Today we’d like to introduce you to Lou Morano.
Lou, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
We opened in 1986 with one retail store in Boynton Beach. At that time we sold and installed carpet. Over the years we added many other flooring products and services…wood, tile laminate, window treatments, area rugs, etc. We now have 5 retail stores. In 2000 we branched out and added a commercial contract division doing schools, hospitals, airports, etc. We believe our values and making those values part of our culture is the main reason we are still a thriving business 31 years later. Our core values are Respect, Loyalty, Continuous Learning, Honesty, Quality and Timeliness and Teamwork. Many of our employees have been at Capitol for long lengths of time. Our vice President and General Manager have been with us for 30 years. We have sales people and managers with us for over 20 years. Installers have been with us for 20 years. Service is a big part of our business.
The owners, mother calls every sale to see how the customer’s experience was and if they were happy with their purchase and service. We align ourselves with vendors, employees, customers and installers that have the same values as we have. This way when situations arise everyone has the correct mind set and objective. Our mission statement is “To Make Raving Fans Through Superior Customer Experiences and Exceptional Value Today, Tomorrow and in the Future” To break that down “Raving Fans” means that customers are so happy that they cannot wait to tell everyone and anyone they know about Capitol Carpet & Tile and Window Fashions”. “Superior Customer Experiences” means we have under promised and over delivered to create a great experience. “Exceptional Value” means true value, not necessarily the lowest price, although many times we are the lowest price. But it means more than that, it means we will send the best installers so that the products we install are installed properly and we leave your home beautiful. And with that we pay our installers well so we have and keep the best installers available to help ensure that.
And “Today, Tomorrow and in the Future” means that Capitol is always here for you. There have been multiple instances when there has been an issue that is beyond a warranty and Capitol has stepped up and either contributed to solve the problem or if we felt we could have done something differently in the beginning have replaced entire floors out of warranty with no charge to the customer. We are here regardless of time. Our Mission Statement is something that all our employees understand and best try to emulate. And when things do not go 100% we make sure that we do the right thing, right all the time to best take care of our customers.
Has it been a smooth road?
There have been struggles. Over 30 years you run into struggles especially dips in business and recessions. We have made sure we are financially strong at all times. We are constantly changing and improving. One thing we know is that if you remain stagnant you will be left behind. You need to listen to your people, trust your people in order to make the best informed decisions. When the recession hit in 2008 we called on one of our best vendor partners, opened up our books and asked for advice. Their CFO gave us invaluable advice which we adhered to and it got us through to the other end of the recession. In any struggle you need to go to people that have the answers or have been through your same struggle before so that you can make the best decisions on how to move forward and most likely make some hard changes.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Capitol Carpet & Tile and Window Fashions story. Tell us more about the business.
We specialize in flooring, window treatments in the retail sector and large commercial projects in our contract division. We are known to be the experts with competitive pricing and providing superior service and excellent professional installations. I am the owner and my personal cell number and email address is on the back of every business card so that a customer can contact me at any time if they feel it is necessary. I am most proud of the people who work for Capitol Carpet & Tile and Window Fashions because they are empowered to make decisions based upon our Mission Statement and Values and they do an excellent job at making those decisions. I know that our customers are being treated with the respect and service they deserve. What sets us apart from many other companies is that we care and our actions show that we care. Everyone is treated the way I would want to be treated in every situation. And my mom calls after every sale to make sure of it!
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
Well as in all businesses the internet has a big influence. The big difference about full service flooring and custom window treatments is the installation. Installation is 90% of the job. You get the best prices and the best products and if it is not installed properly, it will not turn out good and in many instances turn out very bad. The internet cannot compete with that. Sure you buy installation services but installing flooring is not a black and white issue. It is not like buying an appliance where is either works or it doesn’t. There are many gray areas when it comes to installation so you want to make sure you buy the installation from the same people you buy your flooring from so that all is warranted and guaranteed by one company.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.capitolcarpetandtile.com
- Phone: 800-567-4020
- Email: info@capitolcarpetandtile.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pg/Capitol.Carpet.Tile/reviews/
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/writeareview/biz/BMXJIVc3ZTMn-Dei5CYiFg
- Other: https://plus.google.com/+Capitolcarpetandtile?hl=en
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