Cultivating a Comeback: Pat Dahlson of Mayesh Wholesale Florist
Editor’s note: In our new Voice of Small Business series, we highlight a handful of the more than 19,000 business leaders that represent the best of the Vistage community.
Founded in 1938, Mayesh Wholesale Florist was acquired 35-plus years ago and run as a three-man operation: Vistage member Pat Dahlson, his father, and brother. They quickly built the company by recruiting family members out of high school, Pat says.
By the mid-90s they were a $20 million company. Then the recession hit in 2008. Like many businesses, Mayesh Wholesale felt the crunch. But Pat was quick to realize the road ahead and was able to make the appropriate cuts and scale back.
A few years later Pat got restless with the company’s stagnation. The family-owned company had shrunk from revenues of $55 million to about $47 million over the course of the recession. “All of a sudden, it just hit me that we were going into 2010 and things still haven’t changed. We’ve got to take the bull by the horns and quit being dead dogs and languishing,” he recalls.
So Pat created the “Drive for 55” to get their sales back up to that pre-pullback $55 million within the year. Thanks to a little bit of faith, a proactive approach and bold leadership, the LA-based company is now worth $70 million and operating 17 locations in eight states with 325 employees.
Learn more about Mayesh Wholesale Florist at https://www.mayesh.com
Category: Business Growth & Strategy
Tags: Pat Dahlson, Vistage International