Harold Chapman to be Inducted into WFCA Hall of Fame

Dalton, GA April 2, 2018-A pioneering retailer and entrepreneur, Harold Chapman becomes the 48th inductee into the World Floor Covering Association (WFCA) Flooring Industry Hall of Fame.

Chapman, former president of Bonitz Flooring Group, the nation’s largest independent commercial flooring company, will be inducted at a reception and ceremony in conjunction with the WFCA annual meeting and board of directors meeting in Orlando, Florida on May 17.

Chapman has spent his entire professional life in the flooring industry. After graduating from Clemson University in South Carolina, his first job was as a salesman for Sears in the commercial division in Anderson, South Carolina. He was promoted to division sales manager for the entire state before he even hit his two-year anniversary with the company.

After getting his feet wet in the field, Chapman’s next notable accomplishment occurred after he joined Bonitz Flooring Group in Greenville, South Carolina. At that time, he was the only flooring sales person in the city. As the sole practitioner, his role included conducting all estimates, sales and project management companywide. His talents and skills had him promoted to manager in less than a year with the company. He maneuvered his way to officer of the company within his first five years.

Chapman soon rose to the position of president and chief executive officer at Bonitz Flooring Group, a company he grew to become the nation’s largest independent commercial flooring company. There he is responsible for providing the corporate vision and for leading the employee-owned company. Besides his skill set for management, sales, sales training and marketing strategies, his associates know him well for his mentoring and life skills teaching. Chapman retired from Bonitz in 2016.

Chapman now serves as chairman emeritus at StarNet Commercial Flooring Cooperative. He is a former chairman of StarNet’s board of directors. He served as chairman for five years during the vertical integration days and helped reestablish StarNet as a successful entity for the independent flooring contractor. His dedication and vision still play an important role as StarNet continues to prosper.

At its inaugural Hall of Fame induction in 2000, the International Interior Design Association (IIDA) honored Chapman for his dedication and support of the commercial design community. He is also a former member of the board of directors for FCIB (Floor Covering Installation Board), whose directors came directly from the FCICA (Floor Covering Installation Contractors Association) membership.

Chapman has served on many advisory boards during his 35-year career, including Dupont and BASF, among others. He is a past board member for the Carolina’s Chapter of the Arthritis Foundation.

Chapman’s involvement with the WFCA began when Bonitz became a member in 1998. He was elected to the WFCA board for the first time in 2002. During his first years as a board member Chapman served on the WFCA finance and executive committees, as well as several others. He was elected again as chairman of the WFCA board in 2012 and has continued to hold board and committee seats with the association ever since.