A History Steeped in Flooring

Distributor Spotlight

Before his work day starts at 8:00 a.m., Dunn Rasbury rises early to read for pleasure and completes a workout at the gym to clear his mind. It is this routine that sets A&M Supply’s director of flooring up for a productive day.

Dunn’s office in Marietta, Ga. is just one hour from where his flooring career began more than two decades ago as a high school student in Dalton, Ga. Since the 1970s, the Dalton-area has produced 90 percent of the world’s carpet products; and the industry employs nearly 30,000 people in the region. Dubbed the ‘Carpet Capital of the World’, it comes as no surprise that the flooring industry is deeply connected to the life stories of individuals and families – like Dunn’s – who call Dalton home.

“My dad started working for a carpet company when I was in elementary school,” Dunn says of his family history. “I’m second-generation flooring.”

 

A career in flooring

His own beginnings in the industry are humble, as is the nature of most first jobs. During his teen years, Dunn mowed lawns at corporate carpet offices before working summer jobs in dye houses and carpet warehouses. After college, he worked as a flooring distribution sales representative and later opened a small carpet manufacturing business with his father. He owned and operated the business for 20 years.

Now, as director of flooring at A&M Supply, Dunn spends his days in the field with sales reps, on calls with customers and managing vendors for a wide array of flooring options – from solid wood to engineered wood and luxury vinyl to carpet tiles.

“Except for a few years, I’ve never been in any other industry,” he says. “Once you know the ins and outs, it’s hard to think about changing careers.”

Beyond his expertise, Dunn is proud of the role he and his team have in ensuring the end-user is pleased with their flooring solution.

“We are very much in a fashion business,” says Dunn. “At the end of the day, flooring has to be beautiful and it has to enhance the entire ambiance of the building.”

Over his career, Dunn has remained passionate about the growth of the industry and its people. He is a respected expert in the field and a champion of innovative practices who shares new approaches with his team at A&M Supply and with the industry at large as a board member at the North American Association of Floor Covering Distributors (NAFCD).

 

A new approach to sales

Having experienced many of the roles the flooring industry has to offer – from distribution to business ownership, merchandising, designing and more, Dunn has strategic insights into industry gaps and opportunities for growth. Dunn is most notably known for his focus on the art of sales.

“The industry has never been very good at sales training,” he explains. “I am always trying to improve my skills but also those of my team. The goal is not to be ‘just another salesperson’ but to become business partners with our customers.”  

To build a team that thinks outside the box, Dunn starts with a unique approach to hiring.

“You can train employees about flooring and to some degree, you can train people to become better at sales,” he notes. “However, you can’t train the intangible skills you need to make a good salesperson. I hire based on the intangible skills I can’t train and have a robust program to fill the gaps in their skillset once they are hired.”

 

A show in the heart of America’s flooring industry

Dunn will be one of the thousands of industry leaders attending the DOMOTEX USA Show Feb. 28 – March 2, 2019 in Atlanta. He looks forward to meeting with clients and vendors from across the country right at home, in the heart of the flooring industry.

“It is very exciting to have a flooring trade event so convenient and accessible to the core industry here in Georgia,” adds Dunn.

Join Dunn at DOMOTEX USA – America’s Home for Flooring Feb. 28 – March 2, 2019! #whyidomotex #domotexusa2019

REGISTER HERE