Ed Williams, Veteran of the Carpet Industry, Has Died

Dalton, GA, April 3, 2019-Ed Williams, 75, formerly of Lexmark, Mohawk and a host of other carpet businesses, passed away March 30 in his home.

Williams’ career in the carpet industry spans more than 40 years. He began with Evans & Black in 1964, rising through a series of sales and managerial roles before joining Galaxy Carpet Mills in 1972. After a stint at Galaxy, Williams opened the doors of his own company, North American Carpet Corporation, which went on to become one of the industry’s leaders in the international export market. By coincidence, Williams sold North American to Galaxy in 1986 and rejoined the company. He went on to become president and COO of Galaxy Carpet Mills until the purchase of Galaxy by Mohawk Industries in 1996. Upon joining Mohawk in 1996, Williams took the role of senior vice president of marketing. He retired from Mohawk in 2006 but returned to the flooring business as president of Lexmark's Residential Carpet business. He retired from that role in 2015.

In 2003, Williams led Mohawk's decision to exit the Surfaces expo after polling the firm's dealer base and discovering dealers preferred to attend regional shows. Mohawk stuck to this strategy until 2015 when it returned to Surfaces.

Survivors include his wife, Glenda Williams, two daughters, a stepdaughter and seven grandchildren.

The funeral service will be held today (April 3) at 11:00 a.m. at Grove Level Baptist Church. Burial will be in West Hill Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Grove Level Baptist Church.

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