It’s “Floor to Your Door” with Local Couple

(Middleburg Heights, Ohio)-There must be something in the water in northeast Ohio. Ali and Dave Blasko joined a unique club on Jan. 1 when they became franchise owners with Floor Coverings International, the brand that’s consistently ranked No. 1 in the mobile flooring category, visiting customers’ homes in a Mobile Flooring Showroom stocked with thousands of flooring samples from top manufacturers. Floor Coverings International serves customers throughout the southwest Cleveland metropolitan area including Cleveland, Lakewood, Parma, Middleburg Heights, Seven Hills, Independence, Strongsville, North Royalton, Valley City, Brunswick, and Hinckley.

The North Royalton couple joined three other established Floor Coverings International franchises in the Cleveland area and all are couple-owned and operated. “We could not be more excited to be part of an amazing organization,” Ali Blasko said. “All of the Cleveland franchise owners were so gracious with their time and advice to get us up and running as quickly as possible.”

The Blaskos bring skill sets that are well suited to their new careers as small-business owners in a customer-centric industry. Dave has 20-plus years’ experience in sales management and operations while Ali spent 15-plus years in consultative/relation-based sales. Ali said the couple believes strongly in the words of Jan Carlzon, the longtime CEO of Swedish airline SAS, who led it through a remarkable turnaround while revolutionizing the airline industry with an unrelenting focus on customer service. Among Carlzon’s tenets: “If you’re not serving the customer, your job is to be serving someone who is…”

“The foundation of all our past careers to this point have started with this idea,” Ali said. “By always doing the right thing by our clients and our team, personal and professional success for all will follow. This has been, and will continue to be, our mantra.”

In Floor Coverings International, the Blaskos found a company that has tripled in size since 2005 by putting a laser focus on consumer buying habits and expressed desires, its impressive operating model, growth ability, marketing, advertising, and merchandising. Floor Coverings International further separates itself from the competition through its customer experience, made up of several simple and integrated steps that exceed customers’ expectations. For this, Floor Coverings International was given the Innovation Award for Customer Response from Franchise Update Media in 2020, and the same award again in 2021 for Best Use of Technology. Franchise Update is the benchmark publication and conference entity that is the Gold Standard of Franchising.

“Dave and I actively sought a new career path with a more life-giving purpose, in service to others, while in an industry poised for continued growth,” Ali said. “We searched many different industries and many different franchise opportunities. We looked for systems that were strong, had similar values with good, down-to-earth people and had excellent training systems in place. Floor Coverings International checked all those boxes.”

The Blaskos are also hoping this chapter of their lives as small-business owners will leave some important impressions on their children, Sydney (15) and Charlie (13). “While we would love our children to join us in the flooring business, we simply want to show Sydney and Charlie they can thrive in any industry they choose,” Ali said. “Simply put, with the premise of treating people honestly and fairly, you’ll set yourself up for personal and professional success.”

The Blaskos couldn’t have picked a better time to launch their business. With the home improvement industry booming, the flooring market is also keeping pace. The global flooring market was estimated to reach $409 billion in 2021, according to Grand View Research. The market is expected to grow at an annual rate of more than six percent through 2028, reaching overall sales of $621 billion.

“Many new luxury vinyl planks and tiles are coming out and that is exciting,” Ali said. “For a fraction of the cost of real wood or real tiles, one can transform their home with a truly elegant look on any budget.”

For more information, visit https://westcle.floorcoveringsinternational.com/.

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About Floor Coverings International

Norcross, GA-based Floor Coverings International has ranked consistently as the No. 1 Mobile Flooring Franchise in North America by Entrepreneur Magazine. The 181 franchisees and their Design Associates offer a unique in-home experience with a mobile showroom that comes directly to the client’s door. More than 3,000 flooring choices are available to view in the home with and alongside the existing lighting, paint, and furniture. The company will open several more locations throughout the U.S. and Canada through franchise expansion in 2022. For franchise information, please visit www.opportunities.flooring-franchise.com and to find your closest location go to www.floorcoveringsinternational.com.