City of Industry, Calif.—Bentley Prince Street recently announced a key addition to its executive leadership team with the hiring of Jim Harley as Chief Operating Officer (COO), effective immediately. Harley is a seasoned industry executive with approximately 35 years of manufacturing and operational experience in the floor covering industry, most recently as the Senior Vice President of Manufacturing for Tandus Flooring. In his new role, Harley will manage all aspects of the company’s manufacturing, operational and customer service activities.
“This is an exciting time for Bentley Prince Street, and I’m thrilled to have Jim join our team as we implement growth strategies in carpet tile and strengthen our leadership in the broadloom market,” said Ralph Grogan, president and chief executive officer of BPS. “Jim is the ideal person to help address the challenges and opportunities we face in the future. He brings a strong combination of operational excellence and manufacturing expertise to the company, which will be critical as we expand our carpet tile offering.”
Harley has spent the last eight years at Tandus Flooring, most recently as the senior vice president of manufacturing where he was responsible for managing all aspects of the company’s manufacturing facilities in North America and China. During his tenure at the company, he was widely recognized for his leadership efforts in driving technology innovations, making operational and manufacturing improvements, and advocating for environmental stewardship. Prior to joining Tandus Flooring, Harley served as vice president of operations at Monterey Carpets where he gained extensive experience in the operational and manufacturing side of the business. Prior to that, Harley was president of Chroma Systems from 1998-2001.
Grogan continued, “Jim’s career actually stared at Bentley Carpet Mills more than 30 years ago where he was part of the management team that built the company from a small start-up carpet manufacturer in 1980 into one of the leading broadloom carpet brands that was widely recognized for its innovative product designs, high quality products and excellence in customer service.”
During his 15 years at Bentley Carpet Mills, Harley held various leadership position in manufacturing and operations before rising to the level of vice president of manufacturing in 1993 and general manager for the company in 1997.
“I’m extremely excited about this opportunity to come back home and work at Bentley Prince Street again,” said Harley. “I look forward to working with some old friends and making new ones as we turn our efforts towards making the company more competitive in key markets, enhancing customer service and expanding our product offerings to meet the needs of the broadloom and carpet tile markets. I believe these efforts will ensure Bentley Prince Street remains an industry leader in design and a company that architects and designers can turn to when creating their commercial interior spaces.”