Strategic Management Students Learn About Strategy from Floor & Decor’s Senior Manager of Investor Relations

November 17, 2022

by Katia Galdino

Students in Katia Galdino’s, Ph.D., assistant professor of management, strategic management course usually conduct a comprehensive strategic analysis of a Georgia public company of their choice, relying on the company’s public information filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). This semester, one of the students had the opportunity to gain insights straight from the source. Maddie Rollins, a management senior, chose Floor & Decor as her company and contacted the company’s Investor Relations department asking for more information about its strategy. Matthew McConnell, senior manager of investor relations at Floor & Decor, answered Maddie’s request and was kind enough to hold an hour-long virtual meeting during which he talked about the company’s current strategy and its plans for the future.

Founded in 2000 and headquartered in Atlanta, Floor & Decor is currently listed as the 28th largest public business in Georgia by Georgia Trend magazine. Mr. McConnell began the meeting by providing an overview of the company’s business, its strategic positioning, and its value proposition. Floor & Decor is a specialty retailer of hard surface flooring and related accessories. The company has been growing steadily since it went public in 2017 and currently has more than 160 stores throughout the country. Annual sales in 2021 amounted to $3.434 billion, representing a 5-year compound annual growth rate of 25.5%. After his initial introduction, Mr. McConnell answered Maddie’s questions about competition, culture and sustainability, national and international expansion, alliances and acquisitions, and the company’s decision-making process. He also talked about his own career path leading to his current position, sharing insightful career advice.

Maddie shared the information with her classmates in an engaging presentation. According to her, “It was so beneficial to see how the concepts we are learning in class apply to real world businesses and to get insight on what we have been researching for our project!”