Customer Service of the Year Award

Pictured left to right: Sharon Amaral, Jayne Rollason, Jill Sorce, Agnes Prosniak and Rannie DelOrbe

Q.E.P.’s Customer Service team was once again awarded the Floor and Décor Customer Service of the Year award. This is the 2nd consecutive year that our outstanding team has earned this honor. Floor and Décor is a leading specialty retailer in the hard surface flooring market in the USA. They currently operate 30 stores in 15 metropolitan markets across the country. QEP Customer Service competed against thousands of other Customer Service teams and we are pleased that they have been recognized once again as the very best!

Ken Fordik, VP of Human Resources congratulated and said “It takes a team approach and great individual

effort, persistence and commitment to our customers and to QEP. You all have clearly emulated these

characteristics and truly deserve to be recognized with the Floor and Décor Customer Service of the Year

Award. We are so pleased and very proud of you.”

In the Field...2 CEO’s Message…3 The Q-munity 4-6 President’s Message…5 In the Media…7-8 In the Spotlight…9 Editor’s Words & Social Media Corner…10

In the Field

improvement and hardware industry and QEP New Zealand’s largest account. They are an independent and local retail network of over 450 Mitre 10 and True Value Hardware stores. This July, Mitre 10 held their annual conference and trade expo in Melbourne giving QEP the opportunity to meet and discuss our products and company with store owners, buyers and the Mitre 10 corporate office team members. QEP New Zealand launched the

Mitre 10 Expo in Australia

Bruce Maclaren and Angela

Trask are pictured above at the

Mitre 10 Dinner in August.

new bridge saw and sponge dump display product. “Special thanks to Bruce Maclaren, Jessie Youssef and Steven Stuart from QEP Australia who helped with organizing and attending the show with me.” –Angela Trask, QEP New Zealand.

Mitre 10 is the second largest retailer in the Australian home

Bruce Maclaren and Steve Stuart at the Mitre 10 Expo

QEP UK Flooring Show QEP UK just finished up another successful exhibition at the UK Flooring

Show in Harrogate, England, the UK’s only dedicated flooring event. This

event showcased a full range of the Roberts brand from flooring installation

tools, carpet & vinyl trims, carpet grippers, power tools and underlayment.

Porta Nails flooring equipment and a larger-than-life knee kicker were

displayed in the demonstration area. QEP UK saw a high volume of traffic

at the Roberts booth and we received various sales leads and new orders!

Richard Wheeler building

relationships and making sales

In August, Ken Mosser, Richard Wheeler and Chuck

Hanhauser attended Orgills Fall Dealer Market held in

Las Vegas, NV. Orgill, Inc. is the nation’s largest

independently owned hard lines distributor providing

home improvement and building material retailers

across the U.S. and around the world, hardware and

home improvement products.

The “Dream Team”-

Ken, Chuck and Richard

Orgills Fall Dealer Market

From the desk of Lewis Gould

Dear Fellow Associates:

As Yogi Berra said, "If you don't know where you're going.... you might not get there."

Yogi got it more right than wrong: If you don’t have a goal, you can’t achieve it. We need to choose a destination before

setting out, and think about how we’ll get there. What are the actions we’ll need to take? What resources will we need?

Who can help us along the way?

As we ask ourselves these questions we have the outside pressures of the world and our varying economies that ultimately

challenge the courses we’ve chosen, the decisions we’ve made. The fluctuation of our currency exchange, the political scene

in the United Sates as we proceed through this election year, taxes and the effects of these worldwide, Europe’s debt

crisis….all of these situations and more have an effect on our business and our goals. These are things that we cannot

directly control, but they can alter where we are headed.

Many are hesitant to invest in their businesses during these times however QEP thinks differently. For example, recently we

bought a bankrupt supplier in Clinton, Massachusetts and created over 15 brand new American jobs. This was a risk, one we

did NOT have to make, but it was the right decision as well as an investment in our future. Additionally, your company has

decided to invest in a Warehouse Management System (WMS) in the United States that will enable us to scan and track all

inventory thus giving us better control, more accurate picking of orders and faster shipping times. These are just a few

examples of your company investing in infrastructure to enable us to grow. In other words, putting money back into the

business.

QEP does have a plan and to put it simply we are headed for growth. QEP as a company has never had a down year in sales

and we have no intention of changing that in the future. This company was founded in 1979 with no “real” money but with

perseverance, long hours and plenty of hardship. It was created from nothing to now employing over 700 loyal and

hardworking employees and having friendships through out the world.

Growth in the future will be eminent. We will continue to look at adjunct companies from an acquisition viewpoint, we will

move into new markets, we will continue to invest back in the business, we will continue to support our existing products

and customers and we will continue to support you, our loyal employees.

I think Yogi would be proud that we at QEP are “getting it right”!

Kindest regards,

Lewis Gould

Lewis Gould

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

The Q-munity

Nupla Teams Up with Chasing4Life

The 13-14 year old Daniel Boone Little League All-star softball team from

Gray, TN won the Tennessee State Championship to advance to the

Southeast Regional’s in Ft. Myers, Florida. The team finished in second

place in the regional’s, suffering a hard fought 6-4 loss to the team from

Virginia. Tennessee defeated defending champion and favorite, Florida

in the semi-finals. This was the 4th consecutive State Championship for

six girls on the Tennessee team, including Rhetta Persinger, daughter of

Danny Persinger who works at our Harris Wood facility in Johnson City.

Rhetta plays first base and was one of the leading hitters in the state

and regional tournament.

Rhetta Hits it out of the Park

Pictured above is the Daniel Boone Little League All-

Star team: Rhetta is the second player from the right

in the back row

When QEP acquired Nupla in June this

year, it wasn’t just because their logo

was also in the shape of a yellow

diamond. Of course the fact that Nupla

is very synergistic with the QEP family

helped the decision along. But little did

most of us know of all the good deeds

the Nupla products and company take

part in.

Several years ago Nupla Corp partnered

with the Chasing4Life organization.

Nupla fire and rescue tools have been

used in most natural disaster relief

efforts around the world. It is common

to see Nupla wire cutters, digging bars,

axes and pike poles in action when

disaster strikes. Chasing4Life is an

educational organization under the

direction of well-known

author/educator Eddy Weiss with a

vision to change the way America views

the issue of disaster preparedness.

Chasing4Life's educators present

hundreds of programs nationwide each

year on subjects ranging from

tornado safety to environmental

issues and climate change, from

the importance of home disaster

kits to agro-terrorism threat

mitigation. Chasing4Life is also

home to the Chasing4Life Disaster

Response Teams (C4LDRT’s).

These are highly trained volunteer

team strained by Chasing4Life to

respond to disaster events around

the country. The teams have also received

national attention in dozens of newspapers

and magazines nationwide for their recent

deployments around the United States in

the wake of this year's tragic natural

disasters. Nupla tools

are used as part of their

relief efforts.

The Q-munity

QEP Contributes to the Home Depot Foundation

Home Depot’s Décor Departments held

their annual Charity Event in California in

June. This year the Home Depot

Foundation organized hundreds of

volunteers to help build several new

homes and refurbish numerous existing

homes in theImperial Beach, CA

community.

Pictured Left to Right: Sarah Mozingo, Len Gould & Sarah

Fishburne (Home Depot’s Director of Trend and Design)

In addition, $2.7 million was donated by the Home Depot Décor vendors to

help fund the Foundation’s projects and programs in support of their three

year, $30 million pledge to assist in veteran’s housing issues. QEP contributed

both $ and manpower to this event!

Supporting Our Troops,

One Step at a Time

Melbourne Welcomes Bunnings to the Neighborhood

In June and July, employees in Johnson City, TN contributed to the Non-skid

Socks for Veteran’s Campaign. This organization provides socks to local

Veterans at the VA Hospital. Our goal was 250…we surpassed it by donating

340 pairs of socks!!! Thank you to everyone who contributed!

Mentone, Melbourne recently had their grand opening welcoming

a new Bunnings Store to the neighborhood. With this new store,

Bunnings image within the marketplace has been lifted and given

QEP an opportunity to gain a better positioning within the store.

Our Brutus Roof Vents and HanWood planks are now displayed on

aisle ends, where the high foot traffic allows us to build brand

awareness with Bunnings day to day customers.

Brutus display at the

Mentone, Melbourne store

From the desk of Leonard Gould

As I write this note, the seasons are turning, children are heading back to school and QEP is continuing to grow. We have

more new associates in more new locations than at any time in our history. With all of this change, questions arise, and the

most important one is: What does this mean for you, reading this note?

What it means is that your company refuses to stand still. This, despite a global economy which is still sluggish, and the

resulting competition that has become more fierce, and customers more demanding. Economically, you see the same

poor news that I do. Whether you are in Europe, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, China, or the USA, you have seen the

global economic engine slow. Costs have risen across the board for all companies: Energy costs, health care costs, shipping,

product, compliance, etc have all gone one way. Companies are reporting weaker results and many, are frankly,

disappearing.

QEP faces these very same challenges, but we combat them with reinvestment in the company. We invest our earnings in

infrastructure, in new locations, in new IT systems, in new warehouse management systems, and in new people. We invest

in growth.

Growth brings new people with new ideas. It brings new facilities with new capabilities. It brings new brands and new

customers. Most importantly, all of these together bring synergies to the existing core of the business making the whole

stronger than the sum of its parts.

So please join me in welcoming the 87 associates located in Burbank, California at Nupla, the 6 associates based in

Oklahoma at Hisco, and the 12 associates based in Clinton Massachusetts at QEP’s brand new molding and stamping facility.

These facilities bring to your company the ability to injection mold products, to stamp out millions of trowels, and to

pulltrude fiberglass to make all sorts of handles. The common thread with these three companies is that they are all ‘prime’

manufacturers. This means that that we now make more of what we sell – something very valuable to our customers. As

the global economy shrinks, customers want to buy from prime makers of products. This added flexibility gives QEP a

competitive advantage against pure distributors of products.

This also means that we now manufacture approximately 55-60% of what we sell on a dollar basis, a number I fully expect

to climb higher over the months and years ahead. This makes us stronger.

So what does it mean for you? For your family? Well, it means the same thing that it means for me and my own family. I

say this because at the end of the day we all want the same thing; stable employment, fair wages, good benefits, and the

chance to grow both personally and professionally.

It’s also important to work for a company that gives back, and your company does. From local location blood drives to

supporting international organizations such as The March of Dimes. We are proud of what our associate do to make their

local communities a better place. I’m proud to share that your company also supports the fight against pediatric cancer via

the Florida Panthers Foundation of which we are a pillar partner.

There is so much that happens in life, and in business that sometimes we forget to pause and let each other know what’s

happening. This is why I am so proud to say that this newsletter will be a regular one coming out at least once a

From the desk of Leonard Gould

quarter going forward. So please, let the editor know what you want to see more of, and ALL are welcome to contribute – so

if you have something to share, well, let’s do it!

It’s hard for me to believe that we now have 720 global associates. I can remember those days when there were only a

handful of us, working out of a single location attempting to make our mark on the world. Well, over the last 33 years we

certainly have done that! With brand placement from South Africa to Iceland, and across more than 80 countries around the

globe, QEP products are used every day by professionals to make their jobs easier, and by consumers to beautify their homes.

We’ve certainly come a long way, but the journey continues, and I am glad you are along for the ride.

Len Gould

Len Gould

President

The Return of the “QReview”

As of August, the QEP monthly Human Resources internal newsletter has been turned back over to the Marketing

Department at headquarters in Boca Raton, FL. The QReview will return to QEP Co., Inc. once again!

Going forward, the QReview will be distributed on a quarterly basis featuring not only the usual business side of our

industry with tradeshows, new ventures and products but the internal (& fun) part as well with employee, office and

community events. I welcome and encourage new ideas and suggestions as well as odds and ends from around the

office submitted by none other than you…the reader!

On a daily basis we are in contact with one another and regularly I am thinking to myself, who the heck am I talking to?

Slowly but surely, we get to know those who work around us, we venture out and have lunch with strangers who turn

into friends if we are lucky. How do we create this same relationship while continents away? Well, we get a little

personal…

At least 30% of our life is spent at work, don’t you want to enjoy it? I sure do! I believe with any good company come

good employees, luckily we already have those roots here at Q.E.P. I would love to see us grow together and get to

know each other through the QReview!

Please feel free to call or email me any pictures, article submissions or an idea we can work on together.

–Jennie Johnson, Editor & Social Media Marketing Coordinator

In the Media

“We look to our distribution partners to fill a void that we as manufacturers are simply not built

for. Swiff-Train has been an excellent partner in providing services that portray our products and

brands in a professional manner. With their depth of sales experience, local market knowledge

and logistical excellence they have been able to make this partnership a success for both sides”,

said Darrell Tweed, VP Distribution Sales for QEP (representing QEP, Capitol, Roberts and Harris

Wood brands).

Featured in Floor Covering News

July/August Edition

Swiff Train & QEP…Some Partnerships Were Meant to Be

Integrity, Trust, Diversity, Ingenuity,

Partnership, Protecting People and the

Environment, and High Performance

are all core values of The QEP Way that

underpin our business conduct. We

believe that when we apply our ethical

principles to our business decisions, our

company is positioned for success.

We all strive for success, growth and

longevity as we build our businesses

and expand into new unchartered

waters. Although we sometimes feel

like we are alone in this journey, we

never truly are. In order to be

successful we must have partners that

share these same beliefs and values

and apply them to their own

businesses. Through the years Swiff-

Train has been such a partner. We

have worked together to overcome

obstacles, find solutions and ultimately

keep the end-user happy.

This article and advertisement are being featured in the upcoming Floor Covering News Fall Issue: Swiff Train’s 75th

Anniversary

Issue. This issue covers the history of Swiff Train, as well as the vision of the vendors they do business with and their benefits.

From adhesives, to tools, to

wood flooring and accessories

we have worked together to

identify, produce and deliver

the products that the customer

demands. We rely on our

partners to help guide us, the

manufacturer, on specific

market needs. Swiff-Train has

been a leader in this arena.

They have worked with us to

develop adhesives specific to

their flooring and market needs.

They have also worked side-by-

side with us to develop

hardwood flooring designs to

meet their regional design

preferences.

Both companies, having deep

American-made and owned

roots, have followed parallel

paths in their growth structure.

From a true grass roots beginning to

a global infrastructure, we have

both seen our companies grow into

something that was most likely

never imagined 75 years ago!

Through good times and bad we

have weathered the storms and

prevailed throughout. Thank you for

the opportunities. We look forward

to continued growth and

strengthening our partnership

together.

Congratulations Swiff-Train on 75

years in business!

In the Media

The Green Benefits of QEP and Harris Cork Cork offers a renewable, sustainable and environmentally friendly

resource. Choosing cork means you are helping preserve forest

habitat, contributing to plant and animal diversity and reducing

greenhouse gases. Cork is harvested from Cork Oak trees which are

never cut down for harvesting; the process of manufacturing cork

products has a near zero waste stream resulting in no toxic emissions.

Bark from Cork Oak trees is removed every 9 years and each tree can

be harvested up to 20 times in 200 years, this method facilitates in

extending the tree’s life.

The natural properties that cork provides are beneficial in that it is

hypo-allergenic, anti-static, rot resistant, fire retardant, anti-bacterial,

anti-microbial, repels common pests and does not absorb dust. The

corks air filled cells act as a shock absorber in flooring, providing

warmth and limit sound and vibration transmissions which is useful in

multi-level homes and buildings. The level of expectation for green products is now higher than ever, choosing a product

that also fits into a part of our everyday specifications without sacrificing durability, quality or price.

By keeping up with the constantly evolving green marketplace, educating customers and understanding our customer’s

needs, we’ve been able to create sustainable solutions. In support of our commitment to green living coupled with the

many benefits of cork, QEP has introduced two separate cork-based product lines, Harris Cork Flooring and QEP Cork

Underlayment.

Featured in the upcoming Green Issue of Floor

Covering Installer, NFT & Talk Floor.

QEP offers Natural Cork Underlayment in two different forms, rolls and sheets, to meet

the needs of an assortment of professionals. These rolls and sheets are offered in a

range of thickness and lengths making it readily available for a variety of different sizes

of rooms. Natural Cork as an Underlayment is effective in reducing sound transmission

from both the surface of a floor as well as through the floor to spaces below and

decreases thermal transmission which increases the effectiveness of floor heating

systems.

“This all new Harris Cork Collection and the QEP Cork Underlayment program meet the

demands of our world today from an environmental standpoint. Choosing to participate

in protecting and prolonging our environment by offering products such as these is an

important message that we are anxious to share with our partners,” said Jamie Clingan,

Sr. VP Marketing.

The new Harris Cork line offers 4 separate collections designed to fit the tastes and needs of a majority of consumers.

Three of these collections fall within the Premium designation with the other being a true Value offering for the cost

conscious that still demands a floor that meets their environmental standards. Keeping it simple, keeping it green;

meeting the demands of the consumers.

Vitrex Launches the

Vitrex 250W Multi-tool This powerful and versatile multi-functional tool is for

a wide variety of renovation jobs. It is suitable for both

the professional tradesman & DIY enthusiast.

This set includes:

Grout Removal Tool

Paint & Wallpaper Scraper

Sanding Pads x3

Plunge Cut & Undercut Saw

LED Light

Dust Extraction Attachment

In the Market

QEP Launches A New

Vitrex Website

“At Vitrex, we have always taken customer care very seriously and we have conducted a series of informal research programs over the last year, talking and listening to our customers” says Paul Boyce, CEO European Operations. “The results have influenced the new Vitrex website design and content. Our customers want to see the products online and find how we are innovating and improving our products and customer service. The new website is the natural next step.”

QEP is delighted to reveal our new and improved Vitrex-branded website, www.vitrex.co.uk. This new site is packed with helpful product information on the Vitrex range of tiling and flooring equipment, tools and accessories.

QEP Co. UK Ltd. is an established and recognized supplier to the very best home centers and distributors in the UK and the Vitrex brand has been at the forefront of the home improvement market for more than 70 years. Vitrex was acquired by QEP in 2004 and is now better placed than ever to fulfill its longstanding aim to design, manufacture and distribute professional quality products at affordable prices – for both the keen DIY-er to the professional user.

Suncrest Supply, Inc is Named as

Harris Woods’ Newest Distributor

Harris Wood is pleased to announce the appointment of Suncrest Supply, Inc. (Riviera Beach, FL) as the company’s newest distributor. Suncrest will be representing the full line of Harris Wood-branded engineered flooring products and accessories throughout the state of Florida, Latin America and the Caribbean. The partnership was finalized in May and Harris recently completed training with Suncrest’s sales team. “We are excited to partner with a dynamic company such as Suncrest. The superior American-made collection of Harris Wood and the enthusiasm and market knowledge of the Suncrest team is a combination for success for both companies,” said Jamie Clingan, Sr. VP Marketing.

QEP Co., Inc. is pleased to add Roberts 10-60 9 In. Flooring Cutter and the Roberts 10-64 13 In. PRO Flooring Cutters to our professional line of Roberts Branded Tools.

The compact, powerful design of the Roberts 10-60 9 In. Flooring Cutter makes this the fastest, most convenient way to cut laminate and engineered wood planks during flooring installation. The heavy duty steel “T” base provides maximum stability while cutting. In addition, this cutter comes complete with a “V” support and a plank support arm that add extra holding power to minimize plank movement. It has a cutting capacity of up to 3/8 inches on standard 8-1/2 inch wide planks, but the heavy duty 4mm thick tungsten blade is strong enough to cut narrower planks up to 5/8 inches thick.

The Roberts 10-64 13 In. PRO Flooring Cutter is a guillotine-style cutter manufactured to cut precise, clean-edges on all types of flooring materials. The large cutting table stabilizes longer planks while the extendible handle provides extra leverage for more cutting power. This extra power is great not only for cutting laminate and engineered wood but also for cutting a variety of other flooring materials such as vinyl flooring, vinyl siding, VCT tiles and rubber or foam tiles. The cutting guide quickly swivels and locks in place for accurate angle cuts and because it is fully adjustable, it is easy to maintain perfectly square cuts, even after years of use.

In the Media

Introducing Roberts Flooring Cutters

Roberts 10-60 9 In. Flooring Cutter

Roberts 10-64 13 In. PRO Flooring Cutter

Harris Wood Expands Social Media Q.E.P. Co., Inc. is pleased to announce that in an effort to grow

our social media presence, Harris Wood has unveiled their latest

foray on the social media platforms joining Pinterest, and Houzz.

Currently there are 13 pinboards that showcase our place in the

market of flooring, homes and the care and maintenance that

comes along with each of these. In conjunction with Pinterest and

Houzz, Harris Wood is steadily growing on Facebook and Twitter.

We invite you to check us out and join in!

Facebook Harris Wood http://www.facebook.com/HarrisWood Twitter @Harris_Wood https://twitter.com/Harris_Wood Houzz http://www.houzz.com/pro/harriswood

Harris Wood’s Pinterest Page

Pinterest Harris Wood http://pinterest.com/harriswood/

In the Spotlight

September Anniversaries Their efforts within the organization have not

gone unnoticed and we greatly appreciate the

long hours, nights and weekends, the hard

work and experiences that they have offered us

over the past year or 40 years!

We want to thank you for being part of QEP

and hope there are many more years to come!

John Estabrooks, Canada 40 years

Howard D Edwards, Dalton 15 years

Alfonso Caco, Canada 5 years

Andrew Gregory Smith, Dalton 5 years

Julio Gonzalez-Padron, Dalton 5 years

Cody Holcomb, Dalton 1 year

Eric Morgan, Montpelier 1 year

Saeed Mustafa, Dalton 1 year

Thomas Gazaway, Dalton 1 year

QEP’s Youngest Intern Yet! Noah Gould, age 8, assembles

product mailers for customer

service during his day at QEP

this summer. Noah is Len and

Lauraleigh Gould’s’ youngest

son.

Welcome Aboard!

Crystal Ramsey- Packager, Dalton

Gregory Shevchuk- Senior Maintenance Tech, Clinton

John White- Maintenance Tech, Dalton

Juston Manis- Utility, Dalton

Kameron Bain- Packager, Dalton

Kenneth Broyles- Technical Services Coordinator, Johnson City

Michael Venturelli- VP Sales-Ceramic Tile Tools, Boca Raton

Misleydis Hernandez- Custodian-Boca Raton

Robert Hall- Utility, Dalton

Scott Brown- Sales Assistant, Boca Raton

Tammy Ward- Buyer Planner, Dalton

Trevor Anderson- Packager, Dalton

Troy Singleton- Packager, Dalton

William Shaw- Assembly/Operator, Montpelier

William Taylor- Maintenance Tech, Johnson City

QEP would like to extend a warm welcome to these

associates who have recently joined our team!

Ken Mosser, VP of National Accounts at LMC

LMC (Lumbermens Merchandising Corporation) hosted

their Hardware Express Show early in August. QEP Co.

Inc. was very successful in showcasing our Porta Nails

brand as well as QEP brand. This show provided us with

leads in sales as well as numerous new orders placed.

LMC Hardware Express Show