The “Early Days” of Benning Industrial Flooring lasted for about ten years. The growth of our painting operations went much quicker, because the local opportunities allowed us to establish a working relationship with many local businesses and contractors. We had to go on the road however in order to find opportunities for our flooring operation. Doug MacDonald and I traveled the Midwest estimating and bidding on flooring projects. We managed to make it fun, attending ball games in all of the stadiums from Milwaukee to Pittsburgh. We also established relationships with clients away from home. For five years in a row our crews were snowed in working at Pepsi-Cola Bottling in Johnstown, PA. This was not glamorous work, but it was interesting. We visited everything from ice cream factories to nuclear power plants. Before long we were regarded as one of the top companies in the Midwest. In addition to the commercial and industrial sectors, we presently have working relationships with all of the colleges, universities, and trade schools. In our area. We have a good name in our industry. Wes Benning sees to that, more than once he reminded us of whose name was on everything. My early years had me selling medical equipment and surgical supplies. A Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry and Biology came in very handy and helpful in dealing with both the coatings and the substrates. Twenty-Six years went by all too fast, but we made it worthwhile.