Tarkett leads effort to renovate Chicago-area respite center as part of Tarkett Cares program

SOLON, Ohio, Nov. 25, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Tarkett, a global leader in innovative and sustainable flooring solutions, recently led the renovation of the Niles Township Respite Center near Chicago, Illinois. The initiative was part of the company's charitable giving program, Tarkett Cares, which encourages employees to share their time, talents and corporate flooring donations with local communities where the company operates.

While planning Design Days 2024, an annual, three-day interior design show in Chicago, the Tarkett team wanted to find a way to contribute to their host city in a new way. "Instead of focusing on one-off customer giveaways, we wanted to invest in something that could create lasting value for the community that hosts our industry each year," said Roxane Spears, vice president of sustainability for Tarkett.

Spears contacted Lisa Kaplan, a Chicago-area resident and former commercial flooring professional, who directed her to the Niles Township Respite Center as a place in need. Located in Skokie, Illinois, the Niles Township Respite Center provides relief to residents facing housing and food insecurities. The space offers access to showers, laundry facilities, a clothing closet, food pantry and more.

"The Respite Center's efforts to serve community members struggling with housing and food insecurity align perfectly with Tarkett's commitment to social equity and the Tarkett Cares program," Spears said. "While the center operates on a tight budget, it does so much to help so many. If we can support the center's work by providing cleaner, safer spaces for people as they work through challenging circumstances—that's the impact we want to make."

With a deep knowledge of how thoughtfully designed interiors and healthy materials can contribute to better indoor air quality and an overall sense of well-being, the team updated the center's flooring with third-party certified products featuring soothing patterns and colors that would help everyone at the center feel more at home and at peace. Tarkett donated new floors (including the costs of labor for installation) for a quiet room, multi-purpose room, entryway and stairs. The team's enthusiasm for the project spread to other local contractors; FloorsMD provided installation services and their president, Michelle DeLuco, served as an onsite coordinator throughout the project.

Tarkett's ethos® carpet tile was installed in the quiet room. ethos is Cradle to Cradle Certified® Silver and has a non-PVC backing that can be recycled back into itself. Contour LVT, which can be recycled into auto mats when taken back through Tarkett's ReStart® take-back and recycling program, was installed in the entryway and multi-purpose room. Coordinating Johnsonite® stair treads were also added to enhance safety and durability.

After seeing the newly installed floors, DeLuco felt energized and determined to find a way to go a little further. The project scope grew to include a room expansion, ceiling height adjustment, fresh coat of paint and additional carpet tile for four offices that had suffered flood damage. The additional flooring materials and labor were covered by Tarkett and FloorsMD. ECI and its Executive Construction Foundation, Maxxon and Aspen Commercial Painting also contributed to the expanded project scope. The Respite Center was not charged for any portion of the renovation.

"The center had such good bones and was already doing tremendous work for the community. It was very heart-pleasing to see what impact we could make with just a little bit of elbow grease and a group of people who cared," DeLuco said.

Ruth Orme-Johnson, a social worker for the Respite Center, said the renovations drastically improved the energy of the space.

"It was just wonderful to know that we're giving our clients the kind of calm, positive and inviting environment that we really have always wanted to. You can just feel everyone relax a little bit," Orme-Johnson said. "Our new floor, our new space has been such a gift in terms of being welcoming to everybody. It's also helped me feel proud of the work I do. The space allows the people we help believe they're capable and have the agency to take those steps that will have a positive impact on their lives long term."

Mike Isaacs, public relations outreach coordinator for Niles Township Government, said the impact of the renovation exceeded everyone's expectations. "It's been really inspiring," he said. "Our gratitude is forevermore, that's for sure."

In addition to corporate giving, the global Tarkett Cares program empowers employees to donate two days of volunteer activity each year. Globally, Tarkett employees have volunteered 3,800 days and contributed to over 900 community initiatives between 2017 and 2023.

Take a virtual tour of the renovated Niles Township Respite Center.

About Tarkett
With a 140-year history, Tarkett is a worldwide leader in innovative and durable flooring and sports surface solutions, generating net sales of 3.4 billion euros in 2023. The Group has around 12,000 employees, 23 R&D centres, 8 recycling centres, and 34 production sites. Tarkett designs and manufactures solutions for hospitals, schools, housing, hotels, offices, shops, and sports fields, serving customers in more than 100 countries. To build "The Way to Better Floors", the Group is committed to the circular economy and sustainable development, in line with its Tarkett Human-Conscious Design^® approach. Tarkett is listed on the Euronext-regulated market (compartment B, ISIN: FR0004188670, ticker: TKTT). www.tarkett-group.com

Every Step Matters
For years, Tarkett has raised the sustainability standards of the flooring industry. The company designs floors with transparency you can trust as it creates healthy impacts on indoor spaces and protects our air, water, soil, and every living thing. Tarkett's ReStart^® take-back and recycling program will either repurpose or recycle every type of flooring from any manufacturer. Its near-term science-based carbon emissions reduction targets have been validated by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) and are fully aligned with the Paris Climate Agreement objective to limit global warming by 1.5 degrees Celsius. For more information, visit commercial.tarkett.com/sustainability.

SOURCE Tarkett USA, Inc.