This past fall two flooring executives with more than 50 years’ combined experience in sales, marketing and brand management assumed high-profile positions.
Len Andolino proved you can go home again by returning to Couristan (for the third time) to become president of a legacy company entering its 100th year. Andolino said his goal “is to bring new strategies and initiatives to the forefront that will ensure the company’s future and surpass expectations.”
Meanwhile, Seth Arnold departed Mohawk for rival Shaw to become brand leader of COREtec, arguably the most recognized brand name in flooring today. In his new position, Arnold will set the vision for COREtec, executing brand, marketing, product and sales initiatives to catalyze brand growth and increase consumer recognition.
FCNews’ Steve Feldman and Ken Ryan recently caught up with Andolino and Arnold, respectively, to discuss their new roles.
Seth Arnold
What enticed you to join Shaw as COREtec brand leader?
The opportunity to lead the largest brand within the largest category in flooring. I have had the great privilege of leading and building leading brands within my career and COREtec is a very special honor. It is a very young brand with incredible retailer loyalty and consumer demand.
How do you continue to grow and nourish the COREtec brand?
First by strengthening the core of what people love—beauty and innovation. This is what has made COREtec such a tremendous success. Second, we simply need to amplify the story to consumers in partnership with our core retail partners. In my 25 years, I know how rare it is to find a brand with such deep and loyal support among retailers. This is a tremendous source of strength and opportunity for COREtec.
What is your goal with specialty flooring retailers?
This is the challenge for the entire industry. COREtec, more than any other brand, is actually driving customers into retailers today. I travel the country and hear the same story: “COREtec is really the only brand people are asking for.” Of course, we are proud of the hard work and happy to continue investing to create demand. For COREtec, the question is really more for the retail community: How are they going to receive the demand and convert it to COREtec? We have a proven platform for building demand, and we will concentrate that demand around retailers that will help convert that interest in COREtec into a sale. This is why the specialty retail loyalty around COREtec is so special and so powerful. This is why we have a better chance of winning together than any other brand that is in the marketplace.
Resilient suppliers are flocking to WPC. COREtec is the WPC leader. Do you see this as pressure? As a privilege?
This is a validation of COREtec’s commitment to quality. WPC is obviously the core of COREtec and no other brand has comparable breadth, width or expertise. The alignment of market demand to WPC will clearly accelerate our ability to grow the brand. High-quality, proven performance is at the heart of every great brand. The rising demand for WPC is an indicator that the market is maturing away from many of the lower-quality, unproven formulations.
Where do you see the COREtec brand in five years?
Predicting the future is more about knowing what will remain the same. Consumers will still want beautiful products that are long lasting and easy to clean at a great price. In five years, COREtec will still be the first and best choice for retailers to deliver on these promises. I am also excited because COREtec is entering into the second consumer cycle. Consumers only make one or two flooring purchases per decade. So, in the next five years, many consumers will be making their second purchase of COREtec. This is an exciting opportunity to solidify and accelerate COREtec’s position as the leader in hard surface flooring.
Len Andolino
You’re back at Couristan after three and a half years away. What brought you back to the company for the third time?
What brought me back was a deep feeling of family. I was very much ready to retire or at least start that next path to retirement. I’ve worked at Couristan three different times. A year and a half ago, Ron Couri, one of the owners, suddenly passed away. In the summer of 2024, Niall Corey, the managing director of our hospitality division, also suddenly passed away.
The company—and the people—had a hole in their heart. George Couri is a friend of mine. He brought to me an opportunity and I just felt this company needed some love.
How is the company different today than when you arrived about 20 years ago? How is it the same?
It’s the same because we still have the same values that lead our existence, which is based on quality. We search the world for high-quality products that fit our signature look. We are always talking about trends. So, we find the trends and really hit that time and time again.
The biggest change is our area rug business. We are in a transitional period for our area rug division, and we are going back to our roots of 100 years ago of being more conscious of the quality that we’re bringing to our customer and the commitment we’re making to our brick-and-mortar dealers. So, we’ve decided to split the rug division. We will have a group of products that are dedicated to internet sales and another group of products that are going to be sold through our brick-and-mortar dealers.
What are your goals and objectives short- and long-term?
Well, short term is to get the company ready for a 100-year celebration. It’s also to make sure that the goals that were set prior to me returning are executed, making sure that the new rug division is up and running, the inventory’s there, streamline our business. As for long term, George Couri, our chairman, about three and a half years ago brought on his daughter, Georgia, the third generation of Couris. One of my responsibilities is to mentor her to where one day she will be ready to take over this iconic company.
Are you concerned about the prospect of tariffs?
We are extremely concerned. On our residential side, we do not import a lot of products from China. On our hospitality side, we do have a joint venture in China. We are certainly not the kind of company to sit with our head in the sands. We are looking with our joint venture partner for alternative opportunities in countries that can bring us the quality weaving that we require but to get away from these excessive tariffs.
How do you plan on strengthening partnerships with independent flooring dealers?
The best way to strengthen your partnership is in servicing them. We’re always going to have a high-quality product. So, we make sure that our salespeople are exceptionally trained. When the question comes up about installation or fiber or construction, we have a sales force that can answer those questions and service those dealers.
