We recently heard that one of our Stroll Lakeside resident's amazing local business, The Floor Trader of Tacoma, has been selected as a 2025 Pierce County Volunteer Group Award Winner!  “Your group was nominated by a Pierce County Agency who expressed that your volunteer work this past year was outstanding and deserved to be recognized,” said the notification from Kyle Wintermute, Deputy Director of Pierce County Parks. “On behalf of the Pierce County Volunteer Recognition Committee, thank you and Congratulations!” 

  

This is delightful news if not a surprise. Everyone that works with The Floor Trader of Tacoma is aware of the owner, Dean Paulson’s, big heart. For example, we recently shared about Dean’s generous involvement in 2025 with a big remodel at the American Lake Veterans Golf Course in a previous edition of Stroll Lakeside. The Floor Trader was called in to give a quote on new carpeting, yet once Dean knew what this other amazing organization does for the community, he took it to the next level of volunteerism. Dean, the Floor Trader, and their business colleagues not only donated the carpet, but they also found a way to donate high quality paint, and labor at in-house pricing. 

 

The Floor Trader’s role in the Pacific Northwest was started in 1921 by Dean’s grandfather, Guy Paulson, in Portland, Oregon. “My dad and his brother were in business together and came to Washington in 1946,” Dean shared. “From then on, we have had many different names in our business through associations we have belonged to: we started out as GW Paulson Co., then Paulsons Carpet One, then Stone Mountain Carpet, and now Floor Trader of Tacoma.” 

 
“In Tacoma, Bob Paulson, Dean’s dad, strove to diversify the Washington location from the one in Portland. In 1985, Dean and his brother, Michael Paulson, took over, modernizing operations while staying true to the values their grandfather had instilled. To this day, the family continues to pass on the torch. The fourth generation in the person of Zach Paulson started out in the warehouse as a teenager and learned every corner of the business. “Zach is an integral part of the daily operation and face of the company in his well-known ads as ‘Zach the floor guy!’" Dean said. 

Today, more than 105 years since its founding, Paulson's Floor Trader of Tacoma remains family-owned and deeply committed to the people we serve. Whether you're a homeowner, builder, or contractor, you can trust that when you walk into a Paulson's store, you're not just a customer--you're part of our story. They are definitely "Your Friend in The Flooring Business" ™

 

Guy laid a foundation for service that his successors at the business have followed. Another notable volunteer-related event from 2025 was the Floor Trader’s Fifth Annual Santa Tip Challenge. “We had 41 attend my Santa Tip Challenge this year!” Dean told us. “It was an awesome event.” This event, sponsored by Dean and the Floor Trader, helps the hard-working servers of the restaurant industry right at the time we all need help the most – the winter holiday season. Co-workers, friends, and business associates gather together for a meal, pay with cash, and the remainder goes to the servers. “Enjoy knowing that your kind deed just may have saved Christmas for that server and their family,” says the event’s web page. “You never know how much this can touch someone's life. Every year, the tears prove it.” 

 

It’s evident from these two examples that Dean’s volunteerism is not restricted to one particular area, or even has to be related to flooring. If his big heart sees a need, his initiative finds a way to help. Like many such volunteer angels in our blessed South Sound, Dean remains humble about his contributions. “I don’t promote much personally about the donations or how we help out our community too much,” he told us. “Giving back to the community as we can has been rewarding. We are not a huge public company and do not have tons of funds to sponsor or do a lot of outreach help, but on our scale, I try to do the best we can as a small- to medium-sized business.” 

 

If you ask us, that’s the best kind of help. Congratulations to everyone at Floor Trader!