Tim Justice put on a tool belt at age 13 and worked alongside his father, a general contractor in Huntington, Utah, in the early ‘90s. He enjoyed working in his community and building things, but, after college, he chose to become the part owner of a financial education company that offered business and retirement coaching. By Patty Horansky
Tim Justice put on a tool belt at age 13 and worked alongside his father, a general contractor in Huntington, Utah, in the early ‘90s. He enjoyed working in his community and building things, but, after college, he chose to become the part owner of a financial education company that offered business and retirement coaching.
Tim’s wife, Brianne, whom he met in college, was an English teacher and eventually a stay-at-home mom to the couple’s three children. The family was living in her hometown of Salt Lake City in 2022 when Tim started thinking about returning to his roots in construction.
“I think the No. 1 thing for me was I wanted to get out of the office a little bit more,” Tim said. He wanted to reconnect with the community and saw the work his father did as a desirable path.
In May 2022, Tim met with a consultant, who introduced him to several franchise opportunities, including carpet cleaning, heating and air conditioning, a pet store company and flooring.
Tim researched each one and, with Brianne, attended several discovery days.
By August the couple had signed on with Floor Coverings International®, the largest and highest-rated company in the $48 billion residential floor industry.
Based out of Atlanta, the brand offers more than 3,000 quality flooring choices, including name-brand carpet, hardwood, tile, laminate and vinyl. Its franchisees are able to bring their wrapped and fully stocked mobile showrooms to clients’ doors.
The brand appealed to Tim’s background in sales and construction.
“But mostly it was the team, the organization, the detailed nature of which they communicated their goals and their vision,” he said. “I told Brianne during Discovery Day, ‘These are really professional people, and I would be comfortable to work alongside of them.’”
By December the couple had launched Floor Coverings International of East Salt Lake, with an office and warehouse located in nearby Midvale, Utah.
The brand’s extensive training included five days in Atlanta prior to opening and another round of live training three months after.
“They had checklist after checklist and support point after support point on how to get the business up and running,” said Tim, whose role as the franchise owner includes sales, networking and setting the vision for the company. In addition, Brianne oversees the office, production schedule and payroll.
The couple recently hired an office assistant and a sales associate. Additionally, a production coordinator manages the warehouse and the couple’s network of subcontractors.
A fully wrapped van as well as Tim’s truck are stocked with samples for presentations to potential clients, most of whom are homeowners.
They are rated No. 1 in customer experience, and according to Tim, it is important to try and understand the customer’s needs or problems when making sales calls so they can present satisfactory solutions.
As of September 2023, the Justices have completed about 160 jobs and tallied about $750,000 in sales.
The couple has an aggressive growth plan, which includes bringing on more sales associates and vans.
“We’ve had a good first nine months of sales, for sure,” Tim said. “My goal is to have a $3 million to $5 million company in three years.”
Patty Horansky