Q&A with Dennis Crowley, Founding Partner of EpiX Interiors

Q: Dennis, you’ve had quite the journey in the flooring industry. How did it all start?

Dennis Crowley: I was at Arizona State University and working nights at a bank—basically 18-hour days between school and work. A? friend of mine worked for a flooring company,Sun Control Tile? and offered me a job with more flexible hours. I learned how to install carpet and did that for three years while finishing school.

Q: But then you took a little detour—into the Army Reserve?

Dennis Crowley: Yes, this was during the draft lottery era. My birthday’s draft number was 35, which wasn’t exactly promising for avoiding being drafted and going to Vietnam. I had a student deferment, but with that number, I figured I’d be better off joining the Army Reserves. I was married at the time and my wife was pregnant. I did my seven months? of training and got back in March, and—timing is everything—my daughter was born two weeks later. Then it was right back to work and night school.

Q: You ended up at Baker Brothers. How did that shape your career?

Dennis Crowley: Baker Brothers was a big player in the retail flooring business back then. I started in their warehouse in 1972, eventually I moved into selling carpet. In 1977? I went into business with two friends from Baker Brothers as a minority partner in a flooring and furniture business. That lasted until 1979, when I decided to go out on my own and start Heritage Carpet & Interiors.

Q: Tell us about Heritage Carpet & Interiors.

Dennis Crowley: I was President of Heritage for 25 years. Along the way, I took on two partners, and we eventually sold the company in 2004 to a firm out of California, but I stayed on as president. Fast forward to 2021, and we sold again. That was my cue to retire—or so I thought.

Q: But retirement didn’t stick. What pulled you back in?

Dennis Crowley: Well, I lasted two years. Then in 2023, Rob Moore, Dennes Mikalacki, and I started EpiX Interiors. We saw an opportunity to build something with the best people in the business—many of whom had worked at Heritage, ISI, or ILG. These are people who know their craft inside and out. I hired our finance director, Dee Ray when she was 22 and now her and her daughter work here as well. It’s a team of true professionals who actually care about getting the job done right.

Q: What’s changed the most in flooring since you started?

Dennis Crowley: Oh, where do I start? Back then, if you were buying a house, you got vinyl asbestos tile (yes it was still in the name back then)—either brown or off-white. That was the whole selection. Then sheet vinyl came in, then carpet, then ceramic tile in entryways.

The biggest shift has been from carpet to hard surfaces—luxury vinyl plank, hardwood, porcelain, ceramic and stone. Luxury vinyl products have become very popular because it looks like wood, but it’s easier to maintain.?

Q: What’s the biggest challenge in the industry today?

Dennis Crowley: Quality control. This is something that is always foremost in our company. I see where many of our competitors rarely interact with their installation partners and this creates issues in the quality of the finished product.? That’s not how we operate. We’re on-site with supervision making sure things are done right.?

Q: What’s next for EpiX Interiors?

Dennis Crowley: Growth. We’ve got a solid market share in Tucson, and Phoenix is always expanding. We’re in a great position with an experienced team that likes what they do and enjoys coming to work every day. That’s rare in this business. We’ll keep doing what we do best—delivering finishes on time, on budget and with flawless precision for homebuilders who care about quality.