General Contractor (GC)
The prime contractor on a construction project. Hires and pays specialty trades (including flooring).
A general contractor (GC) is the prime contractor on a construction project — the entity that contracts with the property owner and then subcontracts the specialty trades (framing, plumbing, electrical, flooring, etc.). On a residential remodel or a commercial new build, the flooring shop is typically the GC's subcontractor.
Working as a GC's sub means stricter scheduling, more documentation (lien waivers, COIs, certified payroll on prevailing-wage jobs), and longer payment cycles (often Net 30 or pay-when-paid).
A flooring shop that runs both direct-to-homeowner and GC work needs separate workflows for each — a single CRM with customer types and per-customer payment terms keeps both threads clean.