• Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
  • NEWS
  • PRODUCTS
  • A&D
  • INSTALLATION
  • MARKETS
  • AWARDS
  • EDUCATION
  • BUYER'S GUIDE
  • MEDIA
  • EMAGAZINE
  • SIGN UP
cart
facebook twitter linkedin youtube
  • NEWS
  • Breaking Flooring News
  • eNewsletters
  • PRODUCTS
  • Carpet & Area Rugs
  • Hardwood
  • Installation Products
  • Installation Tools & Equipment
  • Laminate
  • Resilient
  • Specialty
  • Tile & Stone
  • MARKETS
  • Commercial
  • Residential
  • AWARDS
  • Installation Awards
  • Top Flooring Products
  • EDUCATION
  • Continuing Education
  • Webinars
  • MEDIA
  • FLOOR Podcast
  • Videos
  • TISE 2025 Videos
  • Product Spotlights
  • eBooks
  • EMAGAZINE
  • eMagazine
  • Archive Issues
  • Contact
  • Advertise
search
cart
facebook twitter linkedin youtube
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
  • NEWS
    • Breaking Flooring News
    • eNewsletters
  • PRODUCTS
    • Carpet & Area Rugs
    • Hardwood
    • Installation Products
    • Installation Tools & Equipment
    • Laminate
    • Resilient
    • Specialty
    • Tile & Stone
  • A&D
  • INSTALLATION
  • MARKETS
    • Commercial
    • Residential
  • AWARDS
    • Installation Awards
    • Top Flooring Products
  • EDUCATION
    • Continuing Education
    • Webinars
  • BUYER'S GUIDE
  • MEDIA
    • FLOOR Podcast
    • Videos
    • TISE 2025 Videos
    • Product Spotlights
    • eBooks
  • EMAGAZINE
    • eMagazine
    • Archive Issues
    • Contact
    • Advertise
  • SIGN UP
Commercial FlooringColumns

Contractor’s Corner

DSB+: A Business Makeover for Market Success

By Mike Patton
1014_ft_ContractCorner_img11.jpg

When the Great Recession hit, the owners of DSB+, from left, Cory Preston, Si Baxley and Mike Patton, decided they had to make some bold choices for the business to ensure its future and provide a foundation to grow the business to new levels. Five years later, the company is not just prospering it’s on track to meet its long-range goals.

1014_ft_ContractCorner_img2.jpg

As part of DSB+’s rebranding efforts, the company made sure everything about the business—from when you first walk in to its fleet of service vehicles to even staff uniforms—offers a professional and distinctive image.

1014_ft_ContractCorner_img3.jpg

As part of DSB+’s rebranding efforts, the company made sure everything about the business—from when you first walk in to its fleet of service vehicles to even staff uniforms—offers a professional and distinctive image.

1014_ft_ContractCorner_img4.jpg

DSB’s broadening of services could be seen by the work it did for Intuitive Surgical, Demonstration Suites in Sunnyvale, Calif. It required special floor prep to maintain an extremely flat subfloor to accommodate the large panel/tile size. Post-installation included screening, polishing and sealing the entire project. As a result, DSB+ won a gold award in the Healthcare category in the Starnet Design Awards competition—the first time the company entered the contest.

1014_ft_ContractCorner_img5.jpg

DSB’s broadening of services could be seen by the work it did for Intuitive Surgical, Demonstration Suites in Sunnyvale, Calif. It required special floor prep to maintain an extremely flat subfloor to accommodate the large panel/tile size. Post-installation included screening, polishing and sealing the entire project. As a result, DSB+ won a gold award in the Healthcare category in the Starnet Design Awards competition—the first time the company entered the contest.

1014_ft_ContractCorner_img6.jpg

DSB+ went from a company that primarily installed carpet and resilient to one that is now offers a full menu of services, making itself a one-stop shop for clients, and it’s large, well-organized warehouse reflects this change.

1014_ft_ContractCorner_img7.jpg

Mike Patton is the CEO of DSB+ in Livermore, Calif. He started his flooring career with Walter Carpet Mills, and then, for almost 30 years, ran The Patton Group, a multi-line sales agency focused on commercial flooring products marketed to the A&D community and contractors in Northern California. In 1997, he formed D.S. Baxley with Si Baxley, and they later teamed with Cory Preston of Preston-Borg. In 2013 the company started under the DSB+ moniker. For more information, contact Patton at (415) 298-1243, or mike@dsb-plus.com.

1014_ft_ContractCorner_img11.jpg
1014_ft_ContractCorner_img2.jpg
1014_ft_ContractCorner_img3.jpg
1014_ft_ContractCorner_img4.jpg
1014_ft_ContractCorner_img5.jpg
1014_ft_ContractCorner_img6.jpg
1014_ft_ContractCorner_img7.jpg
October 1, 2014

Before the economic downturn of the Great Recession, today’s DSB+ of Livermore, Calif., looked like many other commercial flooring operations which are organically grown based on several factors, including geographic business opportunities, the skills and experience of the ownership team, and a need to respond to the available work in the market.

Technically proficient and well-organized, the company had evolved from two independent commercial flooring companies—D. S. Baxley of Livermore and Preston-Borg of Milpitas, Calif. The companies eventually began to market under the D. S. Baxley name, with each of the branch offices addressing a different geography in the Northern California market. Overall, the company was growing modestly and securing customer loyalty, but not distinguishing its business vs. the competition in the market area.

Basically, we realized that we were stuck in a commodity business. Our work was good, but we did not have a solid strategic plan nor were we creating a distinctive impression with our customer base. We were known for installing primarily carpet and resilient—plain and simple. And, when possible, we specified the type of flooring to be installed. We offered some additional services, which were viewed as secondary to our main business.

Put simply, we were not creating a unique space for our company and we certainly were not creating a clear and solid future.

As is often the case, business adversity served as a catalyst for change. In 2009, when the recession was taking hold in the Northern California market, the management team at D. S. Baxley including myself, Si Baxley and Cory Preston decided to make some bold choices for the business which would not only ensure its future, but would provide a foundation to grow the business to new levels.

We started with three simple questions:

•Who are we as a company?

•What do we want to be?

•How will we survive and thrive in the current business environment?

The answers to these questions made it clear to us that change was necessary in all aspects of the business. Our customer base was increasingly demanding that D. S. Baxley increase its service offerings. Also, D. S. Baxley needed to elevate its capabilities to ensure all services could be handled internally to maintain consistent quality and support.

In addition, when analyzing our customer base, the management team realized that we needed to more evenly balance our various customer types—general contractors, architects and designers, and end users. We were heavily reliant on the general contractor segment and did not exert enough influence on the material choices for their projects.

We realized we needed to broaden our customer reach in order to increase specifications on projects and better control the future of the company. Our goal was to increase business with both the A&D community as important project planners while developing the end user relationships aspect of the business as well.

Finally, the team agreed it needed to set clear expectations for the business in terms of revenue and profit growth. We needed to analyze the range of services we could offer and that these services had to lead to overall business success.

In early 2011, a multi-pronged business plan unfolded for the D. S. Baxley business. During the development of this plan, Si, Cory and I took advantage of our connections in the commercial flooring industry, many of whom we knew from being members of Starnet Worldwide Commercial Flooring. Discussions with fellow members of Starnet helped us review and assess our ideas about the business and to learn from the successes of other commercial flooring companies.

Our connections through Starnet were invaluable. If we had to learn industry best practices on our own, the process would have taken years. Instead, we developed a strong survey of industry best practices in four months through our Starnet connections.”

With this knowledge, the team agreed on several basic principles: First, it would develop a strong range of flooring services and, where necessary, would sub out these services in the early days of the business’ revitalization in order to quickly ramp up to the goal of being a single service source.

Secondly, we would leverage our maintenance or floor care business as the foundation of our new business model. We joined Starnet Floor Care, a subset of the Starnet membership, and determined that maintenance was one area, which must be supported from the beginning by our own team. By following the Starnet Floor Care protocol, we increased capability internally and were able to leverage this foundation across what is now four branch locations.

Thirdly, employee training became a huge priority for the company. Our goal was to establish internal capability through a rigorous training effort and to prudently but effectively be prepared to offer a complete range of services to end users. This was a costly proposition for the managing partners, but our goal was to move away from outsourcing services as quickly as possible while increasing quality. In many areas, fortunately, the vendor partners who work closely with D. S. Baxley provided critical training on their product application and installation.

The result of this effort was the company evolved into a full and consistent range of services across all four branches within 24 months. The floor care business delivered on its goal to provide strong profits and a consistent cash flow to the parent company and this success helped to fuel the expansion into other critical services. Of the other services, concrete polishing has been the strongest growth engine for the business in total and, as I’ve said many times, this service has been a real game changer.

The only missing piece as the business entered 2012 was a clear marketing and communication program to change the image of the D. S. Baxley business. At first, the team attempted to develop a rebranding plan internally, but quickly realized we needed external, expert help to bring the strongest plan together.

The marketing agency, The Oya Group, created a revitalization plan that included a new corporate name, DSB+, and a strong corporate logo, which symbolized the breadth of the company’s services. The new corporate identity, “We Do More for Your Floor,” underscores the company’s commitment to its customer base. From our fleet of service vehicles through staff uniforms, the field teams who support DSB+ now offer a professional and distinctive image.

The new marketing effort was launched in early 2013. To date, the business results from both the new business platform and the overall communication plan have been strong. For DSB+, we are specifying more business and our customer base has steadily increased among the A&D and end user communities. Our pace of sales growth is on track to achieve our long-range targets of quadrupling business by 2020.

Overall, the investment in the business is returning at the pace we anticipated and, earlier this year, DSB+ won its first Starnet Design Award—it was also the first time we had entered the competition.

For us, winning a gold award in the Starnet Design Award competition was a meaningful event. We know our work is stronger than ever and the reputation we are building in our marketing area is supporting our long-term plans. We are excited about the future for DSB+.   

 

Mike Patton is the CEO of DSB+ in Livermore, Calif. He started his flooring career with Walter Carpet Mills, and then, for almost 30 years, ran The Patton Group, a multi-line sales agency focused on commercial flooring products marketed to the A&D community and contractors in Northern California. In 1997, he formed D.S. Baxley with Si Baxley, and they later teamed with Cory Preston of Preston-Borg. In 2013 the company started under the DSB+ moniker. For more information, contact Patton at (415) 298-1243, or mike@dsb-plus.com.

KEYWORDS: best practices contractors education and training flooring business news

Share This Story

Looking for a reprint of this article?
From high-res PDFs to custom plaques, order your copy today!

Recommended Content

JOIN TODAY
To unlock your recommendations.

Already have an account? Sign In

  • resilient flooring

    The 7 Types of Resilient Flooring

    The resilient flooring category is comprised of many...
    Resilient Flooring
    By: Resilient Floorcovering Institute
  • QuickDrain USA’s ShowerLine linear drain

    Tips for Curbless Shower Installation Using a Linear Drain

    Consider these four tips when planning for a curbless...
    Flooring Installation Products
    By: Darryl Jones
  • 2024 New Flooring Product Guide

    2024 New Flooring Products Guide

    We explore this year's introductions in area rugs,...
    Flooring Installation
    By: FLOOR Trends & Installation Editors
You must login or register in order to post a comment.

Report Abusive Comment

Subscribe For Free!
  • eMagazine
  • eNewsletter
  • Online Registration
  • Manage My Preferences
  • Subscription Customer Service

What Shaw Flooring Network Dealers are Banking on for 2025

What Shaw Flooring Network Dealers are Banking on for 2025

Retailers Share Top Takeaways from Shaw Flooring Network Convention

Retailers Share Top Takeaways from Shaw Flooring Network Convention

Takeaways from the 2024 AHSG Convention & Member Outlook for 2025

Takeaways from the 2024 AHSG Convention & Member Outlook for 2025

Shaw Flooring Network Retailers Report Post-Election Sales Surge

Shaw Flooring Network Retailers Report Post-Election Sales Surge

More Videos

Popular Stories

Schluter waterproofing system

Waterproofing Wet Areas: Three Essential Methods to Protect Your Bathroom and Shower Installation

kitchen floor

Regrouting Caution for Cement Grouts

Starnet 2025 Carlsbad CA

Future-Proofing Success: How Starnet Members Are Building Resilient Flooring Businesses


Download the Free Moisture Meters Guide

Events

June 9, 2025

NeoCon 2025

A trade show for the commercial interior design industry.

December 1, 2030

Webinar Sponsorship Information

For webinar sponsorship information, visit www.bnpevents.com/webinars or email webinars@bnpmedia.com.

View All Submit An Event

Poll

Flooring Groups

Flooring retailers, do you belong to a buying, marketing or franchise group?
View Results Poll Archive

Products

2025 BNI Interiors Square Foot Costbook

2025 BNI Interiors Square Foot Costbook

See More Products

FLOORtalk podcasts - Listen Now

Related Articles

  • Ruggieri Brothers

    Ruggieri Brothers: A Hometown Business Grows into Market Leadership

    See More
  • fitness room located on the 70th floor of Chicago, Illinois’, Aon Center

    A Flooring Makeover Fit for an Iconic Chicago Skyscraper

    See More
  • Floor360-Walker

    Walker's Point Youth & Family Center to Receive First Milwaukee Design for a Difference Makeover

    See More

Related Products

See More Products
  • floorfinishes.jpg

    Environmental Impact of Materials: Floor Finishes

  • BNI Interiors Square Foot Costbook 2025 Edition

    2025 BNI Interiors Square Foot Costbook

  • radiant.jpg

    Radiant Floor Heating, Second Edition

See More Products

Events

View AllSubmit An Event
  • March 22, 2017

    Infection Control Risk Assessment Best Practices for Healthcare Construction

    Join Tarkett and INSTALL for a 1.5 LU program registered with AIA/CES for Infection Control Risk Assessment and Best Practices for Healthcare Construction.
  • March 28, 2017

    Infection Control Risk Assessment Best Practices for Healthcare Construction

    Join Tarkett and INSTALL for a 1.5 LU program registered with AIA/CES for Infection Control Risk Assessment and Best Practices for Healthcare Construction.
View AllSubmit An Event
×
When the Great Recession hit, the owners of DSB+, from left, Cory Preston, Si Baxley and Mike Patton, decided they had to make some bold choices for the business to ensure its future and provide a foundation to grow the business to new levels. Five years later, the company is not just prospering it’s on track to meet its long-range goals.
As part of DSB+’s rebranding efforts, the company made sure everything about the business—from when you first walk in to its fleet of service vehicles to even staff uniforms—offers a professional and distinctive image.
As part of DSB+’s rebranding efforts, the company made sure everything about the business—from when you first walk in to its fleet of service vehicles to even staff uniforms—offers a professional and distinctive image.
DSB’s broadening of services could be seen by the work it did for Intuitive Surgical, Demonstration Suites in Sunnyvale, Calif. It required special floor prep to maintain an extremely flat subfloor to accommodate the large panel/tile size. Post-installation included screening, polishing and sealing the entire project. As a result, DSB+ won a gold award in the Healthcare category in the Starnet Design Awards competition—the first time the company entered the contest.
DSB’s broadening of services could be seen by the work it did for Intuitive Surgical, Demonstration Suites in Sunnyvale, Calif. It required special floor prep to maintain an extremely flat subfloor to accommodate the large panel/tile size. Post-installation included screening, polishing and sealing the entire project. As a result, DSB+ won a gold award in the Healthcare category in the Starnet Design Awards competition—the first time the company entered the contest.
DSB+ went from a company that primarily installed carpet and resilient to one that is now offers a full menu of services, making itself a one-stop shop for clients, and it’s large, well-organized warehouse reflects this change.
Mike Patton is the CEO of DSB+ in Livermore, Calif. He started his flooring career with Walter Carpet Mills, and then, for almost 30 years, ran The Patton Group, a multi-line sales agency focused on commercial flooring products marketed to the A&D community and contractors in Northern California. In 1997, he formed D.S. Baxley with Si Baxley, and they later teamed with Cory Preston of Preston-Borg. In 2013 the company started under the DSB+ moniker. For more information, contact Patton at (415) 298-1243, or mike@dsb-plus.com.

We’re rolling out the red carpet of flooring knowledge!

Stay in the know on the latest flooring retail trends.

JOIN TODAY!
  • RESOURCES
    • Advertise
    • Contact Us
    • Directories
    • Store
    • Want More
  • SIGN UP TODAY
    • Create Account
    • eMagazine
    • eNewsletters
    • Customer Service
    • Manage Preferences
  • SERVICES
    • Marketing Services
    • Reprints
    • Market Research
    • List Rental
    • Survey/Respondent Access
  • STAY CONNECTED
    • LinkedIn
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • YouTube
    • X (Twitter)
  • PRIVACY
    • PRIVACY POLICY
    • TERMS & CONDITIONS
    • DO NOT SELL MY PERSONAL INFORMATION
    • PRIVACY REQUEST
    • ACCESSIBILITY

Copyright ©2025. All Rights Reserved BNP Media.

Design, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing

search
cart
facebook twitter linkedin youtube
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
  • NEWS
    • Breaking Flooring News
    • eNewsletters
  • PRODUCTS
    • Carpet & Area Rugs
    • Hardwood
    • Installation Products
    • Installation Tools & Equipment
    • Laminate
    • Resilient
    • Specialty
    • Tile & Stone
  • A&D
  • INSTALLATION
  • MARKETS
    • Commercial
    • Residential
  • AWARDS
    • Installation Awards
    • Top Flooring Products
  • EDUCATION
    • Continuing Education
    • Webinars
  • BUYER'S GUIDE
  • MEDIA
    • FLOOR Podcast
    • Videos
    • TISE 2025 Videos
    • Product Spotlights
    • eBooks
  • EMAGAZINE
    • eMagazine
    • Archive Issues
    • Contact
    • Advertise
  • SIGN UP