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10 QUESTIONS WITH…


Each month, we ask a flooring industry professional 10 Questions. This month, we chatted to Chris Frost, Sales Director, Aspect Commercial Flooring Ltd.


Q1 Q2


Q3


What was your first job? I worked on my father’s fruit stall, on North End


Road in Fulham. It was only holidays and weekends then, but it gave me a taste for sales early on.


How did you get into the industry? My uncle was already in the business, and


suggested that I give it a try. My first position was in a carpet planning workshop, and I adored seeing the artistry which went into stitching 27” sections of machined carpet together. It was worlds away from how things are done today.


What do you think are the positives and negatives of the flooring trade?


The diversity of products which we have to work with now is fantastic, especially the range of woods, LVTs and options for safety flooring. Designers and manufacturers are getting ever more ambitious, and that gives us some fantastic projects to work on.


Of course, making these ambitious designs a reality requires top people. In an industry which has become increasingly commoditised I’ve seen skills and experience get progressively more overlooked – both in fitting and management. Thankfully we get to work with some of the best.


Q4


If you could hire any one person to be part of your team, who would it be


and why? The Flash. Our fitting teams are pretty speedy, but I think he’d put our productivity through the roof!


Q5


What’s the best advice you could give to someone new coming into the industry?


Come with an open mind, because you’ll find that there can be many perspectives on the same issue. If that’s too abstract, find someone who’s extraordinary at what they do to be your mentor.


Q6


If you could invent any product what would it be and why?


A truly multi-purpose tackifier! It would be one base product which you could add different mixes to if you wanted to have time-sensitive, pressure-sensitive, permanent or peelant. It would bring costs down a lot, prevent wastage and generally make everyone’s lives much easier.


Q7


If you could have a dinner party with any three people, dead or alive, who would


they be and why? Robert Johnson, Charley Patton and Tommy Johnson, three of the blues greats. I’ve been listening to and playing blues music since I was in my teens, and there’s a lot I want to ask them.


44 | 10 QUESTIONS Q8


What do you think the future holds for flooring design?


I think we’re going to see an increasing conflict between cost-driven projects which rely on nylon, and concern for long-term environmental sustainability. Manufacturers are starting to close the gap, but ultimately I hope that sustainable options become the norm.


Q9


What would you like to see in a future issue of Tomorrow’s Contract Floors?


An announcement of legislation to abolish retentions, and committing main contractors to pay their supply chain on time!


Q10


David Moodie, Specification Manager, INTRAsystems asked:


Do you see the traditional carpet tile market maintaining its growth along with the introduction


of materials such as woven vinyl? Definitely. Modular products are ideal for Raised Access Flooring (RAF), and we’re seeing them being specified across 95% of our commercial projects. Until someone invents an alternative to RAF they will dominate the market.


www.aspectflooring.com www.tomorrowscontractfloors.com


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