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November 5, 2006
Herald News- By Bob Okon
SHOREWOOD -- Olga Robertson urges
young people looking for a career to check out the flooring
business. It's worked well for her.
Robertson, president and chief executive
officer of the Shorewood-based FCA Network, was recently
named one of the 20 most influential women in the industry
by Floor Covering News.
FCA Network is a buying group for 60
stores around the United States, including the affiliated
Floor Covering Associates (FCA) stores, which also are based
out of Shorewood.
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Olga Robertson, president and CEO of
Shorewood-based FCA Network, was recently named one of
the 20 most influential women in the flooring industry
by Floor Covering News.
John Patsch/Photographer |
Robertson oversees merchandise selection
for the buying group. She visits with flooring manufacturers
and at times consults on product development. And, she's
always on the lookout for new talent.
"We have a lot of very successful sales people -- women
in particular -- who are making over $60,000 a year," she
said. "It's a very good profession."
FCA is celebrating its 30th year in business, and
Robertson joined the company when it was little more than a
year old.
She was hired by owner and founder Robert Hill, when FCA
had about a half-dozen employees and one store -- just 200
yards away from the current Shorewood location on Illinois
59.
"We grew our business with repeat and referral
customers," Robertson said. "We monitor our customers and
where they come from. About 75 percent of our customers are
repeat and referral customers."
Today FCA has seven locations in the Chicago area,
including a flagship design and furniture store in
Naperville.
FCA Network was created 10 years ago to pool FCA's
resources with those of other independent stores and
increase their collective buying power.
Stores in the group operate under their own names. Most
member stores are in the Midwest, but others are as far away
as Albuquerque, N.M., and Dover, N.J.
Robertson describes herself as "a pretty tough
negotiator," which has served her well in an industry
dominated by men. "I know the top executives at the major
companies, and I deal with them directly," she said.
And, she knows the value of young talent, noting the
opportunity Hill gave her at FCA 29 years ago.
"I was fortunate in that I started at the bottom, and I
worked my way up," she said. "There were a lot of
opportunities to prove myself."
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