History

In 1935 Walter Rheinschmidt was asked to take a cut in pay due to difficult economic conditions. After discussing the matter with his wife Erma, they decided to trade in the family car, for a panel van, and go into business for themselves sellling and installing linoleum flooring.

Their garage became their warehouse, eventually requiring an "exapnsion". Their fleet of vehicles grew from one to two, and then to four. And by 1945 they moved to a storefornt and designed their first showroom featured in the Linoleum Logic publication.

Five short years later, Walter Rheinschmid died at the age of 38, leaving behind his wife Erma, and three sons, Lloyd, 14, Larry, 11, and Jim, 6. Erma was encouraged to sell the business by their bank, but with the support of her brother Russel, and local general contractor Carl A. Nelson, she decided to keep the business going. Walter's brothers had also been a big part of the business, but as Erma's boys got older, and more involved in the business, Paul, Al, and Emil decided to start their own flooring business, Burlington Linoleum and Tile.

Over next decade, each of Erma's sons would take their turn serving in the armed forces. Lloyd in the Navy, Larry in the army, then Jim in the Navy.

Erma's Oldest son Lloyd, later started a new business out of the basement of Rheinschmidt Flooring called Rheinschmidt Distributing. Due to the success of Rheinschmidt Distributing, he moved the company and his family to Davenport, Iowa. Unfortunately, like his father, Lloyd also met with an untimely death in 1969 along with his wife Bonnie, and two of his four children, in a small airplane crash. The Rheinschmidt family kept Lloyd's business going for over ten years before helping the manager, Sid Caroll, take the business over.

In 1968, Rheinschmidt Flooring opened their new store on Roosevelt Avenue in Burlington Iowa.

From the year 1968 to 1970, Rheinschmidt Flooring completed it's first two shopping center installations for General Growth Properties, in Iowa. Pleased with the quality of the first two installations, General Growth tried to pursuade the Rheinschmidts to handle the next installation in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Having never traveled that far for a tile project, Rheinschmidts turned down the project. General Growth, however, persisted that Rheinschmidt take the challenge, and offered them a bonus for doing so. The Citadel Mall became the first traveling shopping center for Rheinschmidts, and would shape the future of the business.

In 1974, a separate Rheinschmidt flooring firm was formed to pursue the installations of department stores and shopping centers on a national basis. Rheinschmidt's began to earn an excellent reputation with General Growth Properties, Debartolo Properties, The Rouse Company, JCPenney's, and Aldi's Grocery Stores.

In 1985, Jim, Erma, and Larry celebrated 50 years of Rheinschmidt floor installations. The family had not only made their mark on the small community of Burlington, Iowa, but had also made a name nationally, including installations in Puerto Rico, and in the Bahamas.

Throughout the 90's, Larry's sons John and Larry Jr became involved in the business. John took quality to a new level, and Larry Jr sought to keep the company on the forefront of technology. John eventually took his passion for quality, and applied it to a new Rheinschmidt business, Rheinschmidt Marble and Granite Designs, fabricating and installing granite countertops in homes and hospitality properties in the region.

Currently, Jim Rheinschmidt still owns and operates Rheinschmidt's Flooring America, John Rheinschmidt owns and operates Rheinschmidt Marble and Granite Designs, and Larry Rheinschmidt Jr. manages Rheinschmidt Tile and Marble.