Interview with Cam Haughey

With the upcoming transition from ICC Floors to ICC Home, we wanted to feature a blog series on our showrooms’ remodel as well as our expansion to become your one-stop-shop for everything design related.

Today, we had the pleasure of speaking with Cam Haughey, Co-Owner, to discuss the upcoming changes and what consumers can expect. Here is what Cam had to say:

Q: How long have you been in this industry?

A: “I have really been in the industry all of my adult life. I started in 1998 after I graduated from IU in 1997, and Nate and I started Indianapolis Custom Carpentry in the fall of 1998 for a year then quickly switched to ICC Floors, and now we are transitioning to ICC Home to offer even more to consumers. Growing up, I had my own lawn mowing business, and that unleashed my entrepreneurial bug. Additionally, I worked for Nate’s dad in college where I got my first experience in the building industry.”

Q: What changes have you seen in the industry since you have started ICC?

A: “There have been the ‘obvious’ changes in products. Every year there has been massive shifts in technology and trends that evolve the products. When we first started in the business, we began as hardwood floor installers and really the only available pre-finished hardwood floor at that time was 2-1/4 ” wide and maybe 3-1/4″ wide in about five colors of oak, and that was all we laid all day, every day.

But now, it is few and far between to use any 3-1/4″ solid hardwood. I think the most significant change in the industry is the reduction and consolidation of the dealer base and the shift into larger retail–it is a harder industry to survive as a small ‘ma and pa’ shop. In order to sample products, you have to have a substantial showroom and product line for it to truly be a source for consumers.”

Q: What changes have you seen at ICC Floors since you have opened?

A: “Obviously, there has been a significant change in the number of people and the size, but one of the things that I am most proud of is the ability to manage our growth, put systems in place and have those systems evolve. I feel like our structures and systems are far better now than they have ever been. These necessary structural and system changes have helped us evolve from Indianapolis Custom Carpentry to ICC Floors and now ICC Home.”

Q: What excites you about the remodel and transition to ICC Home?

A: “It is exciting to be embarking upon this new challenge, and it has been something that we have wanted to do for a long time. It makes complete sense–we feel it adds value for our customers. The showroom specifically excites me because we have been getting all of the kinks out by building strong relationships with cabinets suppliers, setting systems in place, and gathering our bearings to build this awesome showroom to knock it out the park. I am excited to finally have one of the best first-class kitchen and bath cabinet showrooms in the city. The remodel in relation to flooring is exciting because we are categorizing our design products by styles rather than brands to make the design process easier on the customer. We are providing our own custom displays so we can display it and make it easier, quicker and more user-friendly.”

Q: Why are you expanding/transitioning to ICC Home?

A: “I think ‘ICC Floors’ is no longer an accurate description of who we are and what we do. We had to find a name that reflected all of the products that we offered. We also wanted to emphasize that we are not just ‘dipping our toes in the water;’ we are serious and we are committed to it. These cabinets are not a sideshow for us; they are going to be a primary portion of our business. It is go-time for us!”

Q: What is ICC Home’s goal?

A: “There are four main components to ICC Home’s goal:

• Provide a professional and relaxed atmosphere where we will showcase the highest quality products at honest prices.
• Employ, train, and continually educate the best people in the business to facilitate your project.
• Keep up with the latest marketplace design trends to best serve you, the customer.
• Deliver the best possible service, from when you first walk through the door until your project is complete.”

Q: How will ICC Home better serve the customer?

A: “Currently, our customer base, especially those focusing on newer construction properties, are picking out cabinets while they are selecting floors. Since we understand that customers cannot ‘buy time,’ we wanted to capitalize on their ability to design in one place, not drag samples back and forth, and give them some of that ‘time’ back to spend with their families and friends and enjoy their newly designed home. And same goes for our builders, time is money for them–the less they are running around, and the more we consolidate and make their lives easier, the more profitable they can become with efficiency and retention.”

Q: Why are you passionate about the concept of ICC Home?

A: “I get really excited about new stuff–any new endeavor, new challenge is exciting. The ability to embark upon this new challenge excites me. I also get excited about building that portion of our business as well as make life easier on the consumer. I get excited as we continue to build up our offerings and showroom, see all of these changes, see the new, qualified staff that come onboard, and it opens a bunch of doors for us as far as being able to be more important to our current customers. It is just one more thing that sets us apart from other service providers.”

Q: Where do you hope to see the company in 10 years?

A: “I would like to see our Westfield store up and running and be more significant. In ten years, have it be a stand-alone building that we own or more a significant footprint in the Westfield community–something closer to what we have at Castleton. I would like to see ICC in other markets and launch our presence in other communities. Additionally, I think we would like to integrate different products that make sense in the home design–we are definitely not done adding product lines.”

This concludes our employee interview blog series, and we would like to say a special thank you to each of the employees who took the time to speak with us. If you missed last week’s interview with Blake, you can view it here.