Mohawk Flooring honors Jim Garner of Sergenian’s Floor Coverings as the GreenWorks Dealer of the Year. The GreenWorks Dealer Award is based on three key criteria including profit, planet and people. To learn more about Mohawk flooring, GreenWorks and Sergenian’s Floor Coverings, read the press release below.

MADISON, WI (January 12, 2010)–Sergenian’s Floor Coverings, Madison Wisconsin has been named the winner of the 2009 Mohawk GreenWorks Dealer of the Year Award.

The award was presented to Jim Garner, CEO of Sergenian’s, in a surprise visit by Mohawk Director of Sustainability Jenny Cross and Mohawk Handyman and HGTV Star Chip Wade.

“I had an inkling when I saw Chip come in. We are very honored,” said Garner. (NOTE: A video of the award presentation is available for viewing at www.mohawkpr.com.)

Mohawk established the GreenWorks Dealer Award to recognize achievements by flooring retailers in environmental and Sustainability practices. The award is based on three key criteria:

• Profit. Without a strong financial footing and growth, no dealer can continue to operate and support the overall community with jobs and economic stability.
• Planet. Every dealer should strive to conserve resources, reduce waste and support environmentally–friendly products.
• People. When communities thrive, businesses thrive. The best retailers are active within and making an impact on their communities.

Sergenian’s Floor Coverings was recognized for a variety of initiatives supporting these principles. Judges for this year’s competition included Mohawk’s Chip Wade, David Cross of environmental consulting firm Abeo Partners, and Mike Hughes, President of Kelly’s Carpet Omaha, last year’s GreenWorks Dealer of the Year.

The reasons the judges chose Sergenian’s as the winner include:

• The store’s ongoing commitment to green initiatives. Sergenian’s began exploring ways to make its business more environmentally friendly in the mid 1990s.
• A balance of selling sustainable products (SmartStrand® carpet made with DuPont™ Sorona®) with operating its business in a sustainable fashion through participation in initiatives like MPower and a comprehensive carpet reclamation effort.
• A commitment that no carpet removed by Sergenian's will end up in a landfill.
• Extension beyond its immediate environmental footprint to impact the broader community via participation in the local EnAct program, which helps local citizens understand and live in a more sustainable fashion.
• Being a vocal advocate for the flooring industry and environmental issues, through an active public relations program and their CEO speaking to local and national trade organizations.
• The Mohawk GreenWorks Dealer of the Year Award competition was open to all Mohawk retailers in North America. As the winner, Segenian’s Floor Coverings received its choice of $5,000 that can be donated to a sustainable cause or used for another sustainably based effort; or a customized TV spot with Chip Wade (valued at $8,000).

“Sergenian’s ongoing commitment to sustainability is especially noteworthy. This company is proving that green business decisions can have a very positive impact on the bottom line—and on the reputation of the business,” said Jenny Cross, Director of Sustainability for Mohawk. “Sergenian’s is practicing sustainability in a number of ways that other flooring dealers would benefit by following.”

“Sergenian’s has shown true leadership in green ideas,” said David Duncan, Vice President of Marketing for Mohawk. “They’ve done much of it on their own, and they’ve demonstrated to all of us that sustainability isn’t a buzzword or fad. It’s a smarter way of doing business.”

Mohawk GreenWorks is the umbrella of environmental initiatives for Mohawk Industries. Mohawk is the largest recycler in the flooring industry, and the leader in recycled and renewable flooring. Mohawk diverts over three billion pounds of material from landfills each year, and this number is growing. Mohawk’s goal is to develop processes and products that allow the company to focus on the five “Rs” of the GreenWorks platform: reduce, recover, reuse, renew, and recycle. Learn more at www.mohawkgreenworks.com.

As a part of its GreenWorks effort, Mohawk purchased emissions offsets to make the awards presentation carbon-neutral.

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Mohawk is a leading supplier of flooring for both residential and commercial applications. Mohawk offers a complete selection of broadloom carpet, ceramic tile, laminate, wood, stone, vinyl, rugs and other home products. These products are marketed under the premier brands in the industry, which include Mohawk, Karastan, Ralph Lauren, Lees, Bigelow, Columbia, Century, Dal–Tile, American Olean and Quick&ndasg;Step. Mohawk's unique merchandising and marketing assist our customers in creating the consumers' dream. Mohawk provides a premium level of service with its own trucking fleet and over 250 local distribution locations.