Having regained ownership of what was once the nation's largest floor covering distributorship, executive management of the reborn LDBrinkman Corp. has set its sights on restoring the company to the preeminent role it held prior to its 1999 sale to Beaulieu of America.

"We certainly want to be a dominant floor covering distributor once more," said LDBrinkman CEO Eddie Lesok. "We anticipate that we'll regain the market share we historically had."

To regain that market share, Lesok added, Brinkman will rely on the original philosophy that built the company into a distribution giant. "LDBrinkman has always done a great job of delivering quality products at a good price," he explained. "We aim to restore that reputation."

Besides Lesok, other key executives of the company include President Jeff Sills, Chief Financial Officer Jack Wulz and co-chairmen Levon Ezell and Tom Karol. Lesok noted that Ezell and Karol will not be involved in the day-to-day operations of the business.

"We're all exited about seeing the company back as a stand-alone," Lesok said, "and again able to make its own decisions in servicing the customer."

Brinkman will operate out of 13 branches strategically located to service the Southwest and Western sections of the United States. The company serves Texas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Arkansas, Tennessee, Colorado, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Nevada, Arizona, and California.

Lesok did not rule out the addition of more branch locations in the future but, he added, "right now we want to get the volume back up at each of the (existing) branches."

Although the Hollytex Carpet line, which was originally a part of Brinkman, remains a part of Beaulieu in the wake of the sale, Lesok said his company would be bringing carpet "back into the mix" in a significant way. Look for the introduction of new carpet products in residential, builder and commercial lines, he said.

In addition, Brinkman will add the Classic Creations sheet vinyl and vinyl tile line. Lesok declined to identify other product lines that Brinkman may be taking on as it goes forward, but he indicated that negotiations with suppliers were underway. "Stay tuned," he said.