Connie Klopfenstein - President
The Rug Salon by Spot Out, Inc.
www.therugsalon.com

Connie is Vice President of Spot Out, Inc. and The Rug Salon in Palm Desert, California.  With over 20 years in the cleaning industry, Connie holds a Master Rug Cleaner Certification and is a Certified Rug Specialist. This is Connie’s first term serving on the Board of Directors for ARCS. Connie and her husband, Josh, have 4 adult children. In her free time, she enjoys working out, mid-century modern design and spending time with her family.

Scott Gwilliam - Vice President
Rug Worx
rugworx.com

Scott Gwilliam is the owner of Rug Worx in Mesa, Arizona, and a respected leader in the rug care industry with over 25 years of experience. He holds multiple certifications including Master Rug Cleaner, Textile Pro, WoolSafe Certified Rug Care Specialist and many more.
Scott specializes in working with interior designers and teaches an IDCEC-approved course on rug fibers and construction. As a board member for both Education and Marketing with ARCS, he is passionate about raising the standard of rug education across the industry.
When he’s not at the rug shop, you’ll likely find him at a baseball tournament with his two sons or fishing at his family’s home in Montana. He’s also built a strong following on social media, with 900k followers tuning in to @rugworx for expert insights and rug washes.

James Kruse - Treasurer
D. A. Burns
www.daburns.com

James has been the CEO of D.A. Burns & Sons in Seattle since he acquired it in 2021. An aerospace engineer turned businessman, he enjoys the challenge of learning new industries and improving processes.

Tom Blandford - Secretary
Woodard Cleaning & Restoration
www.woodard247.com

Tom is Production Manager at Woodard Cleaning and Restoration in St Louis, MO. He has over 26 years of experience in the cleaning and restoration industry. He is a certified Master Rug Cleaner and IICRC certified Master Textile Cleaner.

Audrey Falls - Director at Large
Distinctive Rug Cleaning
www.distinctiverugcleaning.com

Audrey and her husband, Alan, are the proud owners of Distinctive Rug Cleaning and Distinctive Cleaning & Restoration in Fort Wayne, IN. Audrey began her career in the cleaning industry when she joined Alan at his family's cleaning company in 2016. In 2020, they began Distinctive Cleaning & Restoration with the goal of eventually launching the area's only full service in-plant rug washing facility. After spending four years traveling the country to visit and work with other rug washing facilities, as well as gaining a Master Rug Cleaning certification, planning and setting up their new facility, they officially began washing rugs in 2024 with their new division, Distinctive Rug Cleaning. In her free time, Audrey enjoys traveling, cooking, playing pickleball, hiking, boating at the lake with friends, and spending time with her Yorkie, Wrigley.

Nicolette Blackwell - Director at Large
Ayoub Carpet Service
rugcare.com

 Nicolette works in social media marketing and rug repair consulting at Ayoub Carpet Service. Her role allows her to combine creativity with customer care, from creating educational content to helping customers make thoughtful decisions about restoring and preserving pieces that are often meaningful to their homes and families. Nicolette loves being part of an industry where history and artistry come together. Outside of work, Nicolette loves serving as the Religious Education Coordinator at an Armenian Sunday School, cooking, Pilates, and spending time with her family and poodle mixes.

Jorge Villalobos - Director at Large
Area Rug Masters
arearugmasters.com

My name is Jorge Villalobos, was born and raised in Bogota, Colombia. Married for 32 years with Susie, One daughter, Laura and a son, Sergio. I have a college degree in finances, I worked in the banking industry for 9 years before I was forced to move from my country for security issues in 1999, my last job was General Manager of Credit for the larger government bank in Colombia. In United States, I started to work in the cleaning and restoration industry 26 years ago, working for other companies in South Florida (Sunrise, Fl,) until 2004 when we moved to Gainesville, Florida. I worked for a local restoration business for 2 years and in January of 2006 I founded The Best Restoration. After several classes in the cleaning and restoration areas, I obtained my certification of Master Waster Restores and Master Fire & Smoke Restorer, and several cleaning certifications from IICRC. I have a license of Mold Remediator by The State of Florida, and other certifications that our industry provided (Forensic Restoration, Osha Safety class, Fire and smoke damage, odor control, etc). Also, working out of my industry, obtained my certifications for trainer and speaker from Ziglar Corporation, Human Behavior Certified Trainer by Insight Products, Certified Trainer by the National Apartment Association, Team member of John Maxwell group, Member of Phenomenal Products group, and other professional training that is helping our business, our employees and our personal growth.

Our company start with one truck and man operator, today we have 32 full time team members in The Best Restoration. Our initial business offers water damage restoration, fire and smoke damage, mold remediation, forensic restoration, carpet and tile and grout cleaning, air ducts and upholstery cleaning. In 2016 we added to our services area rug and oriental rug cleaning, today we have our own plant situated in a 5.000 square building, 3 team members run this company, one of them with 19 years of experience in the industry. In 2017, we opened a new business, GTS, Gainesville Turnover Specialists, we provide painting, cleaning, maintenance, pressure washing and everything that involves full rentals turnover, we have 18 team members in this company.

Nowadays, we are working with Violand Management, in a 5 years succession program, that will allowed our son Sergio and several members of our actual team, to run the company in the future and continue with our legacy in our community.

Jordan Owens - Director at Large
Kansas City Rug Cleaning and Repair
http://www.kcrugcleaning.com

As General Manager at Kansas City Rug Cleaning, I bring over 10 years of hands-on experience in the rug cleaning and restoration industry. I specialize in the care of oriental and fine area rugs, with a focus on safe, effective cleaning methods, pet odor removal, and customer-first service. Working with a family-owned company, I take pride in delivering results that protect both the beauty and value of every rug we handle.
When I’m not working you will likely find me enjoying good food, spending time on the golf course, or watching my Chiefs and St. Louis Cardinals.

Andrew Reuther - Director at Large
Pettyjohn's Cleaning & Restoration
www.rugwasher.com

Andrew brings a wealth of experience and dedication to the rug cleaning industry, currently managing operations at Pettyjohn’s Cleaning in Wake Forest, NC. A proud Iraqi War veteran, Andrew entered the cleaning profession in 2008 and has since committed himself to excellence in service and leadership. He holds a bachelor's degree in Anthropology and previously worked as an archaeologist for the U.S. Forest Service, blending analytical precision with hands-on expertise. Andrew is deeply rooted in both his professional and personal life—he is married to Katie Reuther, and together they raise their two children, Bobby and Magnolia.

Tevi Cory -  Past President 2014 - 2016
Robert Mann Rugs, Inc.
www.mannrugs.com