Interface Founder and Chairman Ray Anderson dies at 77

Ray C Anderson, founder and Chairman of Interface Inc, lost a 20-month battle with cancer today. Surrounded by his family, he died at his home in Atlanta, it was announced by Company President and Chief Executive Officer Dan Hendrix.

An honors graduate of Georgia Institute of Technology's school of industrial and systems engineering in 1956, Anderson founded Interface in 1973 to produce the first free-lay carpet tiles in America. Interface would revolutionize the commercial floor covering business, but it is for his legendary environmental epiphany in 1994 for which he will best be remembered. Anderson transitioned from day-to-day management of the Company in 2001 when Dan Hendrix became CEO, and spent the next 10 years as non-executive Chairman, focusing his time and energy on the business case for sustainability, delivering more than 1,000 speeches and authoring two books on the topic.

Interface CEO Dan Hendrix said: "Not only did Interface and the world lose a great man today, but I lost a friend and mentor. Ray's iconic spirit and pioneering vision are not only his legacy, but our future. We will honor Ray by keeping his vision alive and the Company on course."

Interface, Inc. is the world's largest manufacturer of modular carpet, which it markets under the InterfaceFLOR, FLOR, Heuga and Bentley Prince Street brands, and, through its Bentley Prince Street brand, enjoys a leading position in the designer quality segment of the broadloom carpet market. The Company is committed to the goal of sustainability and doing business in ways that minimize the impact on the environment while enhancing shareholder value.