Today we’d like to introduce you to Garrett Ryan.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Garrett. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
My dad and I started the company in March 2014. We both saw a need for a commercial grade product in the collegiate market. My wife, Emily, had a significant impact in the beginning stages by creating our sales collateral, email campaigns, website, and catalog. We met in The Grove at Ole Miss the fall before we started the company. Being a former student-athlete at Ole Miss helped in developing relationships with customers because I had a first-hand experience of the work ethic and discipline required in the highly competitive environment of college athletics for both athletes and staff members.
We were fortunate enough to be given the opportunity from some schools early on and were able to build out from there. Although we are both relatively new to the flooring industry, we have become quick learners. We started out doing just logo mats and now have developed a wide range of flooring products. We have worked with over 500 schools and have gained a wealth of experience in understanding the challenges facility managers face and have been able to offer solutions to resolve them. We have the capabilities to do entire facilities and have worked with several architects and general contractors across the country on projects at some of the top brands in athletics.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I wouldn’t say it has been a smooth road by any means. In any start-up, you are going to face challenges every day, but it all comes down to how you handle them. For example, we had a trucking company lose some material for a job in Michigan, and we had to overnight the material to the job site because we already had a crew there and couldn’t reschedule the installation. It’s not cheap to overnight a 12′ roll of carpet either. We have faced several growing pains as a company and have been able to survive because of our work ethic and pure determination. Working on weekends and late into the night are things you have to do at times to keep the business rolling.
Elite Carpet & Matting Company – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Elite Carpet & Matting Company is a flooring business specializing in branding facilities throughout the United States. We specialize in logo mats, locker room flooring, gym floor covers, courtside runners, and rubber flooring.
We are known as the logo mat guys in the collegiate market. My dad and I have visited over 800 schools which I believe is the most in the industry and really sets us apart from others. Our customer service is top notch. Having specialization in our products rather than a giant product line helps us concentrate on a doing a few things great instead of a lot of things mediocre.
One of our proudest moments as a company was doing the Los Angeles Lakers locker room at the Staples Center and their locker room at their training facility. I was out there taking some pictures and all of the sudden there was this purple blob on my camera. I looked up and Kobe Bryant just walked into the locker room to grab something real quick before a practice session. It was definitely a moment I won’t forget.
I am excited about our upcoming project which we will be donating some carpet to the Dudley Fieldhouse at Walton High School in Marietta, GA., which is where I went to high school. It feels good to give back to a place that brought some many fond memories for me and my family.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
I feel that my proudest moments are yet to come. I always enjoy watching sporting events and seeing someone I know on TV or one of our installations during the broadcast. I have enjoyed working with so many great people and getting to know them on a personal level. I love being part of so many breathtaking facilities and projects that our customers create that always seem to exceed expectations.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.elitecarpetandmats.com
- Phone: 404-500-MATS (6287)
- Email: info@elitecarpetandmats.com
- Instagram: @elite_mats
- Facebook: @elitecarpetandmats
- Twitter: @Elite_Mats
Image Credit:
Emily Ryan
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