Signature Flooring Inc.

California-based commercial flooring contractor Signature Flooring Inc. (Signature) is quickly becoming the region’s go-to for carpet and resilient flooring. Celebrating its 10-year anniversary in 2015, Signature strives to deliver customer satisfaction through a beautiful, well-installed product the first time, on each individual project.

The management team combines its vast knowledge and experience in manufacturing and project management, as well as sales and custom installation, in order to achieve the company’s essential goal. According to Jeffery Grimsley, president and CEO of Signature, this is essential in the commercial construction business.

Founded in 2005 by Grimsley, with fellow partners Mike Gray and Dan Salazar, the company had the benefit of crucial experience and knowledge attained by its three principals through years of working in commercial floor covering to not only survive, but grow the firm in a recession period when many other small companies did not.

Today, Grimsley, along with the firm’s management team of Gray, senior vice president, as well as Margaret Anderson, CFO, run the day-to-day operations. Notably, Anderson started with the company in 2005 as its first employee.

“None of this would be possible without my team,” Grimsley states modestly. “I truly have the best of the best working with me.”

Additionally, the firm’s in-field workforce, already established in the industry as some of the top installers in all of Southern California, provide the necessary and vital skills to accomplish customer satisfaction.

“We are currently expanding on our quality group of installers and other in-field workers,” Grimsley explains. “We do everything we can to accommodate our clients’ needs.”

Flexible and able

Signature wears many different caps. Servicing customers within the health care, corporate, industrial and education sectors, the firm has the unique ability to not only work with many different types of customers and specific needs, but the team truly shines when doing so. Grimsley details that Signature works extensively with national retailers, public works and other high-traffic users.

“We self-perform about 95 percent of our jobs,” Grimsley says proudly.  “On average, we keep between 30 and 40 guys busy every day; in the summer we ramp up our number of installers.”

Whether acting as a trusted subcontractor to some of California’s largest general contractors or being an end-user’s lone go-to contact, Signature enjoys displaying its versatility, and with impressive results.

The team has also trained installation service providers on applicable job sites to assure facilities’ managers the project will be completed on time, every time. Signature also appeases purchasing managers by completing projects within the set budget. It is evident that the Signature team takes great pride in the work the company delivers.

Only the best

The management team is dedicated to providing the Signature support team with the latest in computer-related aids, in addition to offering guidance, to ensure team members are making empowered decisions when interfacing with customers.

Invested in the industry’s leading technology, Signature’s sales staff utilizes Saltire Software’s FloorRight, a computer-aided plan take-off system and CF Data Systems’ Structure software for accounting and client proposals. These systems provide informed decisions when generating proposals for clients.

Working with the industry’s leading manufacturers, including Armstrong, Bentley, Johnsonite,  J & J Invision, Masland, The Mohawk Group and Tandus/Centiva, to name a few, Signature has a plethora of product options when it comes to deciding what the right product is for the customer, whether it be carpet, vinyl sheet goods, linoleum, VCT or anti-static flooring.

Signature utilizes its substantial relationships with these, and many other manufacturers, to connect with architects and designers, recommending appropriate flooring products and installation procedures, which translate each client’s individual vision to reality.

Signature standout projects

In addition to servicing end-user renovations, Signature has been at the forefront of many new construction projects throughout the region. In 2013, the company executed its largest project to date in Children’s Hospital’s (CHOC) new Bill Holmes Tower in Orange, California. Working with McCarthy Building Companies of Newport Beach, the new 425,000-square-foot CHOC Medical Tower was awarded Best New Building of 2013 by Associated General Contractors of America.

“Some of this praise was due to the building’s impressive design from FKP Architects of Houston, Texas and Signature’s installers’ ability to turn the designer’s drawings into reality,” Grimsley expresses.

Other significant projects for Signature that have really shined within the past few years include: two new Kaiser Permanente Specialty Medical office buildings, each totaling over 150,000 square feet in the ever-expanding Southern California region.

“My son was the project manager on the Kaiser Permanente facility project,” Grimsley states proudly. “The architect gave rave reviews for all involved in the project.”

Additionally, a large seismic renovation was recently completed on the campus of UCLA in Westwood, California, utilizing environmental-friendly products to achieve LEED-certified building status.

Currently, Signature’s project management team and installers are working on the largest public works project in the history of the city of Los Angeles, the modernization of LAX’s Tom Bradley International Terminal. The scope of work includes the installation of carpet and resilient flooring throughout much of the remodeled areas.

Of course, a successful project also demands suppliers of the same caliber. “We have open lines of credit with all suppliers, although we have our favorites,” Grimsley details. “Sometimes we deal with an architect and the product that is specified, and other times we bring in what we deem to be the best flooring product for the job.”

Nonetheless, Grimsley assures that the team is always looking to improve on its latest project. The company is consistently striving for perfection, which has helped to ensure Signature remains on a steady growth trend with projects continually rolling in.

Alliances and memberships

Signature prides itself in the team’s ability to help identify the most durable and cost-effective flooring material for each individual project. In order to meet this goal, Signature aligns itself with the industry’s most innovative flooring manufacturers and distributors, in addition to listening to vendors, installation crews and customers, ensuring each project meets the company’s high-quality standard.

Grimsley and his team do everything possible to keep Signature on the right track. In addition to partnering with the best suppliers and vendors, Signature is a member of FUSE Alliance, a participant-owned organization of nationwide commercial flooring contractors.  Signature is able to utilize the latest innovations from the aligned supplier partnerships and bring those products to market.

Another alliance the company is affiliated with is World Floor Covering Association (WFCA), which helps Signature promote leadership and a professional approach to clients’ needs.

Grimsley is proud of how far the company has come over the years; he is also proud of his loyal employees and the work the team continues to deliver. “I am most proud of the people who have worked with me for 10 years,” he says with a smile. “We are fortunate to have turned a profit every year – people like what we do and I have my employees to thank for that.”

Grimsley notes that the company is comfortable in its business model and only takes work within its core competency. “We have a nice backlog of business,” he clarifies. “We have a lot to be thankful for, especially our repeat customers.  We really don’t advertise; it’s all word of mouth.”

It is evident that the company’s work speaks for itself, as some of Signature Flooring Inc.’s customers have been coming back time and again for 25 to 30 years.