Footprints Floors Starts 2024 Strong With Major Partnerships, Internal Growth

Footprints Floors, the 160-plus-unit flooring installation franchise, kicked off 2024 with major developments, laying a solid foundation for its continued success throughout the year. In addition to launching two new franchise owners with a territory in Houston, Texas, and two in Phoenix, Arizona, Footprints Floors built strong partnerships with major national brands that will further propel the growth of the system.

“We’re launching new revenue streams, new resources and new partnerships,” said Bryan Park, founder and CEO of Footprints Floors. “A few of the biggest ones are with Floor & Decor, the National Wood Flooring Association (NWFA) and the Better Business Bureau (BBB). These will all empower our franchise owners to capture even more revenue, further educate themselves and solidify the brand as one that truly cares about our customers.”

A Partnership With Floor & Decor Is ‘A Win-Win'

Footprints Floors has long been a Floor & Decor installation partner, meaning local owners were on a list of trusted installers that Floor & Decor staff could refer customers to. This created opportunities for Footprints Floors owners to service customers who had already selected and purchased their flooring materials.

Now, Footprints Floors owners can leverage the relationship with Floor & Decor in a new way. With this new partnership, Footprints Floors has become one of Floor & Decor’s national accounts, meaning local owners can send their customers to Floor & Decor to purchase materials at a better price. In a scenario where a homeowner seeks multiple consultations prior to purchasing materials and finalizing an agreement with an installer, this can be a major differentiator for Footprints Floors owners.

“We are the first installers to be a part of this program, and that’s because we have a national presence,” said Park. “We have negotiated discounts, so any customer that buys on our account gets a discount on every product in the whole store. It’s a big differentiator for us and a huge advantage in the sales process, and it’s obviously great for our customers. It’s a win-win all the way around.”

Footprints Floors Builds on Its Relationship With NWFA

Footprints Floors has focused on relationship-building, specifically with the National Wood Flooring Association, throughout its lifetime. NWFA is a major leader in the flooring industry, and the franchise system works to follow its best practices and take advantage of professional development and other educational opportunities the organization offers.

Last year, Footprints Floors launched its Power Pack training opportunities that bring multiple franchise owners to a single location to learn more about industry best practices, specific techniques and other developments. In the first quarter, Footprints Floors hosted a Power Pack training session in partnership with NWFA. 

“We had 27 Footprints Floors people descend on NWFA’s national headquarters to do a five-day custom training with them,” said Park. “What’s cool and unique about this is that all of our franchisees who attended that training have earned NWFA Installation and Sanded Finish certifications. That’s a huge deal in our industry because most states have less than 10 people certified across the whole state.”

Park explained that the certification is relatively rare but demonstrates owners’ commitment to following the rules and respecting industry standards, and this creates another differentiator with customers.

“In addition to experience and online training, candidates must successfully pass a hands-on test, which is observed by an NWFA representative, in order to obtain certification,” said Park. “But becoming certified and building on that knowledge, like we did at this Power Pack training, is an investment in their future. Our owners are furthering their education and getting even better at their craft.”

A National Partnership With the BBB Solidifies Footprints Floors’ Commitment to Its Customers

“It’s not a secret that the Better Business Bureau exists, so we are actively onboarding every single one of our franchises into the platform,” said Park.

The BBB website notes that, for over 100 years, it “has been helping people find businesses, brands, and charities they trust.” The platform hosts both customer reviews and complaints, and it serves as a helpful database for prospective customers looking to further investigate a brand before engaging it.

Footprints Floors consistently emphasizes the value it brings to the space by offering a higher quality customer experience, and this new partnership further illustrates the commitment both franchisees and the franchisor have to integrity and transparency.

“We’re really excited about this step. It’s a great way to show customers that we’re serious about taking care of them and that we feel good enough about our reputation that we’re able to be A-plus members with the BBB at a national level,” added Park.

Footprints Floors Prepares for Another Great Year With These Developments and More

After executing 12 new franchise agreements and launching 15 new territories in 2023, the Footprints Floors leadership team prepared for continued momentum this year. Park noted a goal of increasing system-wide revenue by 10% as the franchise expands in California and throughout the Northeast. The team made sure to kick the year off with the connections and infrastructure necessary to support this growth.

In addition to its national partnerships, Footprints Floors hosted its ‘Perspective’ Convention, uniting the system with corporate partners for learning, connection and inspiration to kick off the year.

“The convention is always a great launching point,” said Park. “It’s a great way to set the tone and the culture for the year as we introduce all these new initiatives.”

Footprints Floors also introduced a vice president tier to the leadership team for the first time in company history. Chris Curtis, Rachel Simpson and Debbie Melkonian were promoted to vice president of franchise support, vice president of finance and compliance, and vice president of managed services, respectively. The team also welcomed Taylor Murphy as its new vice president of operations.

“I’m looking forward to another exciting year, and having the right people in place to support our growing system is crucial,” said Park. “The creation of new vice president positions is an important milestone, and I have full confidence that this team will support the entire system as we continue to expand our presence and develop our teams in major markets across the country.”

To find out more information on costs to buy this franchise, please visit 1851franchise.com/footprintsfloors.