| "If you think you will become successful in any career
without first of all swallowing your pride and doing a lot of hard work
and training, you are in for a big surprise," declared Ron Pedneault,
owner of Fantastic Floors which is located in Val Caron, Ontario. "I
may own and operate my own store, but when my products are installed in
someone's house, my reputation is on the line every time. That is why I am
never afraid of getting down on my hands and knees to make sure that
things are done right."
BUSINESS PROFILE
 After spending more than 30 years working in
the flooring business on everything from installing to sales and
management, Ron Pedneault decided it was about time for him to open
up his own business.
So, on October 1, 2005, Ron and his wife,
Bernie, started a new chapter in their lives with the opening of
FANTASTIC FLOORS, conveniently located in Val Caron at the
Valley
Bingo
Plaza.
Ron, with his vast experience in flooring, and
Bernie, a professional teacher, plan on combining their personal
strengths to help everyone from homeowners to homebuilders in the
selection of the kind of flooring that is suited to both their needs
and their lifestyle.
 FANTASTIC FLOORS will contain everything you
would ever want in terms of flooring options. Ron is happy to assist
his customers in selecting the best flooring for their needs and
will also provide professional installation. What’s more, Ron will
be available to go that extra step in providing you with free
consulting, free estimates and free local delivery if you are one of
the many people who would rather have an expert do the job.
One thing Ron wants to make perfectly
clear to everyone is that he intends to be in this business for a
long, long time. “I am not going to sell you something that you
will not be happy with in a few years,” Ron reiterated. “I would
rather lose a sale than sell you flooring that is not suited to your
lifestyle or your needs. I’ve come across too many unhappy people
in my life simply because they were allowed to select the wrong type
or quality of flooring. When you speak about FANTASTIC FLOORS some
time in the future, we want you to speak positively about both the
service and product you received.”
 You
can get just about anything you will ever need in the line of flooring
from FANTASTIC FLOORS. And if is something you don't see in the shop, Ron
Pedneault will search far and wide to find it for you.
FUTURE PROSPECTS
"This is a great time for anyone who is
interested in getting into this industry," explained Ron.
"There are so many homes and businesses under construction
right now and all of them require flooring. In addition, people who
have been living in their house for a number of years are now
looking at renovating, and flooring is part of almost all renovation
plans."
It will take a person at least two years to
learn the trade and then this will be followed up by constantly
attending seminars and reading about new products.
Pedneault points out that you can do a lot of
different things in this business. You can do actual installation of
flooring, learning the trade in an apprenticeship role and
eventually contracting out on your own, much like he did for so many
years.
"You can get into interior decorating,
specializing in flooring and how a person's choice of floor must be
suited not only to the rest of the furniture and painting, but also
to the lifestyle of a homeowner," Ron went on. "And don't
forget about sales. If you are interested in developing a career in
sales you will always have an opportunity to work in this industry.
The more you know about flooring the better you will be as a sales
rep."
ADVICE FOR STUDENTS
Ron Pedneault points out that there are many
skills that come into play in the flooring industry. The following
are some of the points he wanted to emphasize to anyone who is
thinking about this type of career path. They are in no particular
order of importance.
 "First
of all, you must be disciplined, willing to constantly learn and read
about new trends and products, be dedicated to your work and be very, very
patient," he explained. "A lot of young kids just don't realize
how important it is to learn how to keep your cool when you are dealing
with the demands of customers. The customer is always right. Whatever the
customer wants, you must be prepared to do. That sometimes means biting
your tongue and doing things differently or doing things over again even
if you know that it wasn't your fault that the job was done wrong the
first time."
Secondly, when you are dealing with flooring, you
have to be able to fail sometimes and then find ways to adjust and correct
the problems. If you don't develop excellent problem-solving skills, you
will never succeed in this business," Ron declared. "It's easy
to lay flooring in a new home, but when you take on a job to lay flooring
in an older home you run into all kinds of challenges like uneven floors.
The customer just wants the flooring he purchased installed. You have to
find a way to do it."
The ability to work independently is perhaps one of
the most important skills you must develop according to Ron Pedneault.
"In this business you are often working by yourself. If you are the
kind of person who always needs to be told to get down to work or who
lacks the discipline to push yourself, you are in for a short career in
flooring. You must be reliable, honest and always on time because your
reputation gets around in this business. This means that you must be
concerned about what others think about you and about your level of
responsibility."
He reiterated that being reliable is one of the
biggest characteristics he looks for when hiring people to work for him.
"I just can't say enough about the importance of being reliable. If
you say you are going to call a customer back, then you must do it. If you
say you will return to correct a minor problem, then do it. If you are
supposed to be on the job by 8 a.m. then don't show up at 8:15. This is a
service industry where you are expected to be courteous and bend over
backwards for the customer. If you don't, they will go somewhere else
where they will get the kind of treatment they expect. And yes, sometimes
it means swallowing your pride and keeping your mouth shut."
Ron feels that students going through the secondary
school system have plenty of opportunity to develop the necessary skills
to be successful in the flooring industry. He advises all people who have
an interest in the flooring or construction industry to pay attention to
math since much of his time is spent measuring, designing floor plans and
cutting. He also recommends that you stay in good physical shape because
there is a lot of lifting and moving of furniture, especially in older
homes.
FINAL THOUGHTS
 Ron
Pedneault started off as an installer for 25 years. He then spent the next
five years in sales, following that up with two years managing a store.
With all of that background behind him, he and his wife, Bonnie, shown in
the photo, felt that it was time to become owners and give customers the
benefit of his vast experience through FANTASTIC FLOORS. He strongly
encourages anyone who has the qualifications described above to consider
this as a career choice and to begin developing the right attitude that
will be useful in the flooring business.
"All you have to remember is to do everything as
if you are doing it for yourself and always keep the customer happy,"
stated Ron in his concluding comments. Ron would be only too happy to talk
to anyone who is interested in finding out more about the flooring
business.
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