DALLAS -- Loloi Rugs is combining the time-honored tradition of a family-owned business with the modern strategies necessary to lift a company beyond the entrepreneurial arena. The synthesis of the two approaches is paying off for Loloi, which has top management that includes both family and non-family members.

Amir Loloi, president, founded Loloi Rugs in the fourth quarter of 2003 and the company made its official debut at the January, 2004 Atlanta market. He began his floor covering career at 19, when he went to work for Feizy, at first doing basic labor, later becoming part of the management and product development team.

Over the past 9 1/2 years, Loloi has become a major player in the rug industry, and the company's innovative ideas saturate every part of  the operation, from products to merchandising concepts to marketing strategies and display techniques.

Like many successful entrepreneurs, Loloi has also welcomed his two sons into the business. Steven Loloi joined the company in October, 2009 and Cyrus Loloi came on-board in February, 2011.

"Both Steven and Cyrus are highly educated and were motivated to do things on their own. I gave them the opportunity to come into the business. I didn't want to make it complicated or to push them," said Loloi. "They both showed keen interest and each felt they could bring their unique skills to help grow the business."

Loloi noted that both Steven and Cyrus immediately observed that the rug business is aging. "There aren't that many young people entering the business. Steven and Cyrus are adapting some of the strategies used by other industries and applying them to the rug category. It's important to bring a younger approach into the business."

Each member of the Loloi family has knowledge of all aspects of the company. Like their father, both Steven and Cyrus have put in time working at, non-management, labor-intensive job assignments. As they have moved into positions of greater responsibility, they have developed specialized skills  Cyrus supervises the company's marketing and education programs and Steven is involved with the company's technical programs and sales.

Amir Loloi specializes in product development, while both Steven and Cyrus have also showed keen interest in that area.

Both Steven Loloi and Cyrus Loloi  work closely with Austin Craley, vice president of sales; Valerie Jacobs, vice president of group sales, and Joan Catello, key accounts manager, who work with the brothers in close  mentoring relationship.

"Family members are on an education curve. It's important that they learn every aspect of the business thoroughly and they must learn from the senior management, just as they would in a company where they weren't related to the ownership," said Amir Loloi.

Amir Loloi's  love has always been to invent new ways to make rugs that offer consumers unique looks, unusual constructions and unexpected fibers and textures.

"I became interested in product development very early, and it has guided my career ever since," said Amir Loloi. "I develop the concepts and then work closely with our design team to make those ideas a reality."

When he established Loloi Rugs, Loloi's vision was to offer unique and  innovative products which filled gaps in the market for texture, color, pattern and price point.

"I started this business to express my own vision. What has brought me great joy is that this vision is now shared by our customers, sales people and management," he said.

One of the unique aspects of Amir Loloi's vision has been his deep involvement with cross merchandising of categories. Almost immediately after the company started up, many of the Loloi showrooms began hosting an eclectic group of  unique home fashions vendors including furniture, wall art, home accents, textiles and artwork.

In the past two years, Loloi has also added some related textile  products such as pillows and throws. But at the present time, the company is not introducing non-rug products under the Loloi name.

"It's a possibility for the future, but we can't go into a new category just for the sake of doing it. If we do decide to diversify our product mix, it would have to be completely different from anything else anyone else has," said Loloi.

Steven Loloi received his bachelor's degree from New York  University and a Master's Degree from the London School of Economics. He joined Loloi Rugs in October, 2009.

"One of my assignments is to work with Austin Craley, vice president of sales, in the key accounts, flooring, furniture and home channels," he said.

One of Steven Loloi's unique talents is in the technical arena. "Since childhood, I've always have an affinity for computers, and I have been able to develop company-wide policies and procedures such as fully automated i-pads in the showrooms and rebranding the website," he explained.

"I am also fond of the design aesthetic and I take part in collaborating with the design staff," he added. "Amir wants us to have a broad, holistic view of the company."

 Steven Loloi also envisions the world of rug wholesaling and retailing as embracing both high technology and the time-honored traditions of people-to-people business.

"I see bricks and mortar stores embracing technology, and responsible vendors know there is room for everyone. Being cutting edge is important, either in a real store or in e-commerce, and we want to help our customers increase the consumers consumption of rugs," said Steven.

Looking at the rug industry as a relative newcomer, Steven Loloi predicted that fashion turnover will become much faster as consumers accept rugs as home fashion accessories. "More and more, we are seeing rugs mirroring the trends in fashion apparel and home accents, not just following them," he said.

Cyrus Loloi graduated from Santa Clara University in 2010 and joined Loloi in February, 2011. "When I started, my dad had me in the warehouse," he said.

"Although I worked for one year on the sales team for a tech startup, I always knew I'd join the business."

Nowadays, Cyrus is involved primarily in outbound marketing programs. "I am focused on the customer experience. At Loloi, we are obsessed with design, and that must carry throughout every level of the customer's interactions with Loloi, from advertising to website design, to education and educational materials."

"The modern design aesthetic is associated with Loloi and it's my job to be the steward of that aesthetic."

Coming into the business 2 1/2 years ago, Cyrus Loloi has a fresh perspective on the industry.

"I see a continuing shift to more contemporary and transitional designs, I also see greater sophistication, better quality and interesting development in the indoor outdoor category," he said.

Discussing distribution channels, Cyrus Loloi predicted that online retailing will continue to grow, but "there will always be bricks and mortar stores.