Humble Beginnings

As a Columbia, Missouri native, ("one of the twelve," as Dave often jokes), Dave Griggs says he is grateful he's had the opportunity to carve out a successful entrepreneurial niche over the past 30 years right here in his hometown. Dave began his career in flooring in 1969 as a store manager for Cook's Paint in Mexico, Missouri and moved on to managing a Columbia-based Cook's Paint store in 1972.

By 1975, however, Dave had decided to strike out on his own and opened a Color World, Inc. retail location in Columbia just a few blocks west of Business Loop 70. Color World, Inc. began as a very small operation, focusing on paint and flooring for the retail customer, landlords fixing or upgrading rental units, and homebuilders.

In 1994, as Lowe's and Home Depot both announced preparations for their imminent arrivals in Columbia, Dave joined the Maxim Group as a CarpetMax dealer. CarpetMax later became Flooring America, a CCA Global co-op company that allows local store owners immense buying power in today's market.

In 1996, Dave expanded the Dave Griggs' Flooring America store by relocating to 801 Business Loop 70, the store's current location, which offers more than 20,000 square feet of retail space.

The Here & Now

Today, Dave Griggs' Flooring America has grown to serve many markets, including retail sales, homebuilding, property management, main street commercial, insurance claims, and Realtor home staging, as well as large contract and commercial work.

While the store still carries the staples of paint, carpet, and vinyl flooring, Dave and his staff have seen a strong move towards hard surface products, including hardwood, laminates, ceramic tiling, and natural stones. Always forward-thinking, Dave began stocking ceramic tile in the early '80s as ceramic tile first entered the flooring market. Dave took an interest in the product because he felt it was "a better value for the customer."

Feeling confident that ceramic tile was not only a good consumer value but also the flooring trend of the future, Dave Griggs' Flooring America began stocking increasing amounts of ceramic tile as the market grew, which has enabled the store to buy direct from the manufacturer today and become one of central Missouri's leading ceramic tile retailers.

The Secret To His Success

In addition to his business ties to the Columbia community, the people and town itself are one of Dave's passions; he will be the first to tell you that his community has played an enormous role in his professional and personal success. Contributing to various boards and projects throughout the community is his way of trying to give back what the people of this community have given him over the years. Although too modest to ever mention it himself, the Columbia community recognized many of Dave's contributions in 2005 by honoring him with the Citizen of the Year award.

Dave will also instantly tell you that his employees are an enormous factor in his continued success. In an industry where turnover is high, Dave says he has been blessed with many dedicated, long-term employees who have been with for years; nearly 80 percent of the store's employees, in fact, have been with the company from anywhere between 5 and 20 years. Dave considers his staff to be the lifeblood of the company, all of them knowledgeable, friendly, experienced professionals that embody and uphold the values and standards of the store with every customer they assist.

Dave also finds it important to be personally involved with Flooring America in a leadership capacity, to do his part in ensuring the success and professional standards of the Flooring America brand to which his store is closely tied. He sits on the Flooring America advisory council, serves as a board member, and assists as a member of the Products Committee. Russ Seaver, the general manager of Dave Griggs' Flooring America, is also notably the leader of the local Flooring America Neighborhood Network Committee.

What's In a Motto?

The Dave Griggs' Flooring America motto - "building trust one floor at a time" -exemplifies the monumental importance Dave and his team place on establishing rapport and confidence with each and every customer. For this reason, they place great stock in equipping their customers to make educated, solid decisions by providing them a wealth of information and resources. That's also why the store has two ASID (American Society of Interior Designers) affiliated designers on staff and why Dave ensures all sales personnel are certified through ongoing Flooring America courses.

The Flooring America Difference

Dave Griggs is a Flooring America retailer not only because the cooperative company lends local storeowners such as himself tremendous buying power to pass saving to his customers, but also because Flooring America's standards and values align perfectly with his own sense of business ethics and customer service. Flooring America strives to be a specialty store consumers turn to for the best value in flooring, sold in an environment of ultimate integrity, honesty, and trust.

Flooring America's members (store owners) voted almost unanimously to institute company-wide standards that members must meet to use the Flooring America brand in their market. These standards, which include store appearance, advertising materials, and customer service, guarantee that customers nationwide will have nothing less than a quality experience with any Flooring America store. Flooring America also provides several programs and services that set it apart from and far above other flooring retail brands:

. Point of Difference Guarantee - Flooring America stands behind its products and services with its "five point guarantee," which includes a low price guarantee, lifetime installation guarantee, 30-day replacement guarantee, easy shopping endorsement, and the promise that customers will have assistance from qualified and well-trained sales professionals.

. Home EmaginationT -- Flooring America stores don't just sell flooring; they also provide expert decorating assistance. Flooring America's Home Emagination, which is accessible from home through FlooringAmerica.com, is an interactive design program that allows customers to find what's important: the perfect color, quality, and style of flooring that matches your needs and preferences.

. Star Service - Since 2004, Flooring America has challenged its members to set customer service standards that are far superior to that of competitors. The Star Service program requires members to measure their individual customer service performance through customer feedback. Members then receive monthly scores, individual store certifications, and awards based on consistently high levels of customer satisfaction.

. Downs® Decade - Flooring America leads the way in product selection. At the top of its product list is Downs Decade carpet, a high-performance, five-star rated product and proprietary brand with one of the industry's best quality and warranty packages.

. Flooring America also reinforces its "with you every step of the way" promise by sponsoring the American Heart Association's GO RED for women charity. Visit Flooring America's GO RED site for more information about this cause.