Jim Gould is President and Founder of the Floor Covering Institute LLC, a consulting firm focused on the flooring industry.  A 40 year floor covering entrepreneur recognized as "One of the Industry's 20 Most Influential Men" (Floor Covering News, October 2006), Gould’s ability to see opportunity where others do not has seeded many enterprises of his own and others.

Over the last 40 years Jim Gould has owned and operated several national and international floor covering enterprises beginning in 1968 with Misco Shawnee, a full-line Midwestern floor covering distributor once the nation’s 8th largest. Although based in America’s Midwest, his perspective has always been global.  In 1991 he found Distribution Services, Inc. (DSI) a company designed to provide a range of logistics and administrative services to international flooring manufacturers wishing to enter the U.S. market. Using DSI Gould brought new products and manufactures to the U.S. including Pergo which he discovered at Domotex in 1992. DSI performed Pergo’s national logistics, order taking and fulfillment needs during start up and Misco Shawnee became Pergo’s first U.S distributor. The scenario was repeated with Unilin's Quick Step and many others.

Recognizing the potential for ceramic in the early 1990’s, Gould founded the ceramic line, Casa Italia. After selling his companies in 2004, Gould accepted the position Chief Product Officer for CCA Global Partners, a 2,500 member specialty floor covering retailer with sales over USD $3 billion, to oversee buying for its retail flooring outlets. He formed the Floor Covering Institute in 2007 which has gained a reputation as an independent voice and advocate for the flooring industry.