WFCA Recognizes Kathy Young, Mike Faust and Chad Ogden

Dalton, GA, January 19, 2024-The World Floor Covering Association (WFCA) announces Kathy Young as the recipient of the Luminary Award in recognition of her contributions and 45-year career in the floorcovering industry and Michael Faust (posthumously) and Chad Ogden as co-recipients of the Tom Jennings Champion Award for outstanding achievements in the retail sector.

Young, the former vice president of marketing services at Shaw Industries, embarked on her professional journey in 1975 during high school. Starting in a vocational office training position, she diligently worked through various administrative roles, including reception, inventory control, project planner, and customer service representative.

In 1988, Young's career reached a pivotal juncture as she transitioned into sales assistant and product management roles at Sutton Carpet Mills, later acquired by Salem Carpets and Shaw Industries. Throughout this transformative period, Young exhibited exceptional resilience, accountability, and reliability, persevering during a male-dominated era in the industry.

Her career progressed into product marketing and creative director, eventually reaching the position of vice president of marketing for 15+ years.

The Luminary Award ceremony is scheduled for January 25 at 3:30 pm during the International Surface Event in Las Vegas, hosted at the WFCA booth #2413.

The Tom Jennings Champion Award, named after industry legend Tom Jennings, recognizes Faust and Ogden for their exceptional service, positive attitude, and commitment to customers and community.

With over 45 years dedicated to the industry, Faust, founder of Carpeting by Mike, left an enduring impact on customers, communities, and the flooring profession. Faust's journey began at 22 with an unconventional entry into the flooring industry sparked by a simple act of generosity. While working the night shift as a garbage man, he observed a team installing floors, offered to help, and founded Faust Carpet Center in New Richmond, Wisconsin six months later.

After selling the business three years later, he transformed his house into a workspace and continued to work as an installer while raising his three girls. In 2004, Carpeting by Mike in Somerset, Wisconsin, emerged as the next chapter in Faust's entrepreneurial journey.

Faust's success reflects effort, dedication, and a focus on perfecting his craft. Countless hours were spent enhancing skills, ensuring customer satisfaction, and staying ahead of industry trends through education at Mohawk University, the World Floor Covering Association, and other notable institutions.

Following his passing, his daughter Typhannie Harker took on the responsibility of continuing her father’s legacy as the new owner of Carpeting by Mike in 2018.

Chad Ogden, the founder of QFloors, established the flooring software company in 1999, propelling it to the forefront of the industry. From his early days contributing to his father's flooring stores at the age of 12, alongside his brother Trent, Ogden's journey evolved from handling warehouse tasks to delivering furniture and measuring homes for flooring projects.

Despite these hands-on experiences in the flooring industry, Ogden’s fascination with computers led him to pursue a degree in computer engineering, marking the beginning of a decade in the tech field. After achieving the position of director of engineering at a mass spectrometer firm, Ogden returned to the flooring industry with a mission to revolutionize flooring software.

Dissatisfied with the lack of progress in the field, he conceptualized QFloors overnight and developed the software in a few months. The software's first installation in an Ogden store marked the commencement of QFloors' journey as a transformative tool in the flooring industry. This success prompted QFloors to offer the software to other dealers, leading to the "Best of Surfaces" award for technology at the 2013 Surfaces Expo in Las Vegas.

An awardes ceremony honoring Michael Faust and Chad Ogden is scheduled for January 24 at 3:30 PM in the WFCA booth.

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