New York—Edge Summit is two months away. Mohawk is planning its most comprehensive event highlighted by proprietary consumer insights, a first look at new products for 2027 and the ceremonial passing of the baton from Jeff Lorberbaum to Paul De Cock, who took over as CEO on Oct. 1. It is being billed as an imperative event for flooring retailers who want to win in today’s challenging environment. FCNews publisher Steven Feldman recently sat down with Jason Randolph, senior VP of residential sales, and Laura Bartley, vice president, events and customer loyalty, for a rapid-fire Q&A about what retailers can expect to find at Edge.
Complete this sentence: Retailers should come to Edge Summit because…
Bartley: Because they’re going to see everything Mohawk has done to be the best partner we can possibly be to our retail partners.
Randolph: Because they’re going to see a new Mohawk, targeting the consumer and helping them to trade up and get higher-ticket items.
What are you personally most excited to experience this year at Edge Summit?
Bartley: I’m most excited to experience the general session, because that’s where everything is going to come to life—all the changes that we’ve made in the last year.
Randolph: I’m also excited about the general session and the overall theme of the show, weaving in consumer insights to help our retailers better target customers and close the sale in their store.
What part of the summit do you think retailers will be talking about on the flight home?
Bartley: It’s going to be to “Listen, Adapt, Win” because Mohawk is putting everything behind listening to our retail partners, listening to the consumer, how we’re making changes in our business and how the retailers are in a better position than ever to win.
Randolph: I think it’s going to be the showroom floor. We have a new layout this year that’s very interactive and it’s going to walk our retailers through the consumer journey, what we found through the insights, all the way to how to bring that to life within the store.
Regarding the showroom floor—if you could attend Edge Summit as a retailer instead of an executive, where would you go first?
Randolph: I would start at the consumer insights area. That’s where you’re going to understand all of the data that we have been pulling, and that will bring the entire showroom to life.
Bartley: I’m also starting at the consumer insights house.
What is the one surprise attendees should watch for?
Bartley: Let’s just say we’re going to have some fun with lights. Randolph: Let’s just say it’s going to be a unique showroom experience, unlike they’ve seen at any regional shows, including Surfaces.
What will feel noticeably different about Edge Summit this year?
Randolph: I think it’s going to be the overall feel. What we’re doing right now is creating a more curated and aspirational experience for the retailers that will translate down to their consumers as well.
Bartley: Two things. So, Mohawk is better equipped to deal with the headwinds that we’re facing now and in the near-term future. And then we are smarter than any other manufacturer about insights, which means our retail partners are going to be smarter.
How did current market conditions influence the experience you’re building?
Randolph: I think what we’re seeing today with the current headwinds is that higher ticket items and higher ticket sales are exactly what retailers are flourishing with. We’re going to show those retailers how to get those consumers in the store and how to ultimately close the sale. We’re also going to create a better experience so once the retailer gets that consumer into the store, they’re able to close a higher percentage.
What are retailers telling you they need most from Mohawk right now?
Bartley: Retailers are looking for that elevated layer of partnership. They’re looking for a partner to help them with their marketing. They know Mohawk has the best product. They’re looking for help running their businesses; they’re looking for help in marketing; they’re looking for the tools they need to take their local efforts to the next level.
You see retailers all the time. What are they telling you they want from you?
Randolph: They’re telling us they need help with digital and with leads. That they know the customer is starting online, so they have to find a way to capture that customer and bring them into the store to close the sale.
The theme, “Listen, Adapt, Win.” How will that come to life beyond the stage?
Bartley: Everything we’re doing at Summit is touched by that theme, from wayfinding that you walk into the hotel all the way through our education curriculum. Our education curriculum is divided into Listen, Adapt, Win. It’s the theme of the general session, but even more so than that, our entire showroom is separated into “Listen,” which is our insights house; “Adapt,” which is our merchandising and product features; and then “Win,” which is our partnership zone or our marketing program.
Randolph: I would also say it goes down to the core elements. We had to adopt the listen, adapt, win ourselves before we could push that out to our retail partners. And I say that because we listened first; we did the most intensive insight study over the last year that we’ve ever done in the history of Mohawk.
So, we’re listening to what consumers want. We’re going to show our retail partners how to adapt and we’re adapting what we show. And then finally, we’re going to equip them to win. So with the marketing programs, with our lead generation, with our digital site, with the new website, with the new merchandising, we’re going to show them how they can win in this new retail environment.
Bartley: I just would add that it’s not just a theme; that is the leadership style Ken Walma has brought to Mohawk. He came in and listened for a minute and then said, “Stop. Become a better listener, adapt the way you’re working so we become the best partner to win with.”
Randolph: I think one of the things you’ve seen over the last couple of years from Mohawk is we’re not only listening to our retail partners but we’re taking that all the way down to the consumer level. And that’s probably something we were missing. We were all focused on the retailer but we were not really listening to the needs of the consumer.
What will retailers be able to take home and put into action immediately?
Bartley: Our education curriculum, all 22 individual classes, have been built so they can go home and take that information and put it to use in their local communities. I would say that that’s the reason Susan G. Komen and Tunnel to Towers are there.
Randolph: I think the retailers are going to be able to take into action, first of all, is how their consumers are thinking. From our trends presentation, from how they’re searching online, to how they’re getting a lead, how they’re finding a lead today, and how their store is in the search engine for the retailer, it’s completely different now than what it was in the past. In the past, you needed key search words. Today, you need to be in the AI logarithm, which means you have to have ratings and reviews. So building up that portfolio is something they can immediately start working on. Then merchandising their showroom to make sure it matches their online experience. Creating that cohesive blend is what we need for the consumers. And that’s something a retailer can do the minute they walk back into their store.
What would you say to a retailer who thinks they’re too busy to step away from their business to attend Edge Summit?
Randolph: I would say it’s critical for your business that you attend Edge Summit. The Edge experience this year is going to be unlike any other experience we’ve had, and it’s going to be something that is not going to be 100% replicated at the regional shows or at Surfaces. This is going to be a unique experience for our key retail partners, people who are looking to grow their businesses, people who are looking to spend time on education sessions, so they can learn how to grow their businesses. You can learn about trends. You can learn what’s the search engines on AI now. Plus, you’re going to see history in the making with Jeff Lorberbaum stepping down as CEO and then handing that baton over to Paul De Cock.
Bartley: We have 70 accounts coming that have never attended an Edge Summit.
Is it almost if you’re too busy to not come to Edge Summit, maybe you’re not serious enough about your business?
Randolph: I don’t know if I would go that far, but I would definitely tell someone to reconsider if they think they’re too busy. I think someone needs to go to understand how a consumer is shopping today. This is going to catapult their 2027. We know we live in a tumultuous environment right now, and understanding how that consumer shops—you have fewer people walking in the door, you have more people searching online. You have to find a way to connect that online with in store and we’re going to show them the way, and we’re going to show them how to sell a bigger ticket when they get them into the store.
What product or business opportunity are you most excited about for retailers to discover at Edge Summit?
Randolph: First of all, our RevWood and PureTech categories continue to grow. Those are areas where we think we’ve just scratched the surface, and we want to continue to push the momentum. The next thing is in our carpet introductions. We had a big introduction last year with Pur-Ease. You’re going to see a big expansion on that this year. You’re also going to see more of our Pet Premier products, which were a big hit last year. So, we’re moving up the style game in both hard and soft surface.
What do you see as the greatest growth opportunity for specialty retail?
Randolph: I think the greatest growth opportunity for specialty retail is capturing that consumer who is searching online and is on the sidelines. Even though the overall flooring market is down, the market is up every year on home renovations. We have to find a way to get that consumer to stop deferring that flooring purchase and get excited about that flooring renovation. We’re competing with kitchens and bathrooms, and we’re even competing with furniture companies.
What do you hope retailers feel about Mohawk after spending a few days with the team?
Randolph: First, I hope they feel Mohawk is a great partner. Second, that Mohawk is dialed in to what consumers are looking for. If we’re dialed into that, we’re going to help our retail partners capture those consumers, and our retail partners are going to help us by generating that sale for Mohawk.
What moment are you most looking forward to seeing retailers experience for the first time?
Bartley: I’m looking forward to the Jeff Lorberbaum tribute. After 50 years, he’s given Mohawk the foundation for what we are today. So it is celebrating our past, but also with Paul coming on as CEO, celebrating our future.
How have retailer insights shaped the education and overall event experience?
Bartley: The very first thing we do is ask our retailers what are the topics? If they’re going to leave their stores and come to us for three days, what do they want to learn? That is the first place we start and that is how we build the curriculum. Then we go out and we find a mix of not just internal experts but external experts to bring in to make sure we have the full gamut of what they ask for.
What does winning look like for an Edge retailer in 2027?
Bartley: Winning looks like the best product assortment, the best products in the industry, and the best programs we can possibly offer, so you have the marketing, the product and the consumer knowledge.
Randolph: Winning to me is providing the tools to allow that retailer to connect their online— which is the website, the lead generation, their whole digital page—to the in-store experience. And connecting that consumer and allowing her to flow through both of those seamlessly.
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