As residents of hurricane-ravaged areas of the United States and its territories continue to struggle to return to normal life, NALFA continues to find ways to help them replace what has been lost and rebuild their communities. Armstrong Flooring, Mohawk Industries, Mannington and Swiss Krono are all pitching in to assist in recovery efforts.
Armstrong Flooring has pledged to donate 250,000 square feet of flooring to support rebuilding efforts after Hurricane Harvey and other natural disasters. The company will contribute flooring through a new partnership established with Good360, a nonprofit that matches product donations with community organizations, many of which are engaged in disaster recovery in local communities.
Good360 provides products for all stages of disaster recovery and works with its on-the-ground nonprofit partners to assess needs and respond accordingly.
“Our hearts go out to the families and communities that were devastated by Hurricane Harvey and the flooding it unleashed,” said Don Maier, Chief Executive Officer of Armstrong Flooring. “Launching this new program with Good360 enables us to provide flooring to help rebuild communities. Through this effort, we can focus on helping those who are most vulnerable to begin the recovery process and restore their homes.”
Associates at Mohawk Industries are banding together to help by collecting supplies, transporting water, donating financially and developing platforms to provide further assistance. Mohawk is putting programs in place to assist its customers in restoring their business operations and preparing for the recovery. After Hurricanes Harvey and Irma, Mohawk and Dal-Tile, Mohawk’s ceramic tile business, started a GoFundMe page so employees could provide donations to directly assist their coworkers. After Hurricane Harvey, Dal-Tile also put together a Care Team that created customized help lists including items such as food, clothing, baby essentials, toiletries, cleaning products and pet supplies. Employees in Dallas donated designated items or sponsored entire families, providing each of the requested necessities to their colleagues.
Extending its ongoing partnership with United Way, Mohawk is also increasing its 2017 corporate donations targeted to the Texas and Florida chapters. The company plans to raise additional relief funds to support United Way’s efforts through targeted social media campaigns and an accompanying landing-page experience. To date, United Way has raised more than $29 million for hurricane relief. Employees, customers and consumers can visit MohawkHurricaneRelief.com to donate to United Way to support localized relief efforts in the areas devastated by the storms.
“Many organizations in the healthcare, workplace, education and hospitality sectors and beyond were greatly impacted by these catastrophic storms,” explained Michel Vermette, President of Mohawk Group, Mohawk’s commercial division. “Here lies an opportunity to leverage our strengths quickly and efficiently to meet the very specific needs of our neighbors in Florida and Texas. Together, we will help all of those affected to begin the process of mending and bettering communities after great tragedy.”
Another great feature of MohawkHurricaneRelief.com is Mohawk’s Friends and Family program, which provides a discount to assist consumers in these hard-hit regions. Consumers can visit MohawkHurricaneRelief.com for an easy, one-click stop for donating to the cause or finding retailers that are providing discounts and special financing.
Mohawk’s logistics team will also continue partnering with Calhoun, Georgia-based Nature’s Big Spring Water to donate and deliver bottled water to communities impacted by the storms. Together, the companies have already provided more than 100,000 bottles of water to the Houston area, utilizing Mohawk’s delivery fleet to deliver the bottles to local shelters.
“Some people lost everything, and you are still seeing them trying to accept this catastrophic reality,” Houston-based Mohawk truck driver Keith Lister explained. “I just encourage people to do whatever they can to help. Every little bit helps. Even the small things like bottled water and gas are important. It is hard to know where to start. So many people are going to need so many things.”
Mannington associates have stepped up in a big way, raising almost $13,000 – which the company matched, delivering a total of $26,000 to the American Red Cross, earmarked for hurricane relief. In addition, Mannington donated $25,000 to Samaritan’s Purse, a nondenominational Christian organization that has been providing spiritual and physical aid to victims of natural disasters, poverty, war and disease around the world since 1970. The donation will help those in the most dire need in Texas, Florida and Puerto Rico. Recently, the organization was able to reach 1,200 households in Puerto Rico to provide plastic shelters, blankets and hygiene kits. Mannington plans to donate flooring for the rebuilding efforts in the affected areas, as well.
“In times like these, it’s our responsibility to step up and help those in need. Mannington has always talked about caring for others, and this is just one of the ways we are able to put those words into action,” said Keith Campbell, Mannington’s Chairman of the Board.
Swiss Krono, an active member of NALFA and a manufacturer of premium laminate flooring in Barnwell, South Carolina, responded immediately to the need in Texas, Florida and surrounding areas. Knowing that many homeowners looking to repair damage will turn to their local home-improvement stores for supplies such as flooring, Swiss Krono partnered with their customers who have retail locations in the affected areas to slash retail prices for those affected by the hurricanes. Swiss Krono has also offered discounts to direct customers.
“Our hearts go out to all of those affected by these devastating storms, and I applaud the determination to assist across the industry,” said Brian Carson, President of Mohawk Flooring, North America. “Relief is not a one-time event. This will be an ongoing effort.”
By rallying together, NALFA is helping those affected begin to put their lives, businesses and homes back together.
For the most up-to-date information on NALFA, visit www.nalfa.com.
About NALFA:
We are the only trade association dedicated solely to the laminate flooring industry, and therefore we are the source for all things laminate. We recommend you visit our website often for valuable advice about laminate flooring choices, standards and performance. NALFA is proud to be a member of the Floor Covering Leadership Council (FCLC). The FCLC is currently made up of 12 associations – all dedicated to flooring.