Lewis Gould is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Q.E.P. Mr. Gould knew, after working many years and making money for the company he worked for, that he wanted to make his own money by starting his own business. By his own admission, Gould, who preferred to spend his spare time as a ham radio operator, stumbled into the home improvement industry. As a businessman he was more familiar with decorative telephones, an area he came to know while serving as vice-president of Saxton Products, a New York wire and cable company that decided to diversify. In 1979 Gould struck out on his own to sell electronics, forming a company he named Q.E.P., which stood for Quality Electronic Products. Instead of going high-tech, however, he decided, along with his wife Susan, to spend $10,000 for a new bathtub-edging company, which sold a kit to cover the grout around the edge of a bathtub. Mr. Gould not only possesses entrepreneur skills but also strong management and sales skills and is a hands-on manager. He has successfully guided the company from sales of $40,000 at inception to over $300 million today.
Q.E.P. relocated to Boca Raton in the 1980s and went public in 1996. Q.E.P. Co., Inc, is a world class, worldwide provider of innovative, quality and value-driven flooring and industrial solutions. As a leading manufacturer, marketer and distributor, QEP delivers a comprehensive line of hardwood and laminate flooring, flooring installation tools, adhesives and flooring related products targeted for the professional installer as well as the do-it-yourselfer. In addition, the Company provides industrial tools with cutting edge technology to the industrial trades. Under brand names including QEP®, ROBERTS®, Capitol®, Harris®Wood, Fausfloor®, Vitrex®, Homelux®, TileRite®, PRCI®, Nupla®, HISCO®, Plasplugs®, Ludell®, Porta-Nails®, Tomecanic®, Bénètiere®, Elastiment®, X-TREME Board™ and AppleCreek™, the Company sells its products to home improvement retail centers, specialty distribution outlets, municipalities and industrial solution providers in 50 states and throughout the world.