GROWTH, SUCCESS, AND SOFTWARE
Shepherding Success Through Software — The Unusual Evolution of QFloors
I
ronically, it all started with sheep. But not
in a sheep-makes-wool-makes-carpet
way. Dale Ogden, the paternal grandfa-
ther of QFloors founders Trent and Chad
Chad developed a passion for com-
tunate string of particularly bad winters
the flooring industry. He spent a decade
was ready for a new career path. And so,
34
were there to measure for carpet.”
puters, obtaining a degree in Computer
killed off a large number of his sheep, he
“I could see a need, not only in my dad’s business, but in a lot of small businesses, for being able to have good controls, and good policies and procedures. I could see how vital it was for a floor-covering business to be able to produce meaningful, timely, and accurate financial statements.”
doorstep telling the homeowners we
Ogden, owned a sheep ranch in the mountains of rural Utah. After an unfor-
Co-founders Chad and Trent Ogden.
fluffy 80’s prom dress, standing on the
in 1954, he loaded up the family, moved to Southern California, and opened the Broadloom City carpet store.
Years later, his son Steve followed in
Engineering and temporarily leaving working as a programmer and engineer in the tech industry, eventually becom-
ing the Director of Engineering at a firm specializing in cutting-edge mass spectrometers.
In the meantime, Trent continued
his footsteps. Steve founded Ogden’s
working with his father, finding his
& Design) in 1974 and the business
He earned a bachelor’s in Accounting
Carpet Outlet (later Ogden’s Flooring
quickly grew and expanded. Today, there are 13 Ogden’s Flooring & Design franchises in the Intermountain West.
Both Chad and Trent grew up help-
ing in their father’s stores. When they
weren’t playing hide and seek among the rolls of carpet or attempting to
spin “donuts” with the tow motor, they were working. From about age 12, they worked in the warehouse, rolling remnants. At 16, they were delivering furni-
ture to customers or measuring homes
for flooring. Chad’s wife, Chris, who knew him in high school, remembers
what a hard worker he was even as a teenager. “Chad and I dated some in
high school, and I probably should have clued in that he was a bit of a workaholic
niche as an accountant and controller. and eventually an MBA. As he learned more about business, he realized that his
father’s flooring company did not always
realize profits despite high sales. As they incorporated better tracking, job cost-
ing, and reporting, Trent could see how important those things were to overall
success and profitability. “I could see a
need, not only in my dad’s business but in a lot of small businesses, for being able
to have good controls and good policies and procedures. I could see how vital it
was for a floor-covering business to be able to produce meaningful, timely, and
accurate financial statements.” The need
for good software to facilitate those objectives became apparent.
Trent and Steve asked Chad to help
when he decided we needed to stop
them find the right software for Steve’s
prom! He was in his tux, and I was in this
chised. They went to Surfaces multiple
and do a carpet measure on our way to
Premier Flooring Retailer | D2 2021
flooring stores, which were now fran-
