Commercial Flooring Systems excells at challenging projects
Contractor: Commercial Flooring Systems
Client: Varied
Project Type: Flooring Case Studies
It’s no coincidence that Commercial Flooring Systems enjoys tackling projects in the health care and pharmaceutical fields, for they are typically the most difficult for flooring contractors with regard to the products specified and the cutting edge installation techniques required for their installation. Scheduling is always a challenge and the specifications vary from room to room, such as those for an operating room or a waiting room.
“We enjoy doing hard work, work that is more sophisticated because it separates the men from the boys,” said Al Jones, president of Commercial Flooring Systems of Philadelphia, which serves eastern Pennsylvania, 20 southern New Jersey and Delaware. “We’re not afraid to go after a difficult project. In fact, we go after the most difficult.”
Whether it was the work done at the Lehigh Valley Hospital, Citizens Bank Park or the Please Touch Museum in Philadelphia, the crew at Commercial Flooring Systems has met all challenges. The company has been a union contractor since 1980 (it has about 65 union personnel currently) and is known for its integrity and honesty. “We work well with our contractors and customers,” said vice president Jerry Sizemore said. “Being a union contractor gives us access to rained professionals and a pool of trained workers.”
Having quality manpower that is readily ability is one advantage of being staffed by the Philadelphia and vicinity affiliate of the International Standards and Training Alliance (INSTALL). INSTALL is a career-long training and certification program offered to floor covering installers throughout the United States and Canada through the United Brotherhood of Carpenters. Major mills and manufacturers such as Milliken, Shaw, Pergo, Mohawk, Armstrong and Mannington offer their technical experts to help keep the curriculum current with changing industry trends
Two projects in particular illustrate Commercial Flooring Systems’ versatility – Citizens Bank Park, the home of the Philadelphia Phillies and the Please Touch Museum of Philadelphia.
Construction for the $346 million Citizens Bank Park began in November 2001 but Commercial Flooring workers began there work toward the end in 2003. The company installed all the carpet and resilient flooring for the corporate offices, locker rooms and weight rooms, as well as the 1,164-seat Diamond Club restaurant. “There’s a lot more flooring in the ball park than most people will ever see,” Sizemore said.
Because opening day was April 1, Sizemore’s crew of 35 INSTALL-certified installers faced considerable time constraints. After all, you can’t delay opening day. The work had to be done, and done right. But first, Commercial Flooring Systems had to ensure the resilient flooring was conditioned before being installed and that the carpeting was conditioned ahead of time. “Most of the labor happened in March and it’s pretty cold in March,” Sizemore said. “We had to be creative in getting everything ready for opening day.”
To continue working in inclement and harsh conditions, the Commercial Flooring staff worked with the general contractor to build e nclosures and set up plastic walls and partitions to allow the workers to continue despite the wintry conditions. “They’re coming to play baseball whether we’re ready or not.” They were ready and today Citizens Bank Park is considered one of the top venues to watch a baseball game.
The Please Touch Museum was another example of Commercial Flooring Systems’ creativity and ingenuity. The world-renowned museum, the nation’s first museum for children ages seven and under, is moving into a new home in the fall of 2008 -- Memorial Hall in Fairmount Park. This National Historic Landmark, the last major building remaining from the 1876 Centennial Exhibition, is being restored to its original architectural grandeur and will more than triple the size of the children’s museum.
Commercial Flooring Systems’ crew is installing flooring that will be integrated into the actual displays. In the “City Capers” exhibit, for example, the Forbo sheet flooring creates intersections and crosswalks in the village. The goal is to create a realistic urban environment of buildings that match Philadelphia’s skyline. “It has to fit precisely with the fixtures (which will be installed after the flooring),” Sizemore said.
What’s more, the company used 23 different products and 30 color combinations. “One aspect of our company which we fell is unique,” Sizemore said. “is the fact that Twenty-five of our union installers have been employed solely by us for 15 years. We have 20 installers with 10 years or more of experience and five with more than 20. It gives us a lot of confidence going into any job.”
PROFILE
At Commercial Flooring Systems, its suppliers are more than just supplier, they are partners. Commercial Flooring Systems has some of the biggest names in the flooring industry as its partners (Armstrong, Shaw, Mohawk, Forbo, Mannington, Kahrs, Johnsonite). “We feel we have mutual trust with our partners which in turn creates a professional business environment that is evident to our customers ” said Al Jones, who bought the company back three years ago after having sold it in 1996.
Since taking back the company, Jones and his staff have further automated virtually every function of the operation – from sales invoices to the use of CAD based estimating systems. “It took awhile to get here, but we’re here now,” he said of the automation transformation.
“When I took the company back three year s ago I took it back with all the same staff, all the same players. We even got some who had retired to come back to work. We have wonderful people both in the field and in the office.”
In fact, Commercial Flooring has a dozen families working at the company who are in the second generation of employment. ”We are very much a people company and we’re proud of our field labor via Local 1823,” Jones said. “And the INSTALL program ties right into that.”
Several of Commercial Flooring’s installers have won state, regional and national competitions. Twenty-year veteran Frank Kaelin, a home-grown talent recruited right out of high school, competed locally for Apprentice of the Year when he first joined Commercial Flooring. He won the local Philadelphia contest, then the Pennsylvania state contest and finally the national competition. Two other Commercial Flooring installers have won state titles. “I think every year we’re had at least one of our apprentices involved in the INSTALL competition,” Jones said. “That’s our future – the seeds we plant today are crops for tomorrow. As a company we believe in great education whether it’s in the office, or in the field.”
Commercial Flooring Systems
Executive Team
Alfred H. Jones Jr., President
Jerry Sizemore, Vice President, General Manager
Sean McCoyd, Chief Financial Officer
Projects
Citizens Bank Park
Lehigh Valley Hospital
Episcopal Academy
Philadelphia Art Museum
Please Touch Children's Museum
Motorola Corp.
Contact CFS at:
108 Park Drive, P.O. Box 488
Montgomeryville, PA 18936-0488
Phone: 215-641-1660
Fax: 215-641--267