IMAGE FLOORING 2020 PROMOTIONS

In a recent press release, Image Flooring and Scott Rice officially announced the promotion of Lara Rassette and Lauren Fleischer. Lara Rassette has been appointed General Manager of Image Flooring and will oversee all aspects of business. Lauren Fleischer has been appointed Vice President of Sales and will lead the sales and marketing strategy for Image Flooring. We are so excited to have Lara and Lauren in their new positions within the company! To introduce them, we did a little Q&A!

To get to know Lara & Lauren better, we asked them to answer a few questions! Here’s what they had to say:

What are you looking forward to in your new position?

Lara: “I’ve been transitioning into this role now for about two years now, learning and wearing many hats. I’m excited to lead our team to further success!”

Lauren: “I’m really looking forward to working closer with our sales team and getting to know their clients.  Also excited to have more time for business development and work on strategic planning to help guide & support our experienced sales team.”

What makes working for Image Flooring so unique from other companies?

Lara: “Being part of Scott Rice with many other products and services for our customers is quite unique. Working together on projects gives us the opportunity to learn and depend on each other.”

Lauren: “We’re a small group when you look at the flooring division alone, but have the support and backing of a much larger organization being a part of the Scott Rice & Color-art group.  To me, that’s the best of both worlds.  We’re able to give our clients the personal attention of a small firm, but have the strength that a larger organization provides.”

What inspires you to work in this industry?

Lara: “Construction and design is exciting. Every day is different, we’re constantly problem solving.  Being involved in a project from start to finish is rewarding, from budget estimating to completing punch lists on the installation. Our installers are incredibly skilled at what they do and I enjoy being able to see them take a drawing and make it a reality, a place people want to be.”

Lauren: “I love the creative aspect of helping clients solve problems, select materials and develop long term relationships. ”

How did you balance productivity and fun with your co-workers?

Lara: “Right now it’s difficult, but we like to celebrate birthdays, holidays, have cook-outs, happy hours -food & drinks are definitely a motivator for our team J We all get along too which is definitely a plus!”

Lauren: “We’re always looking for the next fun get-to-gather opportunity.  Whether It’s the royals home opener, American Royal BBQ, or just a happy hour at the office, we know taking a break and having fun Is the key to a successful & supportive team.”

What’s your favorite company outing you’ve participated in? What made it so unique and did you have fun?

Lara: “Our annual Opening Day at the Royals is by far my favorite. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen this year, but I look forward to having it again.  Everyone brings food, we grill, family and friends stop by, it’s a great occasion to have fun with our group.”

Lauren: “The American Royal BBQ is my favorite event each year.  We had over 700 guests, a mechanical bull, Inflatable axe throwing & of course amazing BBQ!”

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given that’s helped you throughout your career?

Lara: “If you’re not part of the solution–you’re part of the problem. This is something we’ve all heard before, but it’s something I think about a lot.”

What qualities does the other have that suits the best for their new role?

Lara: “Lauren thinks very strategically and is extremely goal oriented. She is a creative thinker, but also likes to research and be able to back up her reasoning.  She’s great with customers and is confident in her team.”

Lauren: “Having Lara in the General Manager role really brings a calm, focused, steady approach to what can sometimes be a challenging Industry.  In times of conflict or uncertainty, having a calm leader can go a long way in diffusing difficult & stressful situations.  We’ve worked together for over eleven years, and look forward to growing in our leadership roles together.”

How have you adapted into your new role during the midst of COVID-19? What challenges have you overcome?

Lara: “It hasn’t been easy! We’ve had to continue to adjust, change and try new things. We’re all in this together having to learn new ways of communicating, staying motivated and working hard.”

Lauren: “I’ve always had a pretty clear idea of how I would handle this position, but all of that was immediately thrown out the window when COVID hit.  We’ve had to shift from face to face meetings to emails, phone calls and virtual meetings.  We know our clients time Is valuable, so we let them chose the best method for Interacting that still accomplishes their goals.”

As leaders, how have you remained in touch with your clients throughout the pandemic? What have you found that works best?

Lara: “There have been more phone calls, more emails and even Zoom meetings with customers and vendors. Zoom meetings are quite effective, and it’s nice to see people’s faces rather than just over the phone.”

Lauren: “Our leadership and marketing team have been working hard to put together a “back to work” program for our internal team which has turned out to also be a great resource for our clients.  This is new for all of us, so sharing what works and doesn’t work is going to help us all get where we want to go faster.”

“Lara and Lauren’s leadership has been instrumental in both evolving and driving Image Flooring’s strategy over the last decade. In their new roles, we will see them have even greater impact on Image’s success in the future.”  – Jim Wilkinson, Vice President