Carol Nance recently featured in Floor Covering News
Carol Nance, co-founder of Nance Industries, was recently featured in an issue of Floor Covering News.
According to their website, Floor Covering News is the strongest link in the retail floor covering chain. For the past 25 years, retailers and distributors have turned to this publication as their preferred read for the information they need to succeed. With greater frequency, more editorial content and more advertising pages than any other publication in the industry, FCNews is an undisputed leader. In addition to being the No. 1 choice, all the way from readers to advertisers, no floor covering trade journal publishes more supplemental guides to help the retailer and retail salesperson succeed. Floor Covering News provides editorial excellence from respected flooring industry writers, columnists and experts. Steven Feldman, editorial director; Matthew Spieler, senior executive editor; and Louis Iannaco, senior editor, have each covered the industry for 17 years. The columnists are more than consultants; they have been practicing in the field for which they write for more than 25 years. Add to that columns by the North American Floor Covering Distributors Association, the Flooring Contractor’s Association and special guests, and you have the most well rounded magazine the industry has to offer.
“It was such an honor that Floor Covering News asked me for an interview,” said Nance. “They are the strongest link in the retail covering chain both national and international.”
Nance discussed many different topics in the article, including the humble beginnings of Nance Industries.
“Nance started with a smaller plant,” Nance told the magazine. “Then we doubled it, tripled it and continued buying new plants. All of those expansions, every piece of machinery selected, we did ourselves. Bob and I co-founded Nance just the two of us. We have worked together since 1972 with offices next door to each other.”
Nance also discussed her take on women in executive level positions in the industry, which are still rare.
“In terms of running a company as a woman, female-owned businesses have certainly come a long way since 1972,” Nance told the magazine. “I remember when we started our business, two well-dressed bankers came to the office and asked to see the owner. I said, ‘Well, that would be me.’ They said, ‘ No, we want to see Mr. Nance.’ Twenty-five years later I sat on the board of that bank.”
“My advice for other women entrepreneurs that has guided me since day one is ‘Never give up. And always do what you say you will do. Keep the faith and give God the Glory and stay the course,’ Nance told the Calhoun Times. “Surround yourself with good people.
“Act like a lady and think like a boss,” Nance continued. “(I would tell women that) challenges occur daily that requires this thinking. Put yourself in another one’s shoes. That may be an employee, a customer, a buyer, an associate or whomever. Always do the right thing. Stay focused, keep a good attitude through the ups and downs. Believe in yourself and your products. Exude confidence. Keep in mind that when ‘one door closes’ another will open.”
Nance also recognized the importance of family in the article. “Nance success is primarily the result of hard work and good long time employees and family,” said Nance. “My husband, Bob, (married 55 years) is
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the major factor in our success. He and my son, Mike and Mike’s children Presley and Nash are pushing new and exciting growth in Nance. com business and the ongoing Nance business in general. Hard work and the grace of God got us here. Nance growth exploded seven or eight years ago after Bob sold his start up business and began devoting full time at Nance. Bob and I still work five days a week and share a passion for Nance and the future of our business.”
Nance discussed changes in the flooring magazine in the article.
“The industry changes [since we started] are numerous,” Nance told the magazine. “We have seen consolidation, which stymied smaller businesses. But this only motivated Nance to think outside the box and offer many things the big guys couldn’t. To survive that was something we had to do. Virtually no business in our industry offers all that Nance does. It is comforting to know the Nance name is identified with service because of our trust, integrity, quality and ability to deliver. That’s a big factor, especially the ability to deliver to big boxes. They helped us get our foot in the door. We provide services for all major companies in the industry.
“One of the most significant changes I have witnessed in the last 44 years is the Internet,” Nance continued in her interview. “In 1972 everything was manual in the office; in 2016 thousands of orders are done from beginning to end electronically. The thing that has not changed is how laborintensive our business is on the production end.
“But even throughout those changes we have loyal employees; some have been with us for 20 and 25 years. They are like family. There is nothing I would not do for them,” Nance told Floor Covering News.
An important priority for Nance is giving back to the community. “At Nance, we strive to always give back,” she told the Calhoun Times. “Giving back to the community. Help others. Pay it forward. It does not necessarily mean financially. We all have something to give. We have all been blessed. God is good. “