by Thea Angst
D.E. McNabb Flooring has been in business since 1951, and with more than 70 years of business comes decades of learning, evolving and building relationships. Today, this flooring company supplies events and tradeshows as well as residences and commercial spaces, making them a unique powerhouse in the industry. Director of trade show division, Aaron Smith, sat down to talk with us about what makes D.E. McNabb Flooring unique among its competitors and remain a consistent industry-leading company.
Big Difference
One big difference between McNabb and other flooring companies, Smith says, is their business in retail paired with their business in tradeshows. “We bring products to customers that are in the flooring industry, not just the flooring tradeshow industry,” Smith explained, “We have access to more options than just event flooring. We research and test a wide variety of flooring products and if they are suited for shows and events as well as residential or commercial spaces—we feel confident bringing them to our event clients.” Such an expansive, well-tested portfolio makes McNabb one-of-a-kind.
But that’s not all; Smith’s confidence in McNabb’s products is backed up with customer-service excellence. Smith described his personal dedication to the company, saying he believes in what he sells, and that faith in the product helps him maintain strong relationships with customers. “Working for a company that whole-heartedly believes in the product and the service they offer, that’s fulfilling. If something doesn’t meet our standards, we look to rectify at any cost, for the good of the relationship and to show that we are not going to walk away from problems.”
Loyal Employee
Smith isn’t the only proud and loyal employee. “The majority of our employees who are a part of what we do on the event side are all tenured,” Smith says proudly. “People stick around because of the fulfillment of working together on projects that are high pressure. We all have an important job to do as a part of the larger unit for us to succeed. At McNabb, people don’t feel like they’re menial in the grand scheme of things, but rather that everyone has value. Furthermore, we take good care of our people; we promote from within.”
Smith went on to talk about how he started on the floor, selling residential flooring 15 years ago. He intended to rise through the ranks and to learn everything he could on his way up. And that’s exactly what he did. “I’m very well-rounded and consider myself an expert in all types of flooring, applications and the proper uses of a variety of flooring from that experience,” Smith says. He went on about loving the entire creation process saying, “You’re seeing something start to finish time and time again—which I find fulfilling. I love to see things that start from a dream on a piece of paper to standing in the space and saying, ‘This was cool, let’s do it again!’”
Business Slowed
And although, like most other companies across industries, McNabb’s business slowed during the pandemic, events and tradeshows are back. “Events have come back ferociously; people have been excited to delve into that arena again, so that’s been thrilling to see the industry to come back with such a fervor,” Smith says. In response, McNabb is currently hiring, expanding (with projects like a new warehouse in Vegas!), and sharing their enthusiasm and passion with the industry.
Stay Innovative
With all this promise and excitement inside the company and its philosophy, what is Smith most eager about in McNabb’s near future? “Our new Vegas warehouse is something we are really leaning into in terms of continued growth and reach for us. It’s going to allow us to operate more cost effectively on projects out west. Aside from that, we continue to stay innovative, and deliver our customers the newest product options in the flooring industry.”
Finally, we asked what the one thing Smith wants readers to know about McNabb. He said, “We are experts in our field because we’re passionate about what we do. We do flooring and flooring exclusively and we do it better than anybody else.”
Smith describes the company’s philosophy (and his own) best: “When you are working with our experts, who are the best in their field, you can rest assured that your flooring will be done right.”
