Seasoned Marketing Executive Opens New Flooring Franchise

Published On: May 16th, 2025Categories: Featured, Floor Coverings International Franchise, Franchise Information, Franchise News, Franchise Opportunities, Franchisee Stories, Press Releases

This article was originally published in Fort Wayne Business Weekly on May 16, 2025. FORT WAYNE — Joel Badskey, a seasoned sales and marketing executive with decades of experience in the RV and electronics industries, has opened a new Floor Coverings International (FCI) franchise in Fort Wayne.

“Part of the reason I wanted to get out of that was because it was very business to business, which I don’t mind,” Badskey said, “but it was a lot more upkeep with the relationships than actually building the customer service. … I wasn’t having a lot of face to face time.”

Now, Badskey is driving his business van, or “mobile showroom,” to customers’ homes with samples of flooring that includes vinyl, hardwood and carpeting.

“Other floor companies, they normally will go to a house and do some measuring and then invite the customer to come to their showroom and pick stuff out,” Badskey said. “No. 1, it can take longer because there’s a lot of back and forth, and you don’t get to see the product in your house. And it may not be the best product for you.”

When meeting with a customer, Badskey first sits with them to understand what they’re trying to do with their space. Then he measures the space before going to the mobile showroom to find products that will meet their needs.

“They get to see all the different products … in the environment in it’ll be used. So they get to see it with the furnitures. They get to see it with the cabinets. They can see it with the paint on the wall. They get to see it with the natural light that they going get in those rooms.”

Badskey, whose wife, Jessica, will serve as office manager, has done a few small rooms in homes but is also prepared to do nursing homes and apartment complexes.

Badskey said his costs are competitive with traditional flooring companies. He doesn’t have a warehouse, “so I’m not trying to sell any specific item to somebody.”

There’s no cost to get a quote. An appointment is usually about 90 minutes.

Badskey will ask a lot of questions to find out what customers want from their flooring.

“We don’t need our customers to know what they want,” Badskey said. “We want to go in and help them establish what works for their project best.”

FCI of Fort Wayne brings over 3,000 flooring samples to customers’ homes.

Once ordered, customers may get their flooring in a few days, but Badskey said they should plan on 2-3 weeks. FCI of Fort Wayne will help them with installation.