Ray Anderson Carpet Company
Anderson july 28 1934 august 8 2011 was founder and chairman of interface inc one of the world s largest manufacturers of modular carpet for commercial and residential applications and a leading producer of commercial broadloom and commercial fabrics.
Ray anderson carpet company. Anderson recognized its future in modern offices. In a gentle understated way he shares a powerful vision for sustainable commerce. He proved to the world that swinging for the sustainability. He was known in environmental circles for his advanced and progressive stance on industrial ecology and sustainability.
Still there is a small flaw in ray anderson s plan to recycle carpet by leasing it and taking it back. After discovering carpet tile in europe in the early 1970s ray c. And its subsidiaries sells modular carpet tiles luxury vinyl tile and nora brand rubber flooring. Ray anderson 77 often called the greenest ceo in america for his crusade to turn his billion dollar carpet company into an environmentally sustainable enterprise died aug.
8 at his home. At the time of his life changing epiphany ray anderson had just turned 60 and had lived the entrepreneur s dream going from a guy with a few small investors and a crazy idea why would you want to cut a perfectly good carpet into squares they asked him in 1973 to a millionaire ceo of a public company in 20 years. Ray anderson founder of interface and green business pioneer died monday from cancer at the age of 77 leaving an important legacy. Ray anderson watch his tedtalk the chairman and founder of carpet company interface inc is part of a new industrial revolution.
One that demands ecological awareness. What ray anderson calls his conversion experience occurred in the summer of 1994 when he was asked to give the sales force at interface the carpet tile company he founded. Simply conforming to government regulations didn t satisfy anderson who has made the march toward total sustainability an integral part of his company s customer appeal. Right now it s neither feasible nor economical to turn carpet back into carpet.
At his carpet company ray anderson has increased sales and doubled profits while turning the traditional take make waste industrial system on its head.