take advantage of great offers from vendors.
About Flooring America and Flooring Canada Flooring America (FlooringAmerica.com) and Flooring Canada (FlooringCanada.com) consist of more than 550 member-owned floor covering stores throughout the United States and Canada. Flooring America and Flooring Canada provide members with exclusive brands and warranty programs, comprehensive multi-media advertising programs, complete Showroom merchandising packages, plus training in management and sales. They operate as a division of CCA Global Partners, the world’s largest flooring group.
Resista Refresh addresses today’s consumer concerns with cleanliness and healthy homes with Silver Shield antimicrobial protection and ActiFresh to actively neutralize odors in your home.
“We are eager to build upon our successful Resista brand which has always focused on the stain resistance story,” said Charlie Dilks, Chief Product Officer of CCA Global Partners. “With the added benefits of odor and antimicrobial protection, we are confident this product will impress even our most demanding customers.”
Resista Refresh was developed through the collaboration of CCA’s product team along with the experts at Beaulieu who will be manufacturing the product for CCA.
“We are excited about this important launch with the CCA family,” said Jeff Meadows, Chief Marketing Officer for Beaulieu of America. “Our companies feel strongly that consumers want real solutions for their home and Resista Refresh is the ultimate solution for her environment”
Silver Shield technology uses genuine silver particles to kill odor and stain-causing bacteria that can grow in the home. ActiFresh works around the clock to actively neutralize odors in the home. The combination provides a carpet that looks beautiful but is also fresh and clean.
Resista Refresh products were introduced to CCA Global Partners’ membership at their summer convention in Anaheim where they were able to see the exciting new product first hand. These products will be available to consumers in October and can be found in Carpet One Floor & Home, Flooring America, and Flooring Canada stores throughout North America.
About CCA Global Partners
CCA Global Partners, Inc. is a privately held cooperative based in the United States with member businesses in the U.S., Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. For a quarter of a century, CCA Global has partnered with entrepreneurial businesspeople to create a cooperative powerhouse unmatched in the marketplace. With 14 independent business brands and more than 2,700 locations, CCA Global Partners is well positioned to positively impact the success of independent businesses. For more information on CCA Global Partners, go to http://www.ccaglobal.com.
Description:
The Bike Cooperative has an excellent opportunity in the Manchester, NH office to refill an existing position for a Director, Purchasing & Supplier Relations. This position is responsible for managing CCA’s overall relationship with all bike, bike part, and bike accessory vendors whether they are suppliers and/or distributors. The position serves as a buyer, negotiator, and industry expert to CCA for products purchased from those vendors. This position will seek to create common value between our retailers and our supplier partners by using creative communications, targeted promotions, and group buying models. The position is also responsible for overseeing the development of our growing private label product program. Specific responsibilities include:
Description:The IT Department has an excellent opportunity in the St. Louis office to refill an existing position for a System Support Specialist. This position is responsible for providing desktop and client support with hardware and software issues. Specific responsibilities include:
“Move or Improve Assurance takes much of the risk and uncertainty out of the flooring decision,” said Vinnie Virga, President of Flooring America. “Now, our customers can be confident in their purchase even if they don’t know what their tastes will be - or where they’ll be - in the future.”
Flooring America and Flooring Canada will be introducing Move or Improve Assurance in stores with a special Move or Improve Flooring Event during March and April. The event will feature great prices on exclusive products and unsurpassed service along with the new Move or Improve Assurance.
To provide additional guidance to customers who are looking to move or improve, Flooring America and Flooring Canada are also introducing a series of podcasts with tips from realtors and experts with tips on making lasting investments in home renovations that provide a high return on investment. The podcasts can be viewed on Flooring America’s YouTube account at http://www.YouTube.com/FlooringAmerica1.
For more information on Move or Improve Assurance, customers can visit FlooringAmerica.com/MoveOrImprove or their local Flooring America or Flooring Canada store.
About Flooring America and Flooring Canada
Flooring America (FlooringAmerica.com) and Flooring Canada (FlooringCanada.com) consist of more than 550 member-owned floor covering stores throughout the United States and Canada. Flooring America and Flooring Canada provide members with exclusive brands and warranty programs, comprehensive multi-media advertising programs, complete Showroom merchandising packages, plus training in management and sales. They operate as a division of CCA Global Partners, the world’s largest flooring group.
“With over 100 affiliated showrooms nationwide, Guild members are involved with designers in an amazing number of stunning projects at any given time. The Designer Showcase Awards are the best way to recognize the talented interior designers our showrooms work with and cater to every day,” explains Krista Eliason, President of International Design Guild.
Each year, professional designers are invited to submit entries of luxury interiors they have created for their clients featuring the exclusive Louis A. Dabbieri Collection, which represents the ultimate in style and fine craftsmanship in floor covering.
The winner of the 2010 Dabbieri Award of Distinction and the Grand Prize of $5,000 is Tyler C. Swoverland of Wheatridge, Colorado. For his dining and living space, Swoverland used 100% wool, hand-loomed Dabbieri custom rugs using coffee bean and natural colors from Floor Coverings by CPA located in the Denver Design Center.
The First Runner-Up and winner of $2,500 is Jenny Lynn Wynne of Cincinnati, OH whose living space featured hand-knotted rugs from The Rug Gallery.
Honorable Mention and $1,000 goes to Lane Oliver of Denver whose project used Dabbieri Acquacotta from Floor Coverings by CPA to create a warm old English atmosphere in this library. Honorable Mention and $1,000 also goes to James Connelly of Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin, whose masculine study featured an oriental rug from Kashou Carpets in Milwaukee.
Winners were chosen from entries based upon individuality, use of color, and overall design. Special attention and consideration was given to the use of Dabbieri flooring.
About The Dabbieri CollectionThe Dabbieri Collection is an offering of beautiful and natural decorative carpets that is exclusive to members of the International Design Guild. Representing the ultimate in style and fine craftsmanship, Dabbieri features wool and natural fibers, as well as new fiber combinations for subtle, yet rich colors and textures. The Dabbieri Collection also includes exceptional custom area rugs and quality hardwood flooring.
About The International Design Guild The International Design Guild is an alliance of more than 100 luxury floor covering showroom owners throughout the United States and Canada. International Design Guild members have the right of first selection to the newest products and floor covering designs worldwide. They’re known for outstanding product, expertise and assistance.
Spano is an industry veteran who got his start in his family’s flooring business and went on to have a blend of experience in many areas of the floor covering industry from sales and marketing to product management and supplier relations. This experience will contribute greatly to Flooring America members’ success.
“I am excited for our members to have Keith’s experience and innovative outlook on their side,” said Vinnie Virga, President of Flooring America. “It is with great pleasure that we welcome him to our Flooring America family.”
Spano’s background includes working at the mill level for Beaulieu as the National Accounts representative for franchises and serving at Abbey Carpet as Executive Vice President of marketing and merchandising. He also gained additional retail experience as the Executive Vice President of Sales & Marketing for a very large regional retailer — Avalon Carpet Tile & Flooring.
Spano will be based out of Flooring America’s Manchester, NH office.
About Flooring America and Flooring CanadaFlooring America (FlooringAmerica.com) and Flooring Canada (FlooringCanada.com) consist of more than 550 member-owned floor covering stores throughout the United States and Canada. Flooring America and Flooring Canada provide members with exclusive brands and warranty programs, comprehensive multi-media advertising programs, complete Showroom merchandising packages, plus training in management and sales. They operate as a division of CCA Global Partners, the world’s largest flooring group.