Dance the night away with FCIF! The Floor Covering Industry Foundation (FCIF) is excited to announce that they will be celebrating leadership in the flooring industry with a benefit gala on Saturday, October 5th, 2024. The black-tie event will be at Gotham Hall in New York City. The most recent gala, held at the Rainbow Room in New York City in 2021, was a huge success, raising over $260,000 for the FCIF. Tickets are selling fast for this year’s event! To purchase sponsorships or tickets visit fcif.org/gala2024 or contact the FCIF directly at (706) 217-1183.
The event will honor two leaders whose contributions have made a lasting impact on the flooring industry: Dan Frierson, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, The Dixie Group and Roger Marcus, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, American Biltrite. “Dan and Roger are both deserving honorees. They have dedicated their entire careers to the flooring industry and have advanced creativity and innovation throughout their careers,” shared Charlie Dilks, chairman of the FCIF and CPO at CCA Global Partners, “The Dixie Group and American Biltrite have both been long time supporters of the FCIF and the Foundation is grateful for their contributions.”
Proceeds from the event will go towards furthering the mission of FCIF, which is to help families get back on their feet when battling catastrophic injuries, severe disabilities, or other life-altering medical crises. Founded in 1981 by industry leaders, the 501(c)3 charitable non-profit helps those who have worked in the floor covering industry by providing direct grants for medical care and other basic needs.
Legacy of Dan Frierson
For nearly six decades, Dan Frierson has been one of the flooring industry’s most prominent executives, a career that dates to 1966 when he first joined Dixie Yarns, to the present as chairman of The Dixie Group. Following in the footsteps of his father, J. Burton Frierson, who came to Dixie in 1925, Dan Frierson paid his dues in the beginning, working every job in the plant and operations during the early years before being appointed CEO in 1980 and chairman in 1986.
In the early 1990s, it became clear that Dixie’s customers would be heading overseas searching for lower cost alternatives to apparel manufacturing. To ensure the survival of the company, Frierson led the challenge of transforming the business from a textile company to a carpet company. Dixie purchased Masland Carpets in 1993; as Frierson recalled, “We had been selling them yarn for 40 years and we had talked in the ’80s about maybe trying to get together.” This gave Dixie a foothold in the carpet business.
From 1993 to 2000, Dixie made more than a dozen carpet-related acquisitions and divested its textile and apparel assets. The big one came in 2000 when Dixie acquired Fabrica International. The deal helped secure Dixie’s brand as a luxury floor covering manufacturer and further burnished Dan Frierson’s credentials as a leading flooring executive who was not afraid to take risks. The Dixie Group has been a staunch supporter of FCIF for many years. Frierson received two degrees from The University of Virginia, a B.A. in History and an M.B.A. Frierson lives with his wife of 60 years in Chattanooga, Tenn., and has five children and nine grandchildren.
Legacy of Roger Marcus
Roger Marcus’ floor covering industry career spans nearly 60 years, presiding over his family business, American Biltrite, for the past four decades. The Marcus family story begins after World War II when his father, Robert, as president of American Tile Co., took the company that would later be known as Amtico from manufacturing rubber heels and soles to rubber flooring. The major move came in the early 1950s when they started making thermoplastic vinyl floor tile. The company would be the first to chemically emboss, cut, and register VCT tile. The company would soon develop the first no-wax floor tiles in 1969.
All the while, Roger was rising through the ranks, beginning as a sales rep in 1967 upon graduating from Boston University. He became CEO in 1983 and oversaw the merger of Congoleum in 1992. As CEO of Congoleum, he was involved in launching a litany of innovative products, including DuraStone, DuraCeramic, Ultima and ArmorGuard. At one time the company was doing over $250 million.
Roger has also donated his time and efforts to associations and non-profits that forward the industry. He has served multiple terms as president of the Resilient Floor Covering Institute and has been chairman of the Floor Covering Industry Foundation’s grant committee for many years. In addition, his company has been a corporate donor to FCIF since the beginning, and Roger personally planned the first three FCIF galas. His combined impact of donations and fundraising equal a lifetime impact of over $1 million to FCIF.