1983 Third Annual FCIF Banquet Honoring
Irv Harvey
Cofounder of Galaxy Carpet Mills, Inc.
FCIF’s third banquet was held on June 13, 1983 in the ballroom of the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Chicago, where we honored Irv Harvey, who was not only chairman, president, and cofounder of Galaxy Carpet Mills, Inc., but also one of FCIF’s own board members.
A Chicago native, Harvey began his career as a sales trainee for a local floor covering distributor before moving up through various roles, eventually spending five years as an independent sales agent. His breakthrough came in 1968 when he helped launch Galaxy Carpet Mills, which went public in 1972 and was listed on the American Stock Exchange in 1973. Under his leadership, the company earned recognition as one of Fortune's Second 500 Industrial Companies in 1981 and was ranked number one in financial performance in the carpet industry by Kurt Salmon Associates in the same year. In 1983, it was the 12th largest carpet mill in the US.
Beyond his work with Galaxy, Harvey was an influential figure in the broader floor covering industry. He was a chairman of the Carpet and Rug Institute, serving on its Board of Directors and Executive Committee for many years. He was also an original member of the FCIF Board of Directors and Executive Committee when it was founded in 1980. Harvey received a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Roosevelt University in Chicago. He and his wife, Marilyn, had three daughters and resided in Highland Park, Illinois.
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