By way of introduction, I want to mention I met these two young women at Coverings last year, amidst the numerous NTCA Women in Tile activities and Thriving Minds series offered by NTCA Five-Star Accredited Contractor Gianna Vallefuoco of Vallefuoco Contractors, LLC. Then the August 2025 Artisan issue of TileLetter featured one of Anna and Sam’s mosaic creations in the Gallery section, and Sam’s creative approach to her high school graduation appeared in the News section. It was also recently announcedthat they are both Coverings Ambassadors for 2026. Now they are taking their partnership up a notch with their education session in Las Vegas this month, bringing experience and heart to the next generation of flooring and tile. –TileLetter Editor Lesley Goddin
If there’s one thing we’ve learned in the flooring industry, it’s this: success isn’t built on products, it’s built on people.
Tile, wood, vinyl, stone; every surface we touch comes down to relationships—between installers and retailers, mentors and students, and the people who show up every day to keep this trade alive. When those relationships are strong, everything else follows.
That’s the heart behind our upcoming session at The International Surface Event (TISE) 2026: “Mentorship Is the New Marketing.”
A family legacy in tile installation blossoms into a flooring store
Our story begins with my uncle, Kurt, who bought a storage unit complex years ago and turned part of it into a flooring store. He started as a tile installer, and his love for the craft quickly became the foundation for a full-fledged business: Ultimate Flooring.
He and his wife, Connie, ran the store for years before retiring. When Kurt sold the complex, my dad, Mike, stepped in to keep the family business going.
At the time, my life looked very different. I had just left an abusive relationship, and I was starting over with a 2-month-old baby. I needed stability; my dad needed help with bookkeeping. So, I joined the business, thinking it would just be temporary until life settled down.
But as I learned the ropes—meeting customers, talking with reps, helping with installations, figuring out marketing and sales—I found more than a job. I found a purpose. I realized flooring wasn’t just about surfaces; it was about building something solid again, both personally and professionally.
The babysitter who became a leader
Around that same time, a young woman named Sam Robinson entered my life—first, as my babysitter.
Her mom worked alongside my mom, and Sam was working at the local library while finishing high school. She was responsible, calm, and kind, someone I trusted with my daughter when I was trying to balance new motherhood and a demanding family business.
It didn’t take long before Sam was helping out at the store, too. Through Jobs for Ohio Graduates (JOG), she officially joined Ultimate Flooring, filing paperwork, labeling displays, and assisting with small tasks.
But it was clear from the start that she had potential for so much more. Sam listened carefully, asked questions, and wanted to understand the “why” behind everything. Eventually, I pulled her out of the back office and onto the showroom floor—and she thrived.
Fast-forward a few years, and that quiet babysitter now helps run the business with me. She trains new interns, manages customer projects, and represents our store with professionalism, empathy, and drive.
That’s mentorship. It’s seeing potential where others might not, and helping someone see it in themselves.
Mentorship changed everything
Neither of us started with a plan. I needed help; Sam needed an opportunity. But through mentorship, we both found direction.
That’s why we say mentorship is the new marketing—because it changes people, and when people change, your whole business changes. In a world where everyone is competing for attention, mentorship stands out. It builds loyalty, confidence, and a sense of belonging—three things no ad campaign can buy.
Customers can feel when a team genuinely cares. Interns and new hires stay longer when they’re valued. And in an industry struggling to attract young talent, mentorship might just be the missing piece.
What mentorship really looks like
Mentorship isn’t a corporate training plan or a fancy HR program. It’s personal. It’s messy. It’s real.
For us, it looks like late-night conversations about leadership, standing in a messy warehouse explaining why prep work matters, celebrating wins and learning from losses—together.
Here’s what we’ve learned along the way:
- Mentorship starts with trust. I trusted Sam with my child before I trusted her with customers, and that trust became the foundation for everything.
- You don’t need a title to mentor. You just need to care enough to teach. Whether it’s a new installer, salesperson, or intern, take the time to explain why something matters.
- Mentorship builds culture. When one person takes the time to teach, others start to do the same. It spreads naturally.
- It’s a two-way street. I’ve learned as much from mentoring Sam as she’s learned from me. It’s helped me grow as a leader, a mom, and a person.
- Mentorship attracts customers. People want to support companies that invest in others. It’s that simple.
What you’ll learn
When we take the stage at TISE 2026, our session won’t be about theory. It will be about real life. We’ll share:
- How mentorship transformed our small family business—and how it can transform yours.
- Step-by-step ways to build a mentorship culture, even if you don’t have extra time or money.
- How mentorship improves marketing and retention by creating team members who believe in what they do.
You’ll walk away with ideas you can implement immediately and stories that remind you why this industry is worth investing in.
From the showroom to the stage
Today, Sam and I lead Ultimate Flooring together. But our work goes beyond our store. Through our platform, “Sam & Anna: Flooring Facts. Real Answers,” we’re focused on helping others in the industry embrace authenticity, mentorship, and community. Find out more here.
We believe the future of flooring will belong to the companies that build people, not just sell products. That’s what our session at TISE is all about: proving that mentorship isn’t just good for ethics, it’s good business.
The heart of it
Looking back, it’s hard to believe how far we’ve come—a young mom trying to rebuild her life, a teenage babysitter looking for direction, and now, two women standing on a national stage, sharing a story built on second chances, trust, and grit.
We didn’t plan it. But mentorship found us, and it’s carried us all the way here. Because mentorship doesn’t just change one person, it changes everything. It turns fear into confidence, work into purpose, and co-workers into family.
Mentorship is the new marketing—not because it sells more; because it means more. Join us at TISE 2026 to see how mentorship can transform your business, your team, and your impact on the flooring industry.
