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Quality, Selection, Value, Service are hallmarks of family business
McCOOK, Nebraska - Looking back over 34 years of doing business in the Tri-State Region, the Samway family and the staff at Samway Floor Covering & Furniture is joining in a great big "Thank You!" to customers.
"Larry and I couldn't have picked a better place to settle than McCook, Nebraska, in the heart of the Golden Plains Region of Southwest Nebraska, Northwest Kansas and Eastern Colorado," said Carol Samway, who remains in daily contact with the business that she and her late husband, Larry, established in 1981.
"In my opinion, there's not a better place to do business than the Heartland of America," Carol said. "And, I've been doubly blessed, because my children and the Samway staff are dedicated to customer service and friendliness."
Throughout Samway Floor Covering and Furniture's time in business -- which will surpass 15,000 days in 2015 -- the store has placed special emphasis on four hallmarks of business excellence: Quality, Selection, Value and Service.
Samway's spacious store, which spans more than 17,000 square feet of space, is located on U.S. Highway 83 on the northern edge of McCook. In addition to the expanse of space in the main store, Samway Floor Covering & Furniture has an abundance of warehouse space, including a 4,800 square foot addition completed in 2008 and a 1,800 square foot addition which was added this year.
The large store and warehouse room is necessary because the Samway space is jam-packed with a huge inventory of floor covering and furniture.
"Our aim is to always feature the best quality in each price category," said Darrin Samway, the store manager and president of the corporation.
This has been true since the store's beginning. "We were fortunate to become associated with La-Z-Boy recliners and Restonic bedding in our first year in business," Carol said. "They have been tremendously popular with our customers."
Another excellent decision by Samway Floor Covering & Furniture in its first year was to become associated with the three largest carpet mills in the world: Shaw, Mohawk and Beaulieu. The association with the top three continues to this day.
Throughout the store's 34-year history, the original lines have been enhanced by adding exceptional brands with great appeal, both price-wise and quality-wise.
Emphasizing again that Samway's aim is top quality in each price category, Darrin gave examples for both floor covering and furniture. "For floor covering, the main hard surface companies featured at Samway's are Armstrong, Congoleum and Mannington," he said. "For furniture, a few of the many featured lines are Smith Bros., La-Z-Boy and Klaussner for sofas in every price range; and Broyhill and Vaughn Bassett, for the best bedroom and dining room furniture."
To make sure that they remain on the cutting edge of floor covering and furniture trends, Samway Floor Covering & Furniture team members travel each year to the World Market Show in Las Vegas where they meet with manufacturers from all over the world. Another "must" convention each year for the Samways is the Surfaces Show, also in Vegas, which features the latest products from all the top floor covering companies.
The product selection process continues throughout the year. "Thanks to the good relationships that Mom and Dad established in the store's early years, Samway Floor Covering & Furniture is served well by the manufacturer's representatives that serve this area," Darrin said. "Rarely does a week go by when there is not a company rep in the store to meet with us about product developments."
Combined with the outstanding products are the knowledge, friendliness and enthusiasm of Samway's staff, which -- in combination with the Samway family members -- adds up to more than 100 years of combined experience. The key employees are Kim Priddy, the office manager, with 15 years experience; Rick Shafer, the warehouse foreman, on the job for 15 years; Terry Hallowell, sales and consultation, 14 years; Dana Samway, sales and special orders, 7 years; and Eric Morris, delivery and digital sign programmer, 7 years.
On top of that are the Samway family's contributions of time and talent to the business. Carol was there from the beginning and continues in daily contact with the floor covering and furniture operation. Darrin, now the company president, started when he was in junior high and was excused from class to help unload trucks. Joining Darrin on the company's Board of Directors are his mother, Carol, and his sisters, Kathy Samway Uerling, who does accounting for the business, and Becky Samway Meyers, who set up and maintains the company's computer network.
Also essential for the success of Samway Floor Covering & Furniture is the team of independent contract installers who have handled floor covering tasks for many years. As an example of the devoted work of the installers, the Samways point to the efforts of Bud Kleckner, who handled installation task throughout the Tri-State Region for 30 years before retiring. Currently, Samway Floor Covering & Furniture has four installer crews that have worked for Samway's for 15 years or more, and one installer crew which has worked for Samway's for four years.
Add it all together, and through the years and continuing to the present day and planning for the future, the Samways have a lot to be thankful for. A great community and area to serve ... outstanding customers ... exceptional staff ... top-notch installers ... leading products and good, customer-focused manufacturers to work with.
So, the family was asked, how do you sum all this up. What's the important thing to remember about Samway Floor Covering & Furniture?
Their answer was quick and to-the-point: "We are having fun! We have the experience and merchandise to give you a great shopping experience: You'll love this store!"