Kim Carnahan-Chubaty

Sales Manager, Apollo Flooring

Some of our clients have become close friends, and I still enjoy walking into a BOMA event and seeing familiar faces.

How did you get started in the commercial flooring industry?

I actually came into the industry by accident.

Before flooring, I managed 11 Pet Value stores across Manitoba and Northwestern Ontario. After my daughter was born, the travel became difficult, so I stepped away.

Around the same time, I was asked to fill in for someone on maternity leave at a flooring company. I found the business really interesting and never left. I’ve now been in the industry for more than 16 years.

My husband Ronnie had been a commercial flooring installer for 25 years before starting Apollo Flooring. After a planned company purchase fell through, the owner’s widow offered to sell the assets instead. That’s really how Apollo Flooring got its start. I joined the company in 2020, and today we run it together.

What skills are most important when building strong relationships with property managers and building owners?

It comes down to being honest and doing what you say you’re going to do. We are very transparent. If we say we’re going to be there, we’re there. If we say we’re going to get something done, we get it done.

Every building manager works a little differently. Once you learn how they like things done and what their expectations are, everything becomes a lot easier.

The projects are great, but it’s the people that keep me in it. Some of our clients have become close friends, and I still enjoy walking into a BOMA event and seeing familiar faces.

What flooring trends are you seeing in commercial spaces today?

Everything is warming up.

For a while, everything was very gray, very cold, and very echoey. Now people want spaces that feel warmer and more inviting. Maintenance-free products are becoming more popular too.

Acoustics are huge right now. We’re seeing it in flooring, wall treatments, ceiling systems, paneling, everywhere. People still want those large collaborative spaces, but they also want quieter areas where people can step away and focus.

What’s something people are often surprised to learn about commercial flooring projects?

Floor prep. It’s probably the most overlooked part of the project, and sometimes it can cost you as much as the flooring itself. The challenge is that you don’t always know what’s underneath until the old flooring comes out. That’s usually when you find the surprises.

A lot of people try to save money by going directly to the trades instead of involving a contractor, designer, or consultant early on, but somebody still needs to figure everything out in the background.

What do you think is one of the biggest mistakes building owners and managers make when selecting flooring contractors?

Going with the cheapest quote.

We get called back months later to look at [competitors’] projects and figure out what went wrong. If you’re getting three quotes and one is significantly lower, there’s usually a reason. Something was missed somewhere.

My response is usually, “Do you like gambling?” That’s essentially what you’re doing when you choose the quote that is way lower than the rest.

I understand budgets are real, but saving money upfront can end up costing much more when problems need fixing later.

Can you share a project challenge that demonstrated your team’s problem-solving abilities?

We had a large project with demountable wall partitions, and it was the first time that particular system was being used here. The tolerance requirements for the floor being level were extremely tight.

Nothing in this city is perfectly level, so trying to get a hundred door openings to line up took a lot of experimenting. We tested different products and approaches and did a lot of math. It took time, but we figured it out.

What’s one lesson you’ve learned throughout your career?

Don’t let things get into your head.

Early in my career, I went to a site meeting with one of my mentors. There was a general contractor there who wouldn’t listen to anything I had to say. My mentor stepped in, repeated exactly what I said, and suddenly it was accepted.

Unfortunately, that’s something a lot of women in commercial construction experience. My mentor told me not to let it get to me because it was going to happen a lot. He was right. It still happens today, although I do think it’s getting better. It’s one of the reasons I’m involved with Manitoba Women in Construction.

What opportunities or challenges do you see shaping the future of commercial flooring?

Right now, it’s freight costs and tariffs.

When pricing projects, freight is one of the biggest factors affecting costs. Material prices have gone up, but freight has really jumped over the last few years. Clients are asking why things cost so much more, and a lot of it comes down to getting products here.

We’re also seeing people source products differently. Some are ordering directly from overseas to avoid costs associated with moving products through the U.S.

Recently, we had a container of carpet tile shipped from the Netherlands; it took four months to arrive. It’s often cheaper, but it changes how you plan a project because lead times are much longer.

What keeps you motivated after nearly two decades in the industry?

I still love seeing the project come together. You can look at plans and renderings for months, but walking into a finished space is completely different. There are still projects where I walk through at the end and think, “Wow, this turned out really well.” That never gets old.