Volume 26/number 18/January 21-28, 2013
by Steven Feldman
Hicksville, N.Y.—Ralph Grogan has been appointed president and CEO of Bentley Prince Street, effective immediately. Grogan succeeds Anthony Minite, who recently stepped down after 11 years as president and CEO of the company.
Grogan brings more than 30 years of experience in the carpet industry having served in senior management positions with several manufacturers, most recently as vice president of business development and strategy for Antron, the carpet fiber brand for Invista Surfaces. In this role, he was responsible for sales, marketing and growth for the Antron brand worldwide.
Prior to that, Grogan served as the COO of Tandus Flooring, where he led the integration of Tandus’ three product brands—C&A Floorcoverings, Crossley Carpet Mills and Monterey Carpets. During his tenure, he led the company’s efforts to build its global business.
“Bentley Prince Street is widely recognized for its innovative designs, commitment to product quality and sustainability as well as excellence in customer service,” Grogan said. “I look forward to building upon this legacy for years to come.”
Minite, who was with Bentley Prince Street for 22 years, told FCNews in an exclusive interview he was exceptionally proud of what the company accomplished over the last decade under his leadership. “We’ve left an amazing culture at the company. My position has always been that our greatest asset is our people, and we maximized that every day. We were recognized year after year as one of the best companies to work for in Los Angeles. I am leaving a company poised for great success.”
From a business standpoint, Minite told FCNews in the last 11 years Bentley Prince Street maintained strong brand equity and profitability through the highs and lows of the economy. “We also not only diversified our product offering, but we were able to sustain ourselves in California while other manufacturers left the state or in some cases moved to other countries.”
Minite and other Bentley Prince Street executives invested in the company along with Dominus Capital, which purchased the company from Interface four and a half months ago, but the marriage between Minite and Dominus was short lived. “My plans for the company’s continued growth was not in alignment with an equity ownership,” he said. “My goal was to continue to be profitable while also continuing to maximize the potential of our people.”
According to Mac Bridger, Dominus Capital board member and the mill’s interim CEO, Dominus invested in Bentley Prince Street because it believed the company has a great opportunity to achieve strategic growth in key domestic and international markets.
Said Grogan, “Bentley’s leadership in broadloom innovation will continue. However, we will greatly expand our carpet tile offerings and make them more attractive for traditional end markets that are essential to driving growth.”
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