Tarkett Residential has added Earth City (St. Louis)-based E. J. Welch Co. as a flooring distributor in the central Midwest. E. J. Welch, a long-time distributor for Tarkett Commercial sheet goods, VCT and Johnsonite products, will now provide sales and service for Tarkett’s Residential hard surface flooring, including FiberFloor and vinyl sheet, laminate and Tarkett NAFCO luxury vinyl tile products.

Established in 1962, E. J. Welch will add Tarkett Residential products throughout its entire distribution region, which includes all of Indiana and Illinois and parts of Wisconsin, Iowa and Missouri.

“We’ve been a value-added partner to flooring dealers and contractors, architects and designers for 48 years,” said Mike Welch, president of E.J. Welch. “Our mission always has been to provide quality people, products and solutions to help our customers succeed. We look forward to working with Tarkett Residential and providing our customers with the finest performance- and value-driven resilient sheet, luxury vinyl tile and laminate products to make all their flooring designs and installation projects a success.”

Bill Cralley, Tarkett Residential president said, “E.J. Welch has nearly 50 years of excellence in serving a vast array of floor covering retailers and specifiers, and its professional sales and service personnel are second to none.  Their addition to our distribution base complements our ever-expanding market presence throughout North America.”

E. J. Welch has 11 branch locations across the Midwest and has future expansion plans in place with its increased reach into the residential segment. To meet these goals, the company recently created a new position by hiring a dedicated residential products manager. It also plans to add additional sales representatives and sales managers with strong residential products background.