MOHAWK TAPS KELLY'S CARPET OMAHA AS FIRST MOHAWK
GREENWORKS DEALER OF THE YEAR

Michigan Tile and Carpet and Carpet Bonanza Also Named Finalists; Six Dealers Recognized

ATLANTA (November 20, 2008)—Kelly’s Carpet Omaha of Omaha, NE has been named the winner of the first annual Mohawk GreenWorks Dealer of the Year Award.  The award was presented to Mike Hughes, owner of Kelly’s Carpet Omaha, at a ceremony this evening in Atlanta.

Mohawk established the GreenWorks Dealer Award to recognize achivements by flooring retailers in environmental and sustainability practices.  The award is based on three key criteria:

·         Economic Responsibility. Without a strong financial footing and growth, no dealer can continue to operate and support the overall community with jobs and economic stability.

·         Social Commitment. When communities thrive, businesses thrive. The best retailers are active within and making an impact on their communities.

·         Environmental Initiative. Every dealer should strive to conserve resources, reduce waste and support environmentally-friendly products.

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As the winner, Kelly’s Carpet Omaha received $5,000 that it can donate to a sustainable cause, or use for another sustainably based effort.  Other finalists receive a $1,000 award for their choice of sustainable causes or projects. 

Kelly’s Carpet Omaha won the award based on a exemplary record of building green and sustainable ideas into its dealership.  The company diverts 84% of waste from landfills through internal programs and recycling residential and commercial flooring that gets replaced.  The company has also purchased hybrid vehicles to replace older ones, replaced nearly 1,500 lights with high-efficiency ones that reduce energy consumption 80% (while lasting longer), equipped all company vehicles with GPS to shorten drive times, and is even looking at becoming a carpet recycling center.

In addition, Kelly Carpets Omaha employs a full-time, credentialed educator with a masters degree to increase environmental awareness within the community and schools.  The company also contributes all flooring to Project Night Lights, a program that designs custom rooms for children living with or recovering from serious conditions, and donates a portion of every dollar earned to local schools, community groups, and non-profits.

“True sustainability is difficult to achieve. It is a delicate balance between economic, social and environmental issues,” said Jenny Cross, Senior Sustainability Manager with Mohawk. “Kelly’s Carpet Omaha showed the judges the best balance of the three caveats. Reinvesting and streamlining of their business, a strong commitment and investment in education within the community and an intensive recycling program are the primary things that stand out with Kelly’s and make them very deserving of the Mohawk GreenWorks Dealer of the Year title for 2008.”

“The floorcovering industry could not have a better ambassador for environmental responsibility and sustainability than Kelly’s Carpets Omaha,” said David Duncan, Vice President of Marketing for Mohawk.  “We are inspired by the efforts of this great company and are honored to present Mike Hughes and his staff with our GreenWorks Dealer of the Year Award.”

Judges were clearly impressed with flooring retailers’ green efforts.  “Kelly's clearly understands the importance of measuring their performance in key areas of sustainability,” noted David Cross of Abeo Partners, a firm focused on providing strategies and solutions that support lasting behavior change in areas including sustainability and health & wellness. “This  helps demonstrate the value being created and ensures that all employees know it's important.  And it's the best way to ensure steady, on-going progress on issues that might not be seen as a priority, particularly during this challenging economic period.”

A veteran of the flooring industry, Hughes moved back to the Omaha area in 1986 and opened Kelly’s Carpet Omaha, his first store, with the idea that “if I take care of the customers, they’ll take care of me.” In 1990, he opened a second location, and today his company is recognized as a premiere dealer in the area. 

Hughes and his staff are no strangers to recognition:  Last December, Kelly’s Carpet Omaha also won the Mohawk Floorscapes Dealer of the Year Award.

Mohawk GreenWorks is the umbrella of environmental initiatives for Mohawk Industries.  Mohawk is the largest recycler in the flooring industry, and the leader in recycled and renewable flooring.  Mohawk diverts over three billion pounds of material from landfills each year, and this number is growing.  Mohawk’s goal is to develop processes and products that allow the company to focus on the five “Rs” of the GreenWorks platform:  reduce, recover, reuse, renew, and recycle.   Learn more at www.mohawkgreenworks.com.

As a part of its GreenWorks effort, Mohawk purchased emissions offsets to make the awards presentation and dinner carbon-neutral.  “We’re already looking forward to next year’s event,” Duncan said.  “Because the movement toward sustainability in the flooring industry is just getting a good start.”

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Mohawk is a leading supplier of flooring for both residential and commercial applications. Mohawk offers a complete selection of broadloom carpet, ceramic tile, laminate, wood, stone, vinyl, rugs and other home products. These products are marketed under the premier brands in the industry, which include Mohawk, Karastan, Ralph Lauren, Lees, Bigelow, Columbia, Century, Dal-Tile, American Olean and Quick-Step. Mohawk's unique merchandising and marketing assist our customers in creating the consumers' dream. Mohawk provides a premium level of service with its own trucking fleet and over 250 local distribution locations.

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