Polley To Be Inducted into WFCA Hall of Fame

Anaheim, CA, Jan. 19, 2015 -- David Polley is the newest inductee to the World Floor Covering Association Hall of Fame.

Polley entered the flooring business almost 60 years ago.  He has been an industry innovator in retailing, manufacturing and marketing ever since.

Polley began with Abraham and Straus, at a time when department stores were the dominant retailers in the carpet industry. There he learned the science as well as the art of running a business by the numbers.

As the retail environment changed he moved on to Korvettes, a dominant mass merchandiser making an aggressive move into carpeting.

With the industry in a period of rapid expansion, Polley moved to the manufacturing side.  He worked first for Stephen Leedom, then launched David Industries in 1972. Here he handled all sales, product development, marketing and manufacturing before being named President of Lee’s Residential.

In 1991, after a decade at Lee’s and then Burlington Industries Inc. Polley repositioned the core World Carpet brand while developing a new fashion strategy led by the reintroduction of Customweave and Wunda Weve.

Mohawk Industries eventually purchased the entity for $175 million.

Polley stayed with Mohawk after its acquisition, overseeing all of the company’s residential business. He played an integral role in developing the Mohawk brand strategy – Mohawk Makes the Room - that became the centerpiece of the company’s advertising strategy and is still in place today.

Polley departed from Mohawk in 2003 to join The Dixie Group where he conceived and launched the Dixie Home brand.  That brand exists today and enjoys annual sales in excess of $100 million.

Following The Dixie Group, Polley founded VSP Flooring, LLC, a polyester broadloom tufting company, where he continues to serve as president.  In October 2014, at the vigorous age of 80, he launched Everstep Flooring, LLC, a new entity specializing in the hospitality industry. 

Related Topics:The Dixie Group, Mohawk Industries