OMAHA, Neb. -- Saying he was ready for a new challenge after 25 years at Nebraska Furniture Mart, flooring industry retail veteran Dave Snedeker has joined Bob's Carpet & Flooring, with 16 locations in the Tampa Bay area.

"It's a huge change but it is an exciting challenge for me," said Snedeker, who had served as division merchandise manager-flooring for NFM. He took over as executive vice president of Bob's on Aug.27. The new position will necessitate Snedeker moving from Omaha, Neb., to a location in the Tampa-St. Pete area.

Despite the change in geographic location, the move is not entirely foreign for Snedeker. Bob's Carpet & Flooring is a member of the prestigious National Floorcovering Alliance (NFA) for which Snedeker currently serves as president. Nebraska Furniture Mart is also a member of the NFA.

"I wanted to do something different," said Snedeker, adding that his first order of business is to learn about the stores and their individuality. Once he gets settled Snedeker said he would focus on merchandising and product mix, with close attention to "what the customers are asking for that we may not currently have and explore how we fix that."

Bob's Carpet & Flooring opened its doors in 1969 and serves the commercial and residential flooring community of Tampa Bay and the surrounding areas. The retailer is heavily involved in soft surfaces but will be looking to make more inroads into hard surfaces, which is the faster growing segment of the business. As DMM of flooring in his previous position, Snedeker is well versed in all segments of the flooring product arena.