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Native La Jollan George Coles grows from surf bum
to businessman and community supporter
Despite casting around for alternatives, including attending law school for a year and working, while a high school student, at Scripps Institute of Oceanography, George Coles is continuing his father’s legacy of running a retail chain.
Coles Fine Flooring celebrated its 60th anniversary in 2007 and remains a family operation. George Coles, now 64, was the oldest boy among eight children and got into his father’s business early. His brother Steve Coles is vice president and they work with two sisters, Chris Coles, in sales and Jane Kuczwara in the purchasing department. The average manager tenure at the company, including himself and his brother, is approaching 24 years.
George Coles talks about his journey from self-described surf bum to president of one of San Diego’s leading flooring retailer in his own words.
The gig
“I really did not intend to go into the family business. I wanted to go into law — that didn’t work out. My father encouraged me to come into his business (which he started in 1947) and I kind of matured to a point that I realized that it was an opportunity that a lot of other people don’t have. Also he said that he’d let me bring my Labrador to work and that was part of it. I’m on my third Labrador now. And he comes to work with me about half the time.”
The Coles
Surf bum makes good
“My father more or less told me I was a surf bum. He was correct. So he said, ‘You’re not going to go to La Jolla High with all your pals.’ So I had to take a bus for almost an hour and a half from La Jolla Shores all the way to The University of San Diego High School, (also known as Uni High), which was an all-boys school. And I kind of regretted that, because I was a surfer kid. But they had a priest there named Father Rollins. He was actually a former Jesuit. I was in my sophomore year and I wasn’t going anywhere and he kind of got me to see the light.”
My real mentor was my father, Hubert Coles. But outside the family I got the old wake-up call from Father Rollins.”
Providing flooring for the set of the movie Titanic
“(Rosarito) beach basically had a reservoir of water there and a fake ship. And they explained to us that they wanted carpet that they would sink five or six times. And we, from a very honest point of view, said ‘Hey, that’s wool carpet, and if you put the same wool carpet in there you won’t have to replace it. It’ll do fine.’ You know, we did not take advantage of one of those huge Hollywood budgets.”
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George Coles provided the flooring for the reproduction of the Titanic in the 1997 film.
Respecting military culture
“Part of that is shopping at the military exchanges. You know it’s a good value. You don’t have to pay sales tax. When we had the opportunity to put in a showroom originally at Miramar, it was a lot of our own customers, and they really welcomed it when we became part of that culture.”
Making tails wag
“I’m on the board of the Humane Society. I’m really big on animal welfare and sponsor the San Diego County Animal Shelter. I love the animals, in particular I love dogs. I like cats. And animal welfare, I think, is a good cause. If I had to do it all over again, I’d come back as a Labrador and live in La Jolla. You know, I get to bring my dog to the board meetings of the
Humane Society — and I do.”
George Coles is continuing his father's legacy of running a retail chain.
Legal reformer
“I have been Chairman for Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse which is a nonprofit, again, and trying to support civil justice reform, because I think things have gotten out of hand. You don’t need a reason to sue me, but I have to spend the money, time, and energy to defend myself. And that’s part of our problem.”
LEFT TO RIGHT: George, Hubert, and Steve Coles with their dogs in La Jolla.
Loving La Jolla
“I was born in La Jolla. I only left to go away to college for four years. I returned every summer and then permanently. I’m a guy that loves La Jolla. I live a block and a half from the beach and I guess I’m part of the old surf culture of La Jolla.”
Then the interview had to come to an end: “I’m pulling into my driveway and my wife and my Black Labrador Ben are greeting me.”
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