Johns Creek Dad Starts Flooring Business in Alpharetta

After being a part of three mergers and buyouts in eight years, Johns Creek resident Ed Shriner decided it was time to say goodbye to the corporate world.

"I’ve been a CFO or comptroller for small companies for last 20 years, and those companies tend to get bought and sold," he said. "In the past eight years my role came to an end three different times. I decided with the last transaction that I wanted to do something different."

Shriner started researching franchises and he says one kept rising to the top: Floor Coverings International (FCI). He said the flooring installation company has 105 locations throughout the country and strong pricing agreements with suppliers.

So Shriner bought a franchise, which opened Aug. 15 and serves the north central and northeastern suburbs of metro Atlanta.

"We'll pretty much do any type of flooring in homes and small commercial spaces," he said.

Shriner says that one interesting aspect of FCI is its software that allows the company to take photos of a client's room, carve out the flooring in the photo, and add different surfaces such as tile or wood at different angles so that the customer can get an exact idea of what their new room will look like.

Shriner says that owning a franchise has given him the flexibility to spend more time with his three children, one of whom was born with Down syndrome. He says the 7-year-old is "adorable, sweet and stubborn" and also the inspiration for a partnership with enAble of Georgia, a non-profit that provides employment and residential services and activities for challenged individuals.

The non-profit was one of Shriner's first clients. "I endeavored to help them," he said, by telling them he would match the lowest quote they received. He now provides reduced rates for floor installations for the group's homes and facilities.

Shriner says he finds working for himself "invigorating and challenging. There are good days and bad, but today was a great day – I just landed three new customers."