Spartanburg woman overcomes tragic death of husband to launch dream business they planned – Spartanburg Herald Journal

Janet and Lawrence Rosman had a dream starting their own business and eventually retiring comfortably.

Then Lawrence died unexpectedly at 51, the victim of a tragic accident and complications that followed.

"At that point, I didn't know what I was doing," Janet, now 50, said.

That was over a year ago.

Today, Janet has fulfilled their dream by owning and operating a mobile floor covering business based in Wellford.

Called Floor Coverings International, Janet says she grieved the loss of her husband of 30 years, and then decided to move forward.

"He was my biggest cheerleader and always had more confidence in me than what I had," she said. "He loved to make everyone laugh, but he'd make you work. The thing I missed most was always knowing he was there."

Janet, a graduate of Dorman High School, met Lawrence, a Chapman High graduate when she was 18 and he was 20. They soon married, and then had two children, a daughter who is now 16 and son who is 19.

He worked for many years at Milliken & Company and later with BMW Manufacturing for 25 years.

Janet worked part-time jobs while Lawrence helped put her through college. She studied psychology at the University of South Carolina Upstate then earned an associate degree in accounting at Spartanburg Community College.

She went to work for Copac Global Packaging in Spartanburg, then Electric City Print Company in Anderson.

In 2001, she went to work at Grace Management Group in Spartanburg, a locally owned company that makes, sells and markets fragrances worldwide.

Her responsibilities included marketing and product development, and she flew to different cities in the U.S. and around the world to set up marketing teams.

Then in early 2019, she decided she was ready for a career change.

"I was sitting back and thought, what am I doing?" she said.

Lawrence, meanwhile, was happy with his job in the body shop at BMW, but both began talking about venturing out on their own.

They explored various franchise businesses and looked hard at a flooring franchise opportunity.

At that point, they already had been in their home in Campobello and began to look ahead to their eventual retirement.

After visits to Floor Coverings International headquarters in Georgia, they learned they could obtain the franchise for Greenville and Spartanburg counties, build it up, then sell it for a profit.

"In the grand scheme of things, that sounded like a great thing," Janet said.

Norcross, Georgia.-based Floor Coverings International has been ranked as the top mobile flooring franchise in North America by Entrepreneur Magazine, with nearly 200 franchisees.

One day in September 2019, Lawrence was trimming a limb on a large oak tree outside their home when a strong gust of wind knocked the limb onto the ladder, and he fell on his back, breaking five ribs and puncturing a lung, she said.

He was taken to the hospital emergency room, treated, then sent home.

Within a couple of days, he began having a hard time breathing and had no appetite. He returned to the hospital, was placed on a ventilator,then told he was paralyzed, she said.

She said it was later determined he suffered post-traumatic Guillain-Barre syndrome, a rare disorder in which the body's immune system attacks its nerves, eventually causing paralysis.

He died on Nov. 16, 2019, surrounded by his family. And he was not without friends.

"Everybody that met him loved him to death," Janet said. "At his service in November, there were over 1,000 people. We are all humbled, holding tears back, that he had made such an impact on everybody."

A couple of months passed, and the executives at Floor Coverings contacted Janet to see if she was still interested in obtaining the franchise.

She said she wasn't yet ready and decided to take a long-awaited vacation to Europe with her children.

"They held the territory for me until I was ready," she said of Floor Coverings. "That went a long way with me. I chose to start up in September (2020)."

She has since worked hard to build up the business, meeting with homeowners and builders, insurance and real estate companies, to provide for their flooring needs from hardwood and luxury vinyl to carpet, tile and even backsplashes.

"I have a mobile showroom," she said. "All samples are in a Ford transit van. I'm able to meet the customer at their place. My job is to realize what they're trying to put into their home or business."

She orders the floor coverings from a manufacturer, hauls away the old flooring, and then installs the new flooring.

"Business is going well," she said. "It's a little overwhelming getting started, but they (the home office) help guides you.

Kristen Kelley, who previously worked for Janet at Grace Management Group, is now office and project manager for Janet.

"I honestly would work for her anywhere," she said. "She is one of the best examples of just a hard worker, to the point where you want to try the best you can to be like her. She leads by example. She's hustling just as hard as you are."

Kelley said she offered support to Janet after Lawrence's accident and again after he died.

"Opening this company here is what she and her husband wanted to do together," Kelley said. "When he passed, that was obviously devastating.

"It has showedhow nothing can slow her down in the sense of meeting her dreams, her responsibility for the kids, and wanting a good life for them. She wants to succeed to make him proud."

Longtime friend Bryan Lawson said Janet helped set up the office at his business,Lawson Contracting and Construction. She also helped him with the recent startup of a cabinet company, C2C Cabinets (Concept to Completion).

She's highly motivated and determined that when she sets her mind to something, it's going to get done," Lawson said. "She's a very unique individual. She rises to the occasion.

"She took what was a tragic situation and started a new chapter in her life. She did it with a relentless attitude and work ethic. She's a definite inspiration."

Contact Bob Montgomery at bob.montgomery@shj.com

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Spartanburg woman overcomes tragic death of husband to launch dream business they planned - Spartanburg Herald Journal