A&D: Working with contract dealers – December 2024

By Jessica Chevalier

In the October issue’s Top 250 Design Survey, a mere 3% of respondents reported that commercial flooring contractors influence their product choice. Most influential in these decisions, reported surveyed architects and designers (A&D), are mill reps, who are, by the very nature of their position, beholden to the manufacturer whose products they represent. This result leaves commercial flooring contractors understandably frustrated, as they feel they have both technical expertise and a uniquely neutral perspective that can be at a great advantage to specifiers.

A&D SPEAKS
For this piece, we reached out to four A&D experts, hoping to gain an understanding of how they see the commercial flooring contractor as a partner in their work.

Becky Nichols, interior design associate with Shepley Bulfinch, reports that she generally leans on commercial flooring contractors “for technical questions. For example, I recently, had a situation requiring floor abatement and wanted to make sure we were covered in terms of outlining the requirements to prepare the floor to receive new flooring. In those types of cases, I like to reach out to those who actually do the work to receive answers.”

Designer Rebecca Sarkosi, associate principal and director of interior design for QA&M, notes that she seeks out commercial flooring contractors when she encounters unusual conditions on a jobsite. Recently, in renovating a former housing project, Sarkosi encountered a very messy floorscape. A commercial flooring contractors agreed to visit the jobsite and noted that the floor in place was actually in really good condition but simply needed to be cleaned and buffed to its former glory. Sarkosi was pleased that commercial flooring contractor did not recommend replacing the floor for the purpose of making a sale.

QA+M associate Rocco Petitto appreciates that the commercial flooring contractor has highly specific expertise. He says, “There are so many things architects are responsible for. Commercial flooring contractors certainly know more about flooring and installation than I do.”

Ashley Brewer, design director, senior associate and studio director for Gensler Newport Beach, reports that she often seeks assistance from contract dealers when she wants to offer highly specific details around her specification to ensure it isn’t subbed out. On a current project, for instance, she is consulting with a commercial flooring contractor about a hardwood specification to ensure the product, cut, color and price point best for the design intent, budget and use, and, in doing so, locking the project on to that hardwood solution.

“When we don’t do that, we have gotten far down a path and had to sub in a luxury vinyl solution, and that isn’t a happy place for us, as we try to choose natural products,” she explains.

She continues, “For icon materials critical to the design, we are reaching out to a commercial flooring contractor right away. On a smaller project or for projects using a single flooring solution, we might not reach out to a commercial flooring contractor. But on large-scale projects, we typically reach out because we are going to use materials from many different manufacturers. We might say, ‘Here is our target and budget, show us everything that might work.’ They will host us in their showroom and bring all the products for us to see at one time so that we can narrow it down there.”

Nichols points to another time she leans on her commercial flooring contractor partners for support. “Recently, we received some pricing back from a GC and wanted to understand what we should expect in terms of installed cost for the project,” she says. “The commercial flooring contractor was helpful in giving us some guidelines on what will factor into pricing, unknowns that might be accounted for, ways to level the playing field and make sure we were getting apples-to-apples, and including the right information on our drawings. It is helpful to talk to the people actually doing the work.”

“I had a project at the Bristol, Connecticut City Hall with a ribbon pattern in Marmoleum,” recalls Sarkosi. “It was an elaborate installation, and it would have really stood out if it had not been done correctly. You need commercial flooring contractor partners who are attentive and good at problem-solving. When things aren’t easy, they need to have the experience to make a recommendation. And it’s important that they maintain transparency if there is a delay or alternates are needed. Some push certain products and pull a bait-and-switch on pricing because they have stock or preferred vendors. Transparency is key.”

RELATIONSHIPS
A&D community members have schedules packed with a host of tasks and responsibilities, and that has an impact on who they rely on for advice and how they prefer to communicate.

Brewer reports that she receives many invitations for coffee or lunch dates to meet with providers of all sorts of materials and services, but she simply doesn’t have the time in her schedule for many one-on-one events. Because this is the case for many A&D professionals, Brewer’s Gensler office hosts a vendor trade show every other week, in which team designers can become acquainted with multiple reps and products in one swoop. “This is generally six to ten contractors, mill workers, suppliers, independent reps,” explains Brewer. “They can set up a table and show attendees their latest and greatest, and they all pitch in to buy lunch.”

In addition, weekly lunch-and-learns have resumed post-Covid with Brewer’s office hosting at least one weekly. “For them to be successful, they have to offer a CEU and food,” she notes with a laugh. “If people are going to take a break, they need nourishment.”

Sarkosi has enjoyed and benefited from events hosted in a commercial flooring contractor’s showroom and offering, for instance, wine and cheese with an informational presentation about particular offerings, perhaps by a vendor partner. She notes that these are more indepth and, therefore, more effective than an in-office visit, which generally must be very hasty due to time constraints.

Nichols finds herself too time-strapped for many in-person events. “Earlier in my career, I was more involved in lunch-and-learns and after-work events,” she says. “M. Frank Higgins & Co. does a lot of those, and they are a great way to reach younger designers. But, today, I’m so overscheduled that they are hard for me now. I find email-type correspondence useful today. I have a filing system with a flooring folder, where I’ll go to seek information if I have a question.”

Petitto prefers a one-on-one approach, “There are some lunch-and-learn events here, but, most of the time, if I run into something new, I talk to Steve Cloud [of flooring contractor M. Frank Higgins & Co.]. I called him up recently because I was working on a floor that I had never seen before in a building from 1927. I needed to know what the material was and how to maintain it. In some areas, it looked brand new, and in other areas, the tile was worn down. Steve said, ‘The tile is still here; it’s just underneath a whole bunch of wax, so it had to be cleaned really well.’” In this situation, Petitto was grateful not only for the commercial flooring contractor’s expertise and willingness to assist but also for his honesty in suggesting a solution that did not require the cost and upheaval of a new floor.

Interviewed designers are in agreement that, above all, relationships matter. These take time to build and develop different ways with different people, but doing so is crucial to success in many cases.

Like so many, Nichols has a simple strategy for answering challenges or questions that arise. “I go to the people I know well,” she says.

GENERATIONAL DIFFERENCES?
“In our office, from my experience, the new generation doesn’t want to talk to the older generation,” says Petitto. “When there is a challenge, they are not going for help to the guy who has been doing it for 30 years.”

Sarkosi feels that, post-Covid, many in the A&D workplace are a bit more isolated, “We have all gotten a little bit stuck behind our computers, but getting out and seeing site conditions is really important. From my experience, younger people are less likely to want to talk to people or ask questions.”

It’s also important to realize that, for some younger folks in the workplace, the quarantine came at an influential time in their development, so going to talk to Bill down the hall may not be their instinctual approach, not because they dislike the idea but because they simply aren’t in the habit of doing so, and, likewise, reaching out to a commercial flooring dealer may be similarly unfamiliar, if not more so.

Brewer says this is one of the reasons why Gensler has called its employees back to the office. “At Gensler, we are here five days a week, and that’s because the newer generations need mentorship and guidance. We talk about that a lot internally. The amount you can learn from a commercial flooring contractor is incredible. We want them to get that mentorship, too. It’s super critical,” she says.

Like Sarkosi, she believes that Covid siloed workers of all generations and readjusting to a more collaborative approach can be a challenge, “The designers’ workflow changed because of Covid, and that means people reach out less to suppliers and subs. Oftentimes, today, people don’t want to call and have a conversation or have an in-person touch-down.”

Brewer also points to the existence of Material Bank as a factor in this. She notes, “How designers work also dramatically changed post-Covid due to Material Bank. Today, an architect or designer might order a bunch of samples from Material Bank, narrow down to a few products, then reach out to mill reps about those. But, of course, they might not see everything that’s available because they are only looking at Material Bank, which has become almost the Amazon Prime of interior design. For a recent project, a J+J rep told me about a new line that might be a good option, noting that it wasn’t performing well because it wasn’t yet listed on Material Bank.” The result of this internet-based sample ordering system (with no human interaction) is likely extending to the commercial flooring contractor relationship, as well, streamlining the specifying process in a way that de-emphasizes human relationships and expertise in favor of fast turnaround. As Brewer alludes to, it often also limits the number of products the designer considers; if the best solution isn’t on Material Bank, specifiers may never come across it.

While the Internet may replace human interaction in some circumstances, young people have always been and will always be attracted to socializing, and that is something commercial flooring contractors can utilize to their advantage. Says Nichols, “I see younger designers attracted to social events. It can be about seeing people and building relationships, but also pulling multiple manufacturers together to offer updates to provide a heavy hit of information at the event, as well.”

COMMERCIAL CONTRACT DEALER KUDOS
Overall, Brewer believes that the commercial flooring contractors with whom she works are doing a great job. Noting that the services she most appreciates are their ability to offer expertise upfront regarding a specification to make sure the design intent stays true in the project, and their ability to offer solutions that might be the best fit for a particular installation. “The collaboration that happens between contract dealers and designers is really powerful,” she says. “More people should tap into that. The detail of knowledge about flooring, transitions, material compatibility: these are things that you won’t get through Material Bank. A partner who has been on a project since the beginning will flag something they see that’s wrong, and then the team can walk through it together and determine a path forward. There is value in having a relationship of trust.”

Nichols also appreciates her commercial flooring contractor partners, noting that one of the most valuable aspects of the partnership is the expertise they offer with regard to precise “language for specs on drawings, which prevents you from getting into a bid situation that isn’t in the project’s best interest. A commercial flooring contractor partner recently helped to educate me and my team about things to look for and call out so that we are getting apples-to-apples comparisons. It’s important to understand how to avoid getting into issues during construction by arming yourself earlier in the process.”

She continues, “I had a recent conversation with a commercial flooring contractor in North Carolina. We were talking with them about a project that they will be bidding on and what was really helpful in the conversation was being aligned around the end goal. It is a state project, so it’s a big, competitive process. Oftentimes, designers work really hard to find just the right thing, where there isn’t always a direct ‘or equal.’ And for the flooring contractor to understand the goal around character-defining elements is crucial.”

Sarkosi points out that what really matters in a partnership, when push comes to shove, is how the parties work together to right wrongs that arise. A commercial flooring contractor that doesn’t step up to fix problems won’t win any points with the A&D community.

Copyright 2024 Floor Focus 

Related Topics:The International Surface Event (TISE), Fuse, Starnet, Fuse Alliance