Phil Gutierrez, who began his distinguished career in the floor covering industry as a Buyer at Richard’s Department Store in Miami, took ownership of Abbey Carpet in the 1970s. At the time it had a negative net worth and only a handful of members. From those beginnings, Gutierrez built a company (Abbey, Floors To Go and The Floor Club) into more than 1,000 franchises. Through Gutierrez’s vision and leadership, the strength of marketing or buying groups now plays a key role in the distribution of flooring products. Abbey has historically and consistently been acknowledged as one of the best franchise operations available in the marketplace.