River City Six: Dan Rhedin

Located at 14621 Industrial Road in Omaha, Heartland Wood Floors (www.heartlandwoodfloors.com) specializes in the installation of custom and prefinished flooring for both new construction and remodeling of residential and commercial properties as well as refinishing services for existing wood flooring. The company’s impressive 2,500 sq. ft. showroom features all of the company’s product lines and materials as well as retail products for cleaning and maintaining wood flooring. Dan Rhedin is the President of Heartland Wood Floors.

Tell us a little about how your business got started. – Over 20 years ago I owned and operated a wood floor business and worked a lot with two other guys who had their own business as well. We all wanted to be able to have a place to house our materials where we could control the environment, and having a showroom was another idea we shared. We joined together to form Heartland Wood Floors and officially opened our doors on October 1, 1995.

How did you get started in the industry? – Quite by accident! A friend sent me to apply for a job with someone he knew, but they were not hiring. Someone there mentioned a wood flooring company that her husband worked for might be looking for some help, and they ended up hiring me right out of high school.
What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced professionally? – Finding and retaining quality workers has proved to be a constant challenge. We are very fortunate that some of our employees have been with us for over ten years now.

What has been your most important achievement professionally? – Realizing our original vision to provide our customers with a great showroom where they are able to view the many and ever-changing options in wood flooring.

Tell us a little about your family. – I have been married to my wife for 19 years. We have both lived in the Omaha area all our lives. We have three children living at home, one son who is engaged, and one daughter who is married and living out of state.

What do you see as one of the biggest turning points in your life? – After going to church with my wife and our children, I made the decision to participate in the RCIA program and become a member of the Catholic Church ten years ago. It remains a very important part of my life.

What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever received? – I was once told by a consultant how the customers look at their flooring project in an emotional way; that it’s sometimes like fulfilling their dreams and that is why we should work so hard to make it a reality for them.

Which talent would you most like to have? – I would like to be able to remember customers better when they call back years later for another project. I tend to be able to remember flooring details better than I remember names and faces.

What local non-profit organization(s) are you passionate about or involved with, and are there any special reasons why? – My boys are all involved with Boy Scouts and one is about to start working on his Eagle project. The organization really supports young boys in maturing and learning things that will help them be great men.

What is your favorite local restaurant? – Right now I love to go to the brewery downtown called Local. They have a great selection representing many area breweries along with some very good and interesting bar food.

If our readers would like to contact you, how should they do so? – I can be reached at (402) 334-8686 or they are welcome to visit our website at www.heartlandwoodfloors.com.