An entrepreneur since his college days, Steve Silver decided in 1987 to go into the furniture business. In a 10,000 square foot building in Forney, Texas, the Steve Silver Company, an import furniture business specializing in dining sets and occasional furniture, was born.

Today, the company encompasses over 500,000 square feet of facilities, has grown to over $150 million in sales and employs over 500 people not only in Texas, but in China, Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam.

Silver’s business philosophy reflects the same drive and competitive spirit he learned in the wrestling room, “Provide the best quality product at an irresistible price, back it up with uncompromising service, and continue to improve every day.”

He began as a high school wrestler in Spencerport, New York where he won two sectional championships, in 1972 and 1973. He didn’t plan to wrestle in college, but soon changed his mind and walked on at the University of Alabama under Coach Pat Milkovich. Three years later, when the Crimson Tide dropped wrestling, he believed his career in the sport was done.

But wrestling wouldn’t let go so easily.

A trip to the NCAA championships in 1989 piqued his interest again. When his son Luke expressed his desire to wrestle, it was full speed ahead.

At the time, wrestling opportunities in Texas were still few and far between so Silver founded and coached a youth wrestling club in Forney, hiring 1988 Olympic gold medalist Kenny Monday to help coach.. He began to support Bishop Lynch High School, helping it to become a nationally-known program. He was instrumental in bringing the National Wrestling Coaches Association All-Star Classic to the state of Texas for the first time and serves on a committee trying to bring intercollegiate wrestling to the University of Texas.

For four straight years, including the 2008 Olympics in China, he served as the team leader for the U.S. Freestyle team. For his efforts, he was honored with USA Wrestling’s Man of the Year for 2006, the NWCA’s Dan Gable America Needs Wrestling Award for 2007, and was inducted into New York’s Section 5 Hall of Fame in February of 2009.