Avalon Carpet Owner John Millar Dies

Cherry Hill, NJ, March 20, 2008--John P. Millar, owner and president of Avalon Carpet and Tile in Cherry Hill, died Sunday of a heart attack.

Avalon is a 14-store specialty flooring chain in three states that was founded by his father, William, in 1958. Last year the company was number 25 on the Floor Focus Top 100 Retailers list at $95 million in revenue.

"John was the Floorscapes Dealer of the Year in 2005.,” said Tom Lape, president of Mohawk Industries Residential Division.

“He was bigger than life and one heck of an entrepreneur. His death is a great loss to the retail sector of this business."

Part of his success came from his focus on customer satisfaction and employee training. He pioneered the buddy system for new hires.

The first Avalon store only sold ceramic tile and resilient flooring but carpet was added in 1962, the same year the second store was opened in Wildwood. Today, it offers a complete line of flooring.

The funeral is scheduled for Tuesday, March 25 at the Maris Stella Catholic Church in Avalon, N.J. Viewing will be Monday, March 24 at Radzieta Funeral Home in Cape May Court House, N.J.