PYSK: Dave Griggs
Update: See Dave Griggs get roasted at the Alzheimer’s Association annual roast May 29 at the Holiday Inn Executive Center.
Name: David R. (Dave) Griggs
Title and company/organization: Owner/president, Dave Griggs’ Flooring America
Age: 68
Years lived in Columbia/mid-Missouri: Columbia native
Original hometown: Columbia
Education: Graduate of Hickman High School, attended the University of Missouri
Community involvement: Boone County Fire District, chair; Columbia Chamber of Commerce, member and past chair; REDI, member and past chair (two terms); National Federation of Independent Businesses, member; Missouri Leadership Council; Flagship Council, member and past chair; Landmark Bank, Columbia board member; Jefferson Club, member; Mizzou Athletics Faurot Fellow
Professional background: Founded DGFA in 1975, past member of Porter Paint Co. Dealer Advisory Board, member of Flooring America Advisory Council, member of Flooring America Board of Directors, former member of the CCA Global Product Steering Committee, former Boone County commissioner
A favorite recent project: Designing and installing the custom MU Tiger logo carpeting for the Mizzou Tigers game-day locker room and football offices to help the Tigers transition to the SEC.
A Columbia businessperson I admire and why: Tom Atkins. Tom represents Mr. Business Leader in our community. He has served on innumerable boards and commissions and is always ready to assist in virtually any task that betters Columbia’s business climate and/or Mizzou, the economic driver in our community. He bravely is willing to take a stand for what he believes in and makes things happen.
Why I’m passionate about my job: It is very rewarding to drive around our community and central Missouri and be able to say, “There’s another building with floors by Griggs.” I am even more proud to have mentored several flooring professionals through the industry, from distributor sales representatives around the country to the national merchandising and marketing director of Mohawk Industries. Lastly, I am honored every day to have clients who we served many years ago either come in for flooring for their new homes or who keep sending their friends and family to us for their flooring needs.
If I weren’t doing this for a living, I would: Be working on our farm, volunteering for REDI to bring jobs to or create good jobs in our community or consulting other flooring companies.
What people should know about this profession: The flooring industry can be very rewarding but is in constant change as manufacturing and installation techniques are continually evolving. It seems that after you’ve been in this business a year or so, you’ll never leave it.
What I do for fun: My wife, Nancy, and I love our cabin at the lake and often entertain our friends there on the weekends. We are avid Mizzou Tiger fans and love to tailgate at football games in the fall and attend virtually every home basketball game.
Family: I’ve been married to my girlfriend, Nancy, for 44 years.
Favorite place in Columbia: Our home on the corner of the family farm where I’ve lived for more than 60 years.
Accomplishment I’m most proud of: Surrounding myself with great people and flooring industry experts while doing my very best to make Columbia and Boone County a fabulous place to live, work and play.
Most people don’t know that I: Am the only Republican in the history of Boone County to be elected to the office of Northern Boone County commissioner and am therefore the only Republican in history to be unelected from that office.