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August 6, 2010

Friends, colleagues to salute Sonna Calandrino

Jamie Jones Dalton Daily Citizen

DALTON — Friends believed Sonna Calandrino belonged in the floorcovering industry.

Calandrino was involved with all things carpet for most of her professional career, beginning with a furniture liquidation company then moving to a contract flooring business before running an industry consulting firm. Despite battling breast and bone cancer for the past five years, she passed away “unexpectedly” on May 23, friends said.

Now, colleagues are holding an event in Dalton later this month to honor Calandrino’s contributions to the industry. A reception will be at Trevitt Hall in downtown Dalton on Aug. 17 from 4-6:30 p.m and an event honoring Calandrino featuring several guest speakers will follow from 7-9 p.m. at the Wink Theatre.

“We’ve got people from all over the country and different parts of the world coming,” said Ann Seay, one of the event organizers. “We will recognize everything that Sonna did for the industry as a whole.”

Calandrino had humble professional beginnings. She founded a furniture liquidation company in Hudson, N.Y., on an $800 personal investment. It grew into a multi-million dollar, 10-store chain with flooring, furniture and interior design businesses. She became known as a regional retail icon of sorts known for appearing on radio, television and billboards as “The Lady Liquidator.”

Along with her sister, Lisbeth, who was her business partner for 14 years, Calandrino also founded Landmark Concepts, a female contract flooring business focusing on hospital and commercial flooring and furniture. She closed her stores in 1992 and became a flooring industry columnist and consultant.

Most recently, she was the founder and publisher of Fabulous Floors Magazine, the first consumer publication devoted to floorcovering as a key interior design element, and president of Peachtree Communications Inc., a consulting firm specializing in advertising, public relations, merchandising and training for the floorcovering industry.

She touched the lives of many along the way.

Sandy Montero, publisher and editor-in-chief of Floor Covering Weekly magazine, wrote a column in remembrance of Calandrino.

“I’ve watched Sonna in action many times, in seminars, speeches and workshops,” he wrote. “Afterwards, people would inevitably flock to her to share their problems, to seek her ideas and advice. She’d speak to each person one on one and give freely whatever she could — and she had a lot to give. I’ve learned a lot from Sonna at those seminars, but never did I learn so much as watching her after the speeches were over, quietly holding someone’s hand, listening intently and sharing herself fully.”

A dozen speakers have been confirmed for the event at the Wink Theatre including Lisbeth Calandrino, Floor Focus magazine publisher Kemp Harr, Mohawk Industries CEO Jeff Lorberbaum and Dalton Mayor David Pennington,

The event has several sponsors including: Amtico, Anderson Hardwood, Comfortex Window Fashions, Cori Schleger Bokath, Fabri-Zyme Inc., Fabricushion Limited, Kemps Dalton West Carpet, Mohawk Industries, Peachtree Communications, Shaw Industries and David and Dianna Voll.

All remaining money from the event will be donated to the charity the Floor Covering Industry Foundation.

For information about the event, visit www.sonnacalandrino.com.

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