Dean Thompson grew up in a small Nebraska town; an authentic, American heartland story. He and his wife Shirley met in Lincoln while attending the University of Nebraska. In the spring of 1968, Thompson was a college senior thinking about his future, when one of his professors suggested that he check out Armstrong. “They’re the kind of company I think you’d enjoy,” he advised Dean.
That led to a trip to Pennsylvania for an interview, and the beginning step in a long floor covering career. Thompson's first Armstrong assignment was distributor sales in Columbia, South Carolina, where he also did a lot of supplemental selling to retail chains and building supply stores. From there, Armstrong transferred him to Charlotte, on to New Orleans, and then promoted Dean to their New York office.