Decades in Business Doesn't Change BLC's Commitment to Quality and Loyalty
Contractor: Bloomington Linoleum & Carpet
Project Type: Flooring Case Studies
When Bloomington Linoleum and Tile opened its doors 51 years ago, Mr. Pahl, the company founder, could walk into the back room and talk to any number of staff installers. In that same back room of what today is called Bloomington Linoleum & Carpet, this generation's Mr. Pahl can still confer with a staff of experienced, trained floor laying pros.
And that, says owner Dave Pahl, is what sets his business head and shoulders above other residential flooring companies.
"Back in the old days, you didn't have subcontractors, you had your own installers, but those days are gone, except
for here. We are unique because we're one of the last who have our own floor layers," says Dave Pahl, whose
father, Arnold, and uncle, Lawrence began the company five decades ago.
Pahl says that commitment to keeping installers on staff is a direct benefit to his customers.
"We have more control over who steps into our customers' homes, and we think that's really important," Pahl adds. "Companies who use subcontractors don't have that type of discipline and no control over scheduling, workmanship, or when the work day starts and stops. We avoid those problems because our installers have the discipline that comes as a result of being an employee."
And with that employee status comes loyalty. Pahl talks in terms of decades when he determines the average years of experience his installation staff collectively possesses.
"You can't substitute for the amount of product knowledge and experience that comes with keeping a staff with as little turnover as we have," he says. "And again, our customers are the beneficiary of that knowledge." Pahl need not make these points, because hundreds of his customers already did. Bloomington Linoleum & Carpet partners with national homebuilder Pulte Homes as the flooring and countertop installation company for hundreds of homes in the Twin Cities region. Recently, Pulte won the prestigious J.D. Power & Associates Award in the Minneapolis market for the fourth consecutive year - the first homebuilding team to win the regional award four years in a row.
According to the J.D. Power & Associate's Web site, awards are based solely on responses from consumers and business-to-business customers who have used the products and services being rated. Customer-satisfaction surveys determine the winners.
Pahl attributes his company's role in Pulte's recognition to the quality of work and customer service provided by his installation staff. They are professional, well-trained and productive, he explains.
The foundation of BLC's installation staff expertise is the training attained from the INSTALL Twin Cities training
center in St. Paul. The name INSTALL carries with it the credentials that customers of BLC expect. INSTALL, which stands for the International Standards and Training Alliance, is a rigorous, career-long training and certification program offered to floor covering installers throughout the United States and Canada, which is based on the needs of today's flooring products. Major manufacturers such as Milliken, Shaw, Pergo, Mohawk, Armstrong and Manningtonoffer their technical experts to help create the INSTALL curriculum. INSTALL Twin Cities is this region's
affiliate of INSTALL international.
"We produce the best trained, most professional installers in the region. No question about it," says Terry Nali,
coordinator of INSTALL Twin Cities. "And our work enables quality contractors such as Bloomington Linoleum & Carpet to be productive and achieve high customer satisfaction."
But keeping installers on staff isn't cheap, and sometimes the price of wages and benefits puts BLC out of the running for jobs that encounter low bidding. And while Pahl returns to the argument about controlling job site schedules, better workmanship and higher productivity, there is another reason he keeps installers on the payroll:
"I care about these people, and I believe that they deserve to make a good living. Also, if they're happy and well taken care of with good wages and benefits, they will do a better job and give the customer a better product," he says.
"I believe that's what my father and uncle had in mind when they started this business, and I still believe that's
good business practice today. We may lose our share of low-bid jobs, but most customers understand the value of excellent workmanship, and that's where BLC, and its on-staff installers, excel above the competition."
About Bloomington Linoleum & Carpet
BLC is a full-service flooring installation and retail sales operation. Residential jobs are completed for companies ranging from national home builders to small remodeling companies and to individual consumers. Located at 9939
Lyndale Avenue South in Bloomington, Minnesota, BLC operates a full-service retail showroom from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Fridays (Closed on weekends). For more information, contact Dave Pahl at 952-881-5825 or email him at davidp@blcflooring.com.