How one small town North Dakota flooring company is changing the way people replace their floors.

At first glance, there is not much to say about the LaValle Flooring showroom. It’s located at the last west exit in Valley City, North Dakota between a used car dealership and storage unit facility. However, once you step into their store, you’ll notice you’re in for a completely different shopping experience. Once you start interacting with their staff, you’ll realize what you see is just the tip of the iceberg.

“We started on the installation side, subcontracting for a subcontractor who had a contract with some of the big box stores. Before that, my father had done installation for a commercial flooring company in California, doing lots of hospital and government work,” says Norberto, who owns LaValle Flooring with his parents.

When asked what was the biggest difference between where they started and where they are now, Norberto replied “The biggest difference between being an employee for a commercial company and working with homeowners is that large commercial companies are used to getting flooring installed literally everyday, they have the experience and understanding of what they’re getting into. Most commercial projects are new or at the very least empty of furniture. With homes, most people only replace their floors several times over the course of their lifetime, there is a big gap between replacements and techniques, styles, and other factors change for better or worse. It’s now our responsibility to find out what our client’s expect and over deliver on those expectations. With commercial, we simply did our job and didn’t really need to understand trends, material composition, etc.”

Norberto says he felt really uneducated about all facets of flooring, but looking back, he also realizes most sales staff are under educated about their products, there is very little responsibility taken for failed installations or projects that fall short of expectations.

“The goal was never to start a store or get involved in online sales. We simply wanted to get work and be told what to install. But one flooring supplier sold us excess material one time, and the ball got rolling. As people started requesting more material, we started being asked questions about material types, wear layers, warranties, pattern repeats, dye lots, etc. So for the next several years, I spent 10 – 20 hours a week educating myself after hours because it drove me crazy that I felt we were flying blind.”

Nowadays, the staff at LaValle Flooring knows they have the most knowledgeable staff in the state, and if they don’t know something, they contact other companies or organizations who can probably answer the questions that arise everyday. Norberto claims that’s why they feel comfortable offering people a Lifetime of the Product warranty that includes labor, as well as a 100% satisfaction guarantee.

Article submitted to NewsDakota.com