
DATE: Sunday, May 18, 1997                  TAG: 9705160188

SECTION: CHESAPEAKE CLIPPER      PAGE: 03   EDITION: FINAL 

TYPE: CLOSE-UP 

SOURCE: Scott McCaskey 

                                            LENGTH:   62 lines

PHIL O. WOOLARD JR. OWNER, PRESIDENT OF FLOORS UNLIMITED

In 1959, Phil O. Woolard Jr. left his hometown in Washington, N.C., to join his brothers working for J.C. Law and Son floor-and-linoleum company in Norfolk. After nearly a decade of doing floor and carpet work with several firms, Woolard moved his wife and two children to Chesapeake and began thinking about starting his own company.

``I had a couple of hundred bucks saved up, and my tools and truck,'' recalled Woolard, 55, a Great Bridge resident. ``Around 1972, I started working for myself out of my home.''

In the 25 years that followed, Woolard has had three flooring store locations. In 1995, he opened Floors Unlimited at 1020 Cedar Road. Business is very good, Woolard says.

``I put in a lot of long, hard hours,'' he says. ``I try to treat everyone right, and my customers and contractors and have stayed with me.''

Woolard has about 10 employees, including his daughter, Phyllis, and son, Phillip.

``When we were kids, we hardly saw him, he worked so much,'' said Phyllis W. Whitehurst, 36. ``Now, we work with him every day.''

Employee Laura J. Saccal has worked as a salesperson for Floors Unlimited for about eight months.

``He knows his business from top to bottom, and his customers by name,'' said Saccal, 25, also from Chesapeake. He's great to work for.''

While Woolard has taken the time to travel much of the country with his wife Bertha ``Doodlebug,'' in their mobile home, the vacations have come between long stretches of toil. That is about to change, however.

``I'm going to slow down and let my son and daughter run things starting this August,'' Woolard said. ``I'm going to spend time with my wife, travel, and fish and hunt.''

Full Name: Phil O. Woolard

Hometown: Washington, N.C.

Birthdate: August 10, 1942

What brought you to Chesapeake? I came to work in Norfolk and liked Chesapeake because it had some country in it and reminded me of where I grew up.

Occupation: Owner and president of Floors Unlimited.

Marital status: Married to Bertha, ``Doodlebug''

Children: A daughter, Phyllis, and son, Phillip

Pets: Spike, the dog

Hobbies: Hunting, fishing, watching stock-car racing

Favorite Chesapeake restaurant, favorite food: Applebee's, steak

Favorite recent movie: ``The Client''

Favorite TV show: ``Andy Griffith'' reruns, and ``Matlock''