Forever in flooring

Mike Solmonson often cracks that he's been involved with the flooring industry for 57 of his 58 years. If it weren't for the one year he spent working at an auto mechanics factory in Detroit, he'd be a perfect 58 for 58.

Solmonson's parents had a flooring business, and he learned the ins-and-outs of the industry at a young age. He worked in installation by the time he was 15 and ran his own flooring business when he was 30. Now he's the sales manager at G. Fried Flooring in Tampa.

Solmonson says he learned one primary lesson from his parents: work ethic. “You meet when the client is available, and you do it because this is your passion,” he says.