The Flooring Podcast with Mike Harris

Mike returns to The Flooring Podcast after a summer break, recording from Pod617 Studios in Westwood, Massachusetts, and welcomes “Young Guns” guests Jordan Cancela (VP of Sales) and Tyler Bothe (VP of Operations) from Pavilion Floors, a Diversify company. They discuss Diversify’s national footprint (60+ locations), union and non-union operations, and how Pavilion benefits from added resources and shared expertise. Jordan and Tyler outline their career paths through estimating at Allegheny, time at Select Tile, and their current leadership roles at Pavilion, including managing teams, pipeline, margins, and operations. They highlight recent Pavilion changes, new leader Bob Hutchinson’s impact, and the importance of culture and veteran staff. The episode covers industry shifts from VCT to LVT, challenges integrating software and AI, and tools like Climate sensors for moisture transparency.

Find Pavillion Floors at ​​https://diverzify.com/brands/pavilion-floors/

Topics

01:30 Young Guns Intro

02:36 Diversify Buys Pavilion

04:46 Roles at Pavilion

06:08 Jordan Career Path

10:40 Tyler Background and Mentors

14:11 Jordan Roots and Family

16:34 Coaching and Leadership

19:12 New Leadership at Pavilion

21:31 Change and Growth Ahead

25:51 Team Culture And Growth

26:20 Shoutouts To Industry Veterans

27:45 Trades Pipeline And Voc Tech

28:58 Family Life And Personal Growth

30:00 Wednesdays Question Tech And AI

33:45 Moisture Monitoring And Transparency

35:38 Software Overload And Integration

38:07 Mikes Three Questions Rapid Fire

44:25 Wrap Up And Where To Find Pavilion

45:41 Final Thanks And Listening Info

Mike welcomes Steve and Kathy Cloud of M. Frank Higgins at Pod617 Studios, discussing the company’s origins after WWII, its Boston roots, and the 1952 incorporation of the Connecticut operation launched after work at Westover Air Force Base. Steve describes entering the family business after Notre Dame, becoming president at 27–28 following the deaths of his mother and partner B. Albert Higgins, and how a major Yale–New Haven Hospital tower project helped propel growth. Kathy shares how she and Steve met at Notre Dame, her transition from engineering to geology and a 26-year teaching career before joining the business 15 years ago, later becoming president and driving relationship-based marketing, CEU lunch-and-learns, and industry events. They discuss faith, mentors, union labor, Starnet and NFCA leadership roles, developing the next generation including son Travis, and personal interests like boating, travel, and Steve’s wine cellar.

Find Steve and Kathy at MFHiggins.com

Topics

00:56 Meet Steve and Kathy

02:01 Company Origins and Growth

05:34 Notre Dame Connection

06:29 How They Met

09:15 Kathy Teaching Career

10:45 Steve Takes the Helm

13:08 Kathy Joins the Business

16:14 Next Generation Leadership

18:11 Company Values and Faith

19:22 Hospital Project Partnerships

21:42 Mentors and Life Lessons

24:28 Challenges and Networking

27:22 Show Returns Bigger

28:03 AGC Board Lessons

29:13 Notre Dame Birthday Story

29:46 Boats Travel Grandkids

31:30 Wine Cellar Passion

33:19 Sports Talk Detour

34:50 Women In Flooring

36:47 Starnet NFCA Leadership

39:24 Retirement And Family

41:53 Famous Three Questions

46:14 Closing Thanks And Wrap

Mike welcomes Raymond Mancini Jr., CEO of UCX (formerly Belknap White), to discuss UCX’s history as a third-generation family business that began with a Rhode Island liquor distributor (Providence Beverage Company) and entered flooring in 1982 by buying Rifco and focusing on the Armstrong brand. Mancini explains how the company grew through consolidation—acquiring 12 distributors over about 45 years, including JJ Haines in 2019—expanding from New England to 28 states from Maine to Florida and Texas, covering about 70% of the U.S. population. He outlines the UCX rebrand (“Ultimate Customer Experience”), relationship-driven culture, leadership values, and logistics advantage with 140–150 trucks. They also cover Mancini’s education and mentors, hiring from Bryant MBA classmates, industry trends (consolidation, succession, private equity/ESOPs), and future impacts of AI.

Contact Ray at  [email protected]. 

Topics

01:27 UCX Origins and Family Legacy

02:19 From Liquor to Flooring Distribution

04:23 Armstrong Focus and Early Territory

05:25 Acquisitions and East Coast Expansion

07:18 Rebrand to UCX and Customer Experience

08:56 Leadership Journey and Mentors

12:20 Cranston Roots and Pop Culture Detour

14:00 Hiring Talent and Building the Team

16:04 Logistics Advantage and Company Culture

20:58 Customer Success Mindset

21:11 Real Housewives Rhode Island

21:36 Rhode Island Favorites

22:35 Family and Empty Nest

23:33 Fourth Generation Plans

24:25 Acquisition Playbook

27:09 Industry Future Trends

30:05 AI and Relationships

32:07 Adapting Like Music

33:16 Three Fun Questions

37:26 Wrap Up and Contact

Mike interviews Jared Colombo of JC Floors, a family business founded by his father in 1989 after inheriting accounts from Somerville Floors, then expanding from East Boston to Wilmington and now Billerica, with 15–20 office staff and 30–60 union installers. He explains the roles of his parents and siblings, and highlights longtime project manager Ed Higgins. Jared outlines JC’s focus on tenant fit-outs in downtown Boston and notes post-COVID office trends toward enhanced amenities and likely office-to-apartment conversions. He shares personal background (Peabody, BU, Westford), early work hustles, and starting in the warehouse before moving into estimating and buyouts. Industry topics include NEFCA board involvement, union recruiting, buying-group participation, AI’s potential in estimating, and a detailed discussion of change orders and documentation.

Topics

00:54 Nicknames and Small Talk

01:36 How JC Floors Started

03:35 Ed Higgins Industry Veteran

05:05 Family Roles at JC Floors

06:24 Typical Projects and Market

07:08 Post COVID Office Changes

09:08 Jared Background and Homebuying

10:31 Remote Work During COVID

11:45 School Years and Early Hustles

15:17 Bachelor Trips and Travel Stories

17:37 Career Path in the Business

19:02 Brother Joins the Trade

19:42 Business Outlook and Crew Size

20:49 Unions and NEFCA Role

22:47 Recruiting the Next Generation

24:03 Buying Groups and Conferences

25:33 AI for Estimating

27:05 Change Orders Explained

30:35 Famous Three Questions

34:15 Italian Roots and Family Life

35:58 Wrap Up and Contact Info

Mike interviews Jamie Lopez of Allegheny Contract about his flooring career, leadership, and personal background. Lopez, originally from El Salvador, came to Chelsea at 15 without speaking English and later built a career starting at union shop Circle Floors before leaving to seek more opportunity, briefly working independently and in California, then returning to Boston and gaining job-running experience through a non-union shop. He describes advancing at Allegheny during major early-2000s Cambridge/Boston growth and leading large projects including Battery Wharf and a Natick job installing wood in 500 luxury apartments in six weeks with extensive logistics and multiple crews. Lopez credits success to clear protocols, craftsmanship, and collaboration, and shares a Paris, France project that led to a client-funded family vacation. He cites mentors, emphasizes minimizing waste of time/materials/talent, and answers fun questions about coffee ice cream, grilling steak, and desired travel destinations.

Topics

00:46 Meet Jamie Lopez

02:49 Union Beginnings

04:45 Leaving the Union

05:34 Back to Boston

08:03 Running Bigger Jobs

09:21 Natick Six Week Sprint

11:35 How They Pulled It Off

15:08 Craft Pride and Floors

15:51 Immigration and Family

17:10 Home Life and Daughters

17:54 Hiking and Outdoors

18:45 White Mountains Reflections

19:39 Mentors And Standards

21:17 Why Ardex Matters

22:18 Paris Job Origin Story

25:54 Design Details And Perfection

28:46 Vacation Surprise Reward

31:53 What Sets Allegheny Apart

34:15 Famous Three Questions

36:02 Thanks And Sign Off

Mike interviews LeeAnn DiPietropolo of Spartan Surfaces about her 25-year flooring distribution career, including 17 years at Sales Master after Western Carpet lost the AROC VCT line, and how Spartan’s acquisition expanded her work from contractor-driven sales to architect/designer specification for commercial projects like hospitals and schools. She describes Spartan’s product mix (rubber, Roppe, EVA/Capri Eco Surfaces, ceramic tile, wood, and installation supplies like MAPEI and Bostik), and shares her relationship-first sales philosophy and upcoming book, “Soul to Soul Selling.” Leanne also discusses her 501(c) charity Santa’s Porch, which has run for 10 years and helped over 1,000 children last year, including recognition on Live with Kelly and Ryan. She serves as vendor partner on the NEFCA board and addresses being a woman in a male-dominated industry, sustainability trends like PVC-free flooring, and current strength in the Boston market.

Mike Harris: [email protected]

LeeAnn DiPietropolo:  [email protected]

Topics

00:45 Italian Nicknames Banter

01:55 Career at Sales Master

03:10 Spartan Transition and Spec Work

04:26 Product Lines and Job Types

06:18 From Philly to Massachusetts

07:59 Family Life and Kids

09:16 Sales Mentors and Roots

11:23 Soul to Soul Selling Book

13:16 Santa's Porch Charity

15:59 NEFCA Role and Mission

16:48 Owner Side Insights

17:16 Vendor Showcase Plans

17:28 Santas Porch Donation

19:20 Union Jobsite Economics

21:27 Life In Westerly

22:22 Nickname Call In

23:07 Women In Flooring

25:31 Green Materials Shift

27:41 Boston Market Outlook

28:21 Family Sports Stories

29:20 Famous Three Questions

31:20 Travel And Wrap Up

Mike welcomes Steve Becht, a Boston-market wood flooring expert with 43 years in the industry. Becht recounts starting in estimating at Circle Floors after studying architectural engineering at Wentworth and civil engineering at Northeastern, learning under mentors including Phil Maria, then working at Allegheny and Congress before buying Charles Auditory Flooring in 1991, later renaming it BE Corporation and completing notable restoration and museum projects. He explains industry shifts such as manufacturer consolidation, engineered and prefinished wood trends, and the challenge of installing wood in uncontrolled commercial environments due to moisture and humidity changes. Becht sold BE Corp to Pavilion in 2016, helped build a specialty flooring division, then experienced Pavilion’s acquisition by Diversify. He now runs Redhawk Solutions, offering consulting, diagnostics, specification help, mentoring, and tools like Climate (formerly Floorcloud) and Clearstory.

Mike Harris: [email protected]

 Steve Becht:  [email protected] 

Topics

00:37 Show Welcome

01:23 Meet Steve Becht

02:13 Early Career Origins

02:49 Circle Floors Mentors

04:18 Allegheny Connections

05:17 Manufacturer Buyouts Era

06:39 Buying A Wood Business

07:50 Simmons Flood Save

08:40 BE Corporation Growth

09:48 Historic Restoration Work

10:37 Arsenal Mall Leveling

11:59 Prep Adhesives Evolution

13:11 Commercial Wood Trends

14:25 Museums And Moisture

15:13 Exit To Pavilion

16:31 Specialty Division Build

17:59 Family And Career Pride

18:36 Family Updates

19:17 Traveling The World

20:41 Sports Tickets And Roots

23:04 Pavilion To Diversify

25:28 Launching Redhawk Solutions

27:31 Wood Flooring Challenges

29:06 Exotics And Jobsite Reality

31:56 Tech Tools And Partnerships

35:13 Rapid Fire Favorites

37:45 Wrap Up And Sponsors

Mike is joined by David Ruggieri of Ruggieri Brothers in Rhode Island, a third-generation flooring company founded in 1949 by David’s grandfather and his two brothers after World War II, evolving from linoleum and residential tract homes into major commercial work. David describes growing up in Warwick, working summers in the field, studying accounting and computer science at Quinnipiac, then spending about seven years in public accounting focused on construction subcontractors before returning as president and treasurer, alongside cousin Peter. Jeri Brothers operates both commercial and retail (Carpet One), with revenues about 75% commercial and 25% residential, roughly 30 office staff and 50–70 field workers, and recently earned Carpet One Diamond Club recognition. David discusses Starnet membership since 1994, his role chairing its meetings committee, and serving as NFCA president, highlighting labor bargaining and industry education. They also cover industry changes toward digital estimating, LVT and carpet tile, and emerging AI.

Visit https://ruggieribrosflooring.com/

Topics

00:45 Meet David Ruggieri

01:44 Ruggieri Brothers Origins

03:53 Family Roles Today

05:16 Nicknames And Legacy

06:38 Growing Up In The Trade

08:12 Accounting Career Detour

10:06 Cancun And Marco Stories

11:54 Outside Experience Pays Off

15:22 Rhode Island Roots And Pride

16:51 Family Life And Hometown

19:04 Business Scope And Retail

19:56 Business Mix and Payroll

21:00 Diamond Club Recognition

21:49 Starnet Membership Benefits

24:50 NFCA Leadership and Mission

27:39 Family Legacy and Tagline

29:30 Industry Changes and AI

31:33 Patriots Projects and Fandom

34:19 Rapid Fire Favorites

38:27 Closing Thanks and Website

John Gabaree recounts his 20+ year career in epoxy, polished concrete, and urethane cements, starting at Industrial Abrasive Blasting (IAB) in Gloucester, where he brought polished concrete into the business after Schofield certification, then building a major epoxy/polish division at Business Interiors with peaks of 45–50 field staff across 7–11 jobs. He discusses BI’s sale to Capital Flooring and his move to the Jantile Group, which includes large New York operations and Jantile Boston’s union tile/stone business. John is now president of the newly formed Jantile Flooring Systems, expanding into epoxy, polished concrete, and also carpet, resilient, and wood. The episode covers expectation-setting for on-site coatings, prep methods (shot blasting vs. grinding), power and access limits, silica dust control, and purchasing new equipment. John also shares personal background, Patriots tailgates, and former wedding DJ experience.

Topics

00:43 Meet John Gabaree

01:24 Breaking Into Flooring

02:05 IAB and Polished Concrete

03:08 Business Interiors Growth

04:56 BI Sale and Free Agency

05:51 Why Epoxy Is Different

06:43 Joining Jantile Boston

09:23 Life and Family Roots

10:26 Pats Tickets and Florida

11:45 The Wedding DJ Years

13:09 Wedding DJ Lessons

14:45 Flooring Question Segment

14:55 Epoxy Versus Soft Goods

18:40 Prep Methods And Dust

21:09 New Equipment At Jantile

23:17 Final Three Questions

25:54 Wrap Up And Contact

Mike Harris welcomes guest John Felker, Manager of National Strategic Accounts for Ardex. The conversation covers a wide range of topics including their professional history, particularly their time together at Ardex, the evolution of the tiling and stone industries, and the unique aspects of working within a family-owned business. John shares personal anecdotes such as his background growing up in Columbus, Ohio, his unexpected journey into the industry, and his love for running marathons and poetry. The episode concludes with a light-hearted rapid-fire round where John shares his favorite ice cream flavor, Dunkin' order, and comfort food meal. The discussion is filled with insights on career growth, lifelong passions, and the importance of maintaining a balanced life.

Topics

00:36 Guest Introduction: John Felker from Ardex

01:37 Reflecting on Retirement and Social Aspects of Work

02:38 John's Background and Career Journey

04:38 Ardex: A Family-Owned Business

06:12 Leadership and Longevity at Ardex

08:48 John's Family and Personal Life

15:07 John's Running Journey

17:05 Turning 60: A New Competitive Edge

17:28 The Evolution of Ardex's Hardscape Business

20:20 Training and Innovation in Hardscapes

21:54 Personal Passions: Poetry and Journaling

24:15 Life Lessons from Boy Scouts

26:56 Storytelling and Humility

31:06 Final Reflections and Farewell