Denver—Mohawk is encouraging retailers to register early and take full advantage of this year’s Edge Summit, which will be held here December 16-19 at the Gaylord Rockies Resort and Convention Center. Early bird special pricing, which began May 22, sold out on the first day; however, dealers are encouraged to register now while rooms are still available. As an added incentive to attending the “Ignite Your Edge Summit,” all product launches, samples and inventory shown in December will be in stock and available to retailers by the end of February.
“We decided as a management group to say: ‘Listen, you come to Edge Summit and order new products and inventory, we will have it to you within six to seven weeks,” Jeff Meadows, president of Mohawk residential sales, told FCNews. “In the past [product availability] could be spring. For those who say, ‘I’ll just wait until Surfaces to see the new products,’ we say, ‘This is why we are doing this. This is the reason we wanted to load the wagon; this is why you don’t want to wait. If you wait until Surfaces, someone will beat you to the punch.’ We wanted to get it to them early since 2025 is projected to be a rebound year.”
In addition to first access to 2025 product launches, retailers attending Edge Summit can take advantage of education sessions and enjoy one-on-one time with Mohawk’s top executives. “We will have all of our leadership team there,” Meadows said. “Jeff Lorberbaum [chairman/CEO], Paul De Cock [president – flooring, North America] will be there for the entire conference. A lot of customers don’t get exposed to them; this gives customers a chance to get [the leadership team’s] perspectives, which our customers enjoy.”
Meadows noted that what’s also unique about Edge Summit versus a larger show is a focused number of retail customers will have the time to delve into new product presentations with product managers. “When you go to Surfaces and there are 20,000 people around, it is hard to find the time,” Meadows explained. “This is like a private showing. Attendees can spend 20-30 minutes with a product manager, which you can’t do at Surfaces.”
Mohawk said it encourages retailers to register now rather than wait until August or September and perhaps miss the boat entirely.
Retailers seize the advantage
Flooring retailers who have attended previous Edge Summits know what to expect: access to the newest offerings with a higher priority to get displays early; quality time with fellow retailers; and business-altering education sessions that draw standing-room-only crowds.
Based on previous experiences, retailers are already registering for the event. “We will be taking advantage of the early bird pricing,” said Tom Heffner, president of About All Floors, Douglassville, Pa. “Edge Summit is a great time to gather with industry peers and discuss our businesses. I always seem to take home a few great ideas to improve business.”
Mark McCartney, president, McCartney Carpet One Floor & Home, Wautoma, Wis., said he will also be taking advantage of the early registration. “We feel it is yet another great perk of a strong relationship with Mohawk that we are offered early bird pricing. It shows they value the partnership.”
McCartney added that, like Heffner, he finds Edge Summit is also a great way to connect with other retailers from across the country to discuss best practices and learn what others are doing to deal with business challenges. “There is a lot of knowledge walking around, and people are willing to discuss and help out other dealers,” he said.
In fact, several dealers told FCNews that the opportunity to catch up with like-minded dealers—in a non-threatening setting—has allowed them to expand their industry network and gain valuable knowledge. “I look forward to rubbing shoulders with some of the top flooring dealers from across the country and learn from their successes and struggles over the past couple of years,” said Preston Wankier, co-owner, Pioneer Floor Coverings, Cedar City, Utah. “I always come back to the office with new ideas and a renewed energy to improve my business.” Brett Bentz, president, Harrisburg Wall & Flooring, Harrisburg, Pa., agreed, adding: “Hearing different business ideas from fellow retailers is big. You find out new ways to do things, and you realize what a small world flooring is. I would recommend retailers sign up early. It is a popular event, and you want to set aside your meeting times with your reps. You have to plan your days accordingly.”
The benefit of Edge Summit is so great for Johnson & Sons Flooring, Knoxville, Tenn., that Aaron Johnson, president/owner, is bringing his key people along for the ride. “The reason we’re so excited about Edge Summit—and taking all our key people—is the return we get on investment every time we go,” Johnson said. “This is the high-light of our year and honestly is the best trade show out there. The educational classes hit on all the hot topics, and the instructors are top tier; they have made a huge impact on our business through the years.”
In fact, Johnson credits Edge Summit with saving his business, which he said was teetering on the brink of closing back in 2011. “That year was different. Jared, my business partner, and I decided we were going to go [to Solutions at the time] and attend every class and really try to apply ourselves to save our business. I signed up for every class we could get into. The instructors and classes were so good, we challenged ourselves to double our business that very year. We were doing about $750k annually at the time. After those classes, we were so pumped and got back home and went to work. That year we doubled our business and won Mohawk Retailer of the Year for the Southeast Region.”
Since then, Johnson & Sons has grown to a multi-million-dollar-a-year business and won Retailer of the Year for the region five times. “We are in such a better place now than we were for the first 10 years our business was open because of how Mohawk has partnered with us and continues to drive world-class education and help us succeed.”
Rick Costner, co-owner of About Floors ‘N’ More Jacksonville, Fla., is a Premier Level Edge dealer who has been coming to Edge Summit since the beginning. He also attested to the benefits of attending. “It gives us the opportunity to see everything that’s coming out, and we can order displays for the next year while we’re at the show. Just as valuable to my business are the educational classes that are offered—and the networking. The classes give us the ability to improve our business, and in speaking with other dealers that we only see once a year we get a perspective on business that we wouldn’t normally get.”
The access to Mohawk personnel is also a plus, McCartney said. “Edge Summit gives dealers an opportunity to talk with Mohawk leaders in a small setting.”
For pricing and other information regarding Edge Summit, visit mohawktoday.com/edgesummit.
