Women have been integral to the flooring industry for quite some time. I proudly continue the legacy of my father as a second-generation flooring professional.
While I am grateful for the personal opportunities the industry has provided me, I recently realized that much of my passion for this industry is a direct reflection of the relationships and rewarding positions I have contributed to. We often witness and hear stories of women within our industry encouraging and supporting each other in a profession that hasn’t always been considered female-centric.
Have you ever wondered why those individuals outside the flooring world often remain unaware of the flooring industry and the diverse career opportunities it offers? One reason is that, as an industry, we have not collectively shared our stories. Frankly, I’m not sure how many people within our industry are familiar with our story. The time is now to narrate our story to a new generation.
Here is one of the most remarkable stories our industry has to share:
Catherine Evans Whitener, born on Aug. 10, 1880, in Walker County, Ga., was the second of seven children. She discontinued her education after the fifth grade, a common practice for rural Georgia girls in the late 19th century. At the age of 12, during a visit to her cousin, Whitener encountered a tufted quilt and became intrigued by its unique style. Mastering the tufting technique by the age of 15, she crafted her first quilt as a gift for her brother’s wedding. Her relatives noticed her talent, and she began selling her works to them, marking the start of a flourishing industry.
Whitener’s business evolved from hand-sewn quilts to machine-made carpets. Operating the business from her home, she enlisted women neighbors to meet the growing demand. By 1900, Whitener was selling her bedspreads for $2.50, inspiring others to join the industry. Thousands of hand-tufted bedspreads and carpets were sold, leading Whitener to establish the Evans Manufacturing Company in 1917 with the help of her family. Her ingenuity inspired other women, and textile companies began emerging across Georgia.
Whitener’s tufting industry expanded to include bath mats, accent rugs and carpets. Today, more than 90% of carpets produced in the U.S. use Whitener’s early tufting techniques. Although she did not personally amass wealth from the industry, many Georgia men and women did in later years. Dalton, once the city with the most millionaires per capita in the U.S., earned the title “Carpet Capital of the World” before the Silicon Valley boom. In the 1990s, 90% of the world’s carpets were produced in or around this small city, a testament to Whitener’s legacy.
Our industry is now aging, and attracting new talent will be a challenge without a purposeful effort to introduce people to it. While the FCEF initially addresses the installation crisis, all aspects of our industry require similar attention to avoid negative consequences. Support the mission and purpose of the FCEF as we implement nationwide floor covering installation programs.
Our goal in the coming year is to swiftly ramp up and attract new talent to the industry. However, this is not possible without your help.
Kaye Whitener is director of operations for the Floor Covering Education Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting recruitment, training and retention of floor covering installers. For more information, email kwhitener@fcef.org.
