The Cali story is constructed on way of life, authenticity

Cali began with a surf journey. In 2004, two pals found bamboo on a visit to Hawaii, seen how briskly and powerful the woody grass grew, and got here residence to San Diego with an concept: Sell a sustainable different to conventional constructing supplies. What started as rolled bamboo fencing grew into bamboo flooring, plywood and composite decking—and an organization that might spend 13 consecutive years on the Inc. 5000 Fastest Growing Companies checklist.

But the story sellers know finest didn’t start on that seaside. It started in 2017, when Doug Jackson joined the corporate after a 24-year profession at Shaw Industries.

A brand new path

At the time, the corporate was identified largely as a direct-to-consumer bamboo model. Jackson noticed one thing greater: a way of life model that might serve the complete flooring market—sellers, designers, builders and commerce professionals alike— with out dropping its California soul. That imaginative and prescient meant constructing actual credibility in a business-to-business business that not often takes newcomers significantly.

The turning level got here in 2018, when Cali was accepted as a vendor by the National Floorcovering Alliance. Membership signaled to the business that Cali wasn’t a passing development; it was a severe accomplice dedicated to the supplier channel. That identical 12 months the corporate crossed $100 million in income and assembled what World Floor Covering Association CEO Scott Humphrey referred to as a “dream team” of business veterans.

“What we’re seeing with the leadership of Doug Jackson and the assembly of this dream team of flooring industry professionals is a real opportunity to make a difference and change the paradigm in our industry,” Humphrey mentioned on the time.

Jackson introduced in seasoned expertise who knew the channel and the areas they’d serve—individuals like Bob Fish, Chanel Clifford, Jay Flynn and later Jim Curtin, a 40-year business veteran who took the reins of Eastern U.S. supplier gross sales. Each rent deepened Cali’s relationships with retailers who valued working with individuals who understood their enterprise. Strengthened connections led to partnerships with different flooring teams, together with CCA in 2022.

Beyond bamboo

As the workforce grew, so did the product line. In 2019, Cali moved into hardwood with the launch of the Meritage assortment— premium European white oak, responsibly sourced and minimize into extra-long, extra-wide planks. “Meritage represents Cali venturing into the upper echelons of luxury hardwood flooring, but with a price point that really rocks the boat,” Jackson mentioned at launch. That steadiness of high quality and worth would develop into a defining Cali trait.

Hardwood turned a strategic precedence. Under Jackson’s path, the workforce leaned arduous into growing wooden collections that felt pure and delightful whereas staying accessible—a direct expression of the model’s “Simply Authentic” ethos and its West Coast roots. Today, the Barrel Trilogy anchors that effort: Barrel provides best-selling European white oak at an accessible worth, Varietals showcases unstained species like ash, acacia, maple and hickory, and First Press delivers artisanal, hand-finished character. Merchandised collectively in Cali’s signature wine barrel shows, the Trilogy provides sellers a transparent framework to information prospects by type and price range.

Cali’s vinyl enterprise has lengthy been its bread and butter—anchored by Longboards, a best-selling assortment sellers know nicely, now developed into Longboards Icons, an extended WPC model of the basic. The class saved innovating to fulfill new demand, together with collections constructed particularly for the builder and multi-family market, just like the loose-lay Hang Loose and glue-down Laid Back. And Cali’s laminate reimagined the class completely, engineering wood-look collections like Mavericks and Santa Cruz with connected padding, watertight cores and waterproof efficiency that outperforms buyer expectations.

Stability and scale

In 2021, Cali was acquired by Victoria PLC, a publicly traded UK flooring firm established in 1895 with roughly $1 billion in annual gross sales and operations throughout Europe and Australia.

The acquisition gave Cali one thing the earlier period hadn’t: stability and sources. As an autonomous Victoria subsidiary, Cali gained entry to international manufacturing, substrates and infrastructure—whereas remaining absolutely answerable for its personal success.

“Today marks the next chapter for Cali,” Jackson mentioned on the time. “We have found a great partner and a permanent home within the Victoria family.” For sellers, that meant extra curated product traces, delivered extra effectively, backed by a extra strong workforce. Cali stays one of many strongest-performing manufacturers within the Victoria portfolio.

What sellers see

Ask Cali’s retail companions what units the model aside, and what will get talked about most frequently are the shows, the colours and merchandise at one of the best worth per sq. foot.

Cali’s showroom shows—impressed by coastal residing and winery tradition—constantly stand out from the group. The contemporary, pure colour palette solutions actual buyer demand for the sunshine, beachy, natural seems to be customers pull from Pinterest and convey into shops. That distinct aesthetic extends to Cali’s Surfaces commerce present sales space, which has gained Best Booth Design three years working—a exceptional feat for a smaller model. Each 12 months, the sales space immerses guests in one of the best of California: the redwoods and state parks, the wine valleys, the surf tradition—all whereas showcasing the newest launches.

Behind the scenes, Jackson’s workforce reengineered the operation to serve sellers higher. They revamped territory supervisor protection throughout the nation, employed regional specialists with deep native information and optimized distribution facilities for sooner, extra dependable deliveries. They additionally formed merchandise round supplier and builder wants—value-conscious hardwood in Barrel, builder-friendly vinyl in Hang Loose and Laid Back, and elevated entry-level oak in Reserve.

Cali additionally invests within the relationships instantly. Regular “Design Center Night Out” occasions carry designers collectively for a night of colour and product displays from Cali’s personal designers and builders—paired with wine, meals and a primary take a look at upcoming collections.

Giving again

Cali’s dedication to the channel extends to the business’s future. In partnership with the Floor Covering Education Foundation, Cali created a easy means for retail companions to assist handle the installer scarcity: contributing a further penny per sq. foot on Cali orders to fund recruitment, training and coaching for the subsequent era of installers.

“This collaboration aims to address the very real challenge with the lack of installers while also bolstering our industry with well-trained professionals,” Jackson mentioned. It’s a becoming expression of an organization that has at all times believed success comes from gathering the best individuals and doing good work.

Simply genuine

More than 20 years after that first crate of bamboo landed in San Diego, Cali has develop into one thing uncommon in flooring: a model prospects acknowledge earlier than they learn the title. The coastal aesthetic, the curated palette, the wine-country storytelling—all of it provides as much as an identification that’s unmistakably Cali.

For sellers, that’s the actual worth. In a crowded market, Cali provides premium, differentiated collections at one of the best worth per sq. foot, backed by a workforce that is aware of the channel and a model prospects already need. From bamboo fencing to a full-portfolio flooring chief, the throughline has by no means modified: Stay true to the West Coast, keep true to pure supplies and keep Simply Authentic.