The Grahams - Kandice, Monica, Scott, Payton and Boe

When Scott and Monica Graham were researching businesses back in 2003, they were looking for a franchise model that would allow for growth, support their family, eventually be able to include their three children and would allow time to be active participants in their Loveland, Colorado community.  Carpet Network offered all that they were looking for and more.

Chris Brock

Since their humble beginnings in 2003, they have grown to be recognized as one of the most reputable businesses in Larimer County.   Monica’s area of expertise is in marketing, sales and networking.  She has been tireless in her efforts to make Carpet Network a household name in Larimer County.  Scott takes care of operations, finance and sales.  Their individual skill sets compliment each other amazingly well.  The second generation of the family brings tremendous energy to the company.  Boe, the eldest is the jack-of-all-trades, filling in whether he is needed in the warehouse or on an installation.  He is available to be dispatched at a moments notice helping everyone stay on task.  Kandice, their 21 year old daughter, shows a professional presence and competence beyond her years and is working as one of the Office Managers, sharing responsibilities with long time, loyal employee, Chris Brock.  The youngest, Payton is a senior in high school this year.  She participates on a competitive traveling soft ball team, which Scott carves out time to coach.  Earlier this summer Payton hit a grand slam homerun (on her birthday, no less!) advancing her team by four runs.   She also caught the third out that ended the game.

While many businesses are struggling, the Graham’s Carpet Network franchise is enjoying growth and will close out 2009 with a hearty revenue increase. They have been able to surpass some of their financial goal posts already this year.

Recently their expertise was challenged by participating in the annual “college turns” at Colorado State University in Ft. Collins and at Colorado University in Boulder – a marathon of 25 to 50 units at a time re-carpeted in a matter of hours.   Diligent planning for weeks in advance was the key to the success of this momentous project.  Inventory of carpet and cushion was stockpiled, an assembly line management process was developed and the right amount of people power was secured.   It took incredible team work – 15 crews of installers consisting of 2 to three men each and a team of facilitators to keep everything moving – ensuring that students were able to move into their new living quarters on time and without a hitch.

For the last six years the Grahams have helped many families beautify their homes whether it be a customized project or something more modest, they have thousands of satisfied client advocates.  In addition to their impressive portfolio of Carpet Network’s mainstay business, residential remodeling projects, the Grahams have added a contract division this year.  Heading up that division is Carla McCubbins, a professional with over 12 years of  flooring industry experience.  Since she is meticulous about taking care of the needs of  commercial accounts, Carpet Network has been awarded contracts with the local housing authorities in Loveland and Boulder and the Laramie school district.  Their relationships with property management companies and insurance restoration providers has proven that Carpet Network can indeed provide superior service on many levels.

Close to their hearts is the third criterion for going into business, that they would be active participants in their local community. There are three non-profit organizations that they volunteer with. First is C.L.E.A.R., the Coalition of Loveland for Education, Awareness and Resources in the fight against methamphetamine (meth).   CLEAR is a coalition of individuals, organizations and partnerships created to inform all citizens in Loveland about the devastating impact meth has on not only the user, but on families, the community and society as a whole.

Realities For Children is a marketing and promotional company dedicated to serving the needs of abused and neglected children in Larimer County.    Through business membership, they are able to provide ongoing emergency funding, education, sponsorship support and special activities for at-risk children – when there are no other resources available.   This private membership-based organization effectively creates a safety net of services to provide for the most vulnerable members of the community.

Lastly, The Angel House and Angel Village provide shelter, meals, comprehensive case management and mentoring for homeless families with children.   It’s a part of the Interfaith Hospitality Network.  Funding for The Angel House is obtained through United Way of Larimer County, grants, foundations, fund-raising events, and the generosity of individual and corporate donors.

Monica says it best when she says, “Even though we put a lot of time and energy into this business, to be able to give back is a blessing.”

This blog is brought to you by the people at Carpet Network.