Floor Coverings International Comes to Mid-South Region

(Memphis, Tennessee)-It’s quite a story. A friendship begun 33 years ago aboard a guided missile cruiser leads to two longtime friends and military veterans going into business together in 2022 as 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. That’s how Ron Guyton and Guy Critelli, both 51, ushered in the new year when they launched operations with Floor Coverings International Mid-South, serving customers throughout Shelby, Tipton, and Fayette counties.

“We are so excited to start this business together. It’s basically a family business,” Guyton said. “Our hope is to have this business not only provide for our families, but to give back to the community we both love.”

Both men are residents of Atoka. Guyton served in the United States Navy for 24 years and retired in 2012 as a Logistics Specialist Master Chief Petty Officer and remained with the Navy as a civilian until joining Floor Coverings International. Likewise, Critelli served in the Navy for more than 20 years and retired as a Machinist’s Mate Chief Petty Officer. After living in Florida for several years, Critelli served as the Tipton County Veteran Service Officer when he relocated to Atoka before going into business with Guyton.

“Being in the Navy for more than 20 years, we know the value of hard work and what it takes to get things done,” Critelli said. “We are structured, dedicated and service-oriented, which should definitely help us to operate and maintain a successful business.”

The longtime friends first met in 1989 in the Philippines while stationed onboard the USS Sterett. They were reunited again in Hawaii in 2005. But then Guyton left for his new duty station in Millington while Critelli retired and went back home to the Tampa area.

“We took turns visiting each other with our families,” Guyton said. “In 2016, Guy and his family came to visit for the Fourth of July and decided to stay. They purchased a home, went back to Florida, packed up and moved to Tennessee. The rest is history.”

In Floor Coverings International, Guyton and Critelli 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.

“The advantages and benefits of owning a business instead of working for someone else was our biggest inspiration,” Critelli said. “Floor Coverings International’s thorough franchise screening and detailed training gave us both the confidence to step out of our comfort zone and proceed with the process.”

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.

“As people have spent more time in their homes due to COVID-19 they have started to realize details about their homes they want to change,” Guyton said. “Some of the new flooring options we provide are much more family- and pet-friendly than what was previously available, so it gives us a chance to help families reinvest in possibly their biggest asset – their home.”

For more information, visit https://eastmem.floorcoveringsinternational.com/ or call 901-568-7410.

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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.