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STRIP DISTRICT - The first time Ralph Dallier came to Pittsburgh was in April 1992.
The next month, Mr. Dallier, a Grand Rapids, Mich., native, came back for good when he bought Franklin Interiors, a Strip District office furniture retailer and facilities planner and consultancy business.
"It was a great opportunity," said Mr. Dallier, who knew of Franklin Interiors when he was vice president of sales for Detroitbased Contract Interiors, one of the largest U.S. Steelcase office furniture dealerships.
"And I always wanted to own my own company," said Mr. Dallier, now 41.
What Mr. Dallier said he found when he took over Franklin Interiors, which was started in 1945, was a company that was struggling. The business, which started out as a residential interior design firm and had segued into office furniture, needed to be retooled and morale needed to be boosted, he said.
How Mr. Dallier accomplished the...