Lloyd Brinkman was an admired member of the floor covering industry, not only for his acute business and customer relations skills but also for his dedication to helping the entire industry. Brinkman is recognized for his entrepreneurship. He started his business career raising Brangus cattle in the Dallas area, as well as running a successful carpet distribution business. In 1970 he traded a 1.8% stake in his distributorship to acquire Miami-based Giffen Industries, which he renamed LDB Corp. In 1987, Brinkman sold his carpet and flooring business for $57 million to John Crowther Group PLC, a British manufacturing and distribution company.