Terry DavidWhen Mason Jarvis left his position as a senior process engineer at Intel’s semiconductor fabrication facility in 2016, he didn’t immediately set out to revolutionize the flooring industry. Armed with a Ph.D. in Industrial and Systems Engineering from Ohio State University, Jarvis initially entered the broader home renovation market in Denver, Colorado. However, his decision to narrow his focus exclusively to flooring solutions has transformed Ironwood Floor Co. into a rapidly expanding franchise operation with average unit revenues of $1.8 million annually.
“In the construction industry, there’s often pressure to be everything to everyone,” says Jarvis, whose company’s top-performing locations now generate up to $2.5 million in annual revenue. “But we discovered that by focusing solely on flooring and perfecting every aspect of that service, we actually expanded our market opportunity rather than limiting it.”
This counterintuitive strategy has paid off in unexpected ways. Today, approximately 30% of Ironwood Floor Co.’s business comes from other contractors and designers who previously might have been considered competitors. “We’ve positioned ourselves as the specialists—like the orthopedic surgeons of the flooring world,” Jarvis explains. “When other professionals need flooring done right, they come to us.”
The company’s success stems from Jarvis’s engineering background, which he leveraged to develop FloorLogic™, a proprietary software platform that manages everything from initial customer contact through final inspection and warranty registration. This technological edge, combined with the company’s singular focus on flooring, has helped Ironwood Floor Co. stand out in a traditionally fragmented industry.
“Most contractors try to handle everything in-house, which means juggling countless subcontractors and trades,” says Jarvis. “We analyzed our operations and financials carefully, identified where we were creating the most value, and made the strategic decision to focus exclusively on flooring solutions.”
The numbers support this approach. Since launching its franchise program, Ironwood Floor Co. has maintained a 98% customer satisfaction rate across its locations, with franchise units reaching profitability an average of 40% faster than comparable home service franchises.
Sarah Chen, a retail analyst at McKinley Partners, notes that this level of specialization is increasingly important in the home services sector. “What Jarvis has done is create a scalable model that benefits from both consumer and B2B revenue streams. It’s a sophisticated approach that we’re seeing more frequently in successful home service businesses.”
Ironwood Floor Co.’s franchise model has attracted significant interest, particularly from professionals with corporate backgrounds similar to Jarvis’s own. The company plans to expand to 200 locations over the next five years, focusing on markets with strong real estate growth and appreciation for tech-enabled solutions.
“The decision to specialize wasn’t just about simplifying operations,” Jarvis reflects. “It was about being the absolute best at one thing rather than merely good at many things. That’s what transforms customers into advocates and competitors into partners.”
For entrepreneurs considering their own ventures, Jarvis offers this advice: “Don’t be afraid of narrowing your focus. When you truly excel in a specific niche, you often end up with a larger addressable market than if you tried to be all things to all people.”
Looking ahead, Jarvis continues to innovate within his chosen niche, developing augmented reality tools for visualization and IoT sensors for predictive maintenance. These initiatives suggest that even within a specialized focus, there’s plenty of room for innovation and growth.
“The future of home services lies in doing one thing exceptionally well,” says Jarvis. “That’s how you build trust, scale operations, and ultimately transform an industry.”
