# Brian Elias

> Brian Elias is the founder and former CEO of 1-800-HANSONS and the founder and Chief Imagination Officer of Refloor. Based in Troy, Michigan, he built HANSONS from a 1988 startup into a business approaching $80 million in annual revenue before selling a majority stake to Huron Capital in 2017. He later started Refloor with his son Daniel and also leads businesses in customer financing and website visitor retention.

- **Role:** Founder and Chief Imagination Officer at Refloor
- **Organizations:** 1-800-HANSONS, Refloor, Credit Card Rate Lending by Hunter Financial (CCRL), DontGo.com
- **Education:** Eastern Michigan University
- **Known for:** Built HANSONS into a business approaching $80 million in annual revenue before the 2017 majority sale., 2012 Fred Case Entrepreneur of the Year Award., 2018 Legends of the Home Improvement Industry honoree.

## Career timeline

- **1988** — Founded 1-800-HANSONS with $5,000.
- **2012** — Received the Fred Case Entrepreneur of the Year Award.
- **2017** — Sold a majority interest in HANSONS to Huron Capital in October.
- **2018** — Honored among the Legends of the Home Improvement Industry.
- **2020** — Founded Refloor, according to his company history; built the business with his son Daniel.
- **2025** — Discussed systems and hiring on Systems Simplified and appeared on Talking TOP 500.
- **2026** — Discussed Refloor’s shop-at-home model and building with Daniel in Floor Covering News.

## Achievements

- Built HANSONS into a business approaching $80 million in annual revenue before the 2017 majority sale.
- 2012 Fred Case Entrepreneur of the Year Award.
- 2018 Legends of the Home Improvement Industry honoree.
- Crain’s Detroit Business 40 Under 40 honoree, 1999, as listed on his LinkedIn profile.
- REMODELING Big50 recognition.
- Refloor completed 7,844 jobs on $63.3 million in 2023 revenue and ranked No. 43 on the Top 500 list discussed by Qualified Remodeler in April 2025.

## Latest updates

- **2026-08** — A Power100 conversation from The Pinnacle Experience in Baltimore covered hiring mistakes, values and company culture.
- **2026-07** — Appeared on The Level 10 Contractor Daily Podcast to discuss hiring and company culture; episode published July 24.
- **2026-02** — Discussed building Refloor with Daniel and the demands of shop-at-home flooring in Floor Covering News, published February 20.

## Links

- Website: https://brianelias.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianbenjaminelias/
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/brianelias
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brianelias/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brianbenjaminelias

---

Profile page: https://yespress.io/brian-elias
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-16