Rising Stars: Meet Matthew Pfeiffer

Today we’d like to introduce you to Matthew Pfeiffer.  

Hi Matthew, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I grew up in Lake Orion, and my parents were manufacturers’ representatives for several large carpet mills. So, I grew up in the flooring business, and technology has been selling flooring since I was 5 years old. I used to sell their old carpet samples in my red wagon door to door throughout the neighborhood. After leaving college after one year, I went to work for the family business. I worked for them for 1 year, and then I branched out on my own as a carpet manufacturer’s Representative for several different mills. 

In late 2003 I learned that the flooring store in my hometown was going to close. I purchased Northern Flooring and Interiors in January 2004, and I’ve owned it ever since. Due to a changing retail climate, I evolved the business to what it is today, which is 2 different businesses under one roof, Northern Wholesale Flooring and the Floor Trader Outlet. 

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Like every business, we’ve had our shares of ups and downs. The 2 most notable challenges were the “Great Recession in 2009” and of course, Covid. All things considered, we’ve weathered these storms and we still are doing well today. We’ve evolved the business substantially to deal with the changing retail climate. This included changing to a wholesale model and adding cash and carry division where we now stock over 200,000 s/f of flooring. This gives us a nice advantage over our traditional competition as well as our big-box competitors. 

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
From day one, we’ve developed our business to be a community partner and to support of the community in every way we can. We are a hub for philanthropy throughout our area and surrounding communities, and nothing gives us more pride than the customers that come in telling us that they are here because of our reputation for helping others. We are proud of receiving many awards including over 20 “Best of the Best awards, Business Person of the Year, and Citizen of the year. As long as we are here, the community will be at the center of our efforts and will always remain our “Why”. Our charitable efforts over the years include Packages for the Troops during the wars, Design for a Difference where we have been making over non-profits to help them serve their constituents better, and Real Men Wear Pink where we help raise money and awareness for those fighting breast cancer, food collection for our local food pantries, organized and handled logistics for the tragedy in Oxford, Christmas for families in need, Coats, hats, gloves, and boots for people in need, Helping displaced fire victims to name a few… 

Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
Being involved in your community is the best way to find mentors, strategic partners, and the best networking opportunities. We are active members of the Orion Area Chamber of Commerce, we volunteer weekly in the community, and when tragedy strikes, you will find us there, ready to help. And we rarely miss an opportunity to volunteer when there are any needs in our community. 

Contact Info:

• Email: matt@nflooring.com
• Website: nflooring.com
• Instagram: northernfloormi
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/northernflooring
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/northern-wholesale-flooring-lake-orion