Dorsey Floral - Floral Arrangement Blooms

100 Fastest Growing Private Companies

Floral arrangement blooms for entrepreneur
Kristina Kolerich, Contributing Writer

Mark Dorsey doesn't define success by the bottom line.

Sure, Dorsey Floral is one of the state's 100 fastest-growing private companies, recording revenue of $1.2 million last year.

But Dorsey, the company's founder and CEO, says his wife and three young children are the reason he scraped together the capital to start the floral import and distribution company. That meant tapping out credit lines, taking a second mortgage on his house and even getting a second loan on his car.

"The company I worked for was closing its Seattle office and told me I had to move to Canada or find another job, so my wife and I decided we would gather every penny and begin Dorsey Floral," he says. "I started the company because I wanted to survive."

Dorsey says his company has profited since its second month in business.

Dorsey Floral has more than 130 customers, including chain grocery stores Safeway and Albertson's, and floral wholesalers Seattle Flower Market, Northwest Wholesale and Washington Floral.

He distributes his products throughout the United States and travels around the world searching for new product lines.

Despite the fluctuations in the economy, Dorsey says he's not worried about the viability of his business. In fact, sales are up 20 percent over this time last year.

"Grocery stores must have something to sell in their floral departments 52 weeks of the year and there will always be funerals and weddings. People recognize flowers are important in their lives," says Dorsey.

There is so much a need that Dorsey is in the process of moving his company from its 450-square-foot office at Sea-Tac Airport to a new property two miles away that includes warehouse space with a cooler.

Dorsey says while he is interested in growing his business outside the Seattle market, he won't do it at the expense of his current clients.

He believes his business will continue to do well in the Puget Sound region, and he is certain he'll meet his financial goals for the future: $3 million in sales by the end of 2004.