Jan Lembregts, president of Tarkett Residential for North America, and parent company Tarkett Group on March 24 mutually agreed to a parting of the ways. Lembregts was immediately replaced by Guillaume LaVerdure, a 15-year Tarkett veteran who most recently served as global logistics vice president.

According to John Rietveldt, president, residential division, worldwide, the management change reflects Tarkett’s desire to “optimize its organization for a profitable growth strategy where it focuses on core products in a global set-up and aligns its activities globally with strong management structures.

“We must take into consideration the fact that more and more of our business is outside Europe,” he said. “North America is reflecting 35% of Tarkett’s global sales. So it is necessary to put a capable and efficient organization in place.”

LaVerdure has held a variety of positions in his 15-year tenure with Tarkett ranging from financial to logistics, where he was in charge of physical distribution, manufacturing and stock planning. “He is really a general manager who can look at all aspects of our business instead of taking a single view, like manufacturing, sales or marketing,” Rietveldt said. “He brings a great deal of knowledge related to all the changes we are pursuing right now.”

LaVerdure will be based in Farnham, Quebec, as will administrative and accounting functions. All sales and marketing efforts will be relocated to Whitehall, Pa. “We will be a leaner organization and closer to the market,” Rietveldt said. “We have put a structure in place that should be bullet proof.”

As for Lembregts, he had nothing but positive things to say about his former employer. “Tarkett is an extremely good company,” he said. “It has many strengths, and the plans that are currently on the table, that will soon be executed, will only lead to growth in North America.”

Lembregts, who joined the Tarkett team five years ago, seemed to be thriving. He presided over the successful FiberFloor introduction two years ago that revitalized the company’s vinyl business, and
he was recently handed responsibility for the hardwood flooring business as well.

But somewhere there was a disconnect. At the end of the day, Lembregts said he was not comfortable in the global organization as it was defined. “Tarkett is one of the largest hard surface flooring companies in the world,” he said. “But the vision of how individual roles play out in a global organization is not in line with how I see my role. I prefer a more simple structure. In a matrix organization there is much more coordinating.

“We agreed amicably that the leadership should be transitioned to someone who is better suited to the Tarkett organization [from a global standpoint]. I think Guillaume LaVerdure is the right choice.”

Looking back at his five years at Tarkett, Lembregts is most proud of the turnaround the company experienced in the vinyl business. “When we took it on it was on a downward slope,” he said. “Right now it is experiencing nice growth.” Much of that growth is attributed to FiberFloor, the floating floor that launched two years ago on Lembregts’ watch. “It has been very successful and continues to grow,” he said. “We’ve also enjoyed very good success with our Canadian business.”

Lembregts noted that a great team had been assembled around him, which ensures Tarkett’s positive future. “We brought in a lot of good people,” he said. “The company is positioned for growth. Everything is good; it’s just the fit isn’t there.”

What’s next for Lembregts? For now, a breather. “I feel like I’ve been on a treadmill, in the fast lane, for long time,” he said. “I’ve done carpet, vinyl, wood and laminate. I was president of Beaulieu Canada at age 28. It may be time to look at something other than flooring.”
—Steven Feldman