[San Diego, Calif.] It was just a year ago FCW visited with CALI president Doug Jackson and his small but mighty team — Chanel Clifford, vice president, business development, had just joined it. Since then, the company has brought the CALI lifestyle brand to life with more product categories that make sense for it and a growing team charged with shaping everything from its go-to-market strategy to the company’s identity.
“It’s really the maturing of CALI,” Jackson shared with FCW while in CALI headquarters here. “The personnel changes — that really broke down silos in areas of responsibility.” New on the team are Heidi O’Reilly, senior director, and Christin Redfield, director brand marketing.
“We need to stay in front of the consumer for our partners. We have the right people, the right product and do the right things, and continue to focus on relationships,” Jackson explained.
He noted that while it continues to diversify its product mix beyond luxury vinyl flooring (LVF), it does so with thoughtfulness. “I’m really excited about wood in this lifestyle brand,” he said, for example.
Bamboo is where the company got its start. “We are going back to our roots and into wood,” he said, adding, “We will be a full-fledged hard surface provider.”
And there is turf and decking and rugs along with LVF and hardwood. And, he teased, “Could we curate other things? Pillows?”
Strengthening its infrastructure is top of mind as well. This includes a new 250,000 square foot warehouse and a new website and dealer portal that will be up and running end of January.
CALI is also growing its distribution across the country to round out what it already has and leverage those relationships. The company goes both through retail and direct to consumer. “We, as a consumer, want a relationship with a brand and a manufacturer,” he explained. “We are trying to be authentic, trusted. We won’t be anybody’s biggest supplier but maybe their best and most profitable. We give them the best opportunity for that.”
Indeed, the CALI brand is being developed with purpose. “This year is about filling in these gaps and really growing up,” added Jackson.