written like an advertisement . please help improve it by removing promotional content and inappropriate external links and by adding encyclopedic content written from a neutral point of view . september 2012 learn how and when to remove this template message empire today llc type private industry home improvement founded 1959 headquarters northlake illinois u.s. products carpet hardwood flooring laminate flooring ceramic flooring vinyl flooring window treatments area rugs website www.empiretoday.com empire today llc is a northlake illinois based home improvement and home furnishing company specializing in installed carpet flooring and window treatments . the company operates in more than 75 metropolitan areas in the united states making it a leading provider of installed home improvements and home furnishings in north america . empire today was founded in 1959 by seymour cohen in partnership with jonathan samuel beute . empire today has served over one million customers . 1 empire today was named the country s 1 or 2 specialty flooring retailer in total dollar amount of sales from 2007 to 2010 by floor covering weekly . 2 empire today is known for making in home sales appointments and next day installation on many of its products . 3 empire today offers next day installation on carpet hardwood flooring laminate flooring ceramic flooring vinyl flooring and window treatments . 4 contents 1 empire carpet history behind the name 2 advertising 2.1 empire man 2.2 advertising jingle 3 empire carpet recycling program 4 see also 5 references 6 external links empire carpet history behind the name edit empire carpet is the historical commonly known name for empire today llc . empire was founded by entrepreneur seymour cohen in 1959 as empire plastic covers a private family owned business in chicago from a small office space . owner seymour cohen decided to expand its product line in response to growing customer request . in 1965 empire plastic covers changed its name to empire home services adding carpet to their product line . over the years empire s product line grew as did the company s national presence . in november 2000 the company was sold and then in 2003 adopted its current name empire today . advertising edit empire today s advertising is prevalent in areas serviced by the company throughout major urban areas across north america . the company s prominent television and web ads feature the recognizable empire man character . empire man edit the empire man was introduced in 1978 as a live action character and later adapted into a popular animated persona that has grown to become a cultural icon . 5 the empire man has been seen internationally in commercials and other media has spawned a line of collectible bobblehead dolls and inspired the chicago cubs to declare an official empire day at wrigley field in 2007 . 6 the empire man was originally portrayed on television by lynn hauldren from 1978 through 2011 a former ad executive . after empire today decided to retire the live character in favor of a computer animated version hauldren continued to provide voiceovers for the ads until his death in 2011 . some of the commercials with his voice are still airing . 7 contrary to popular belief the empire man was not the company s owner nor was he one of the installers . in the late 1970s hauldren was one of the advertising copywriting forces behind the empire brand . the company s owner during the time requested that he serve as the on air talent for the spots after unsuccessfully auditioning several other people for the role . citation needed hauldren also wrote and recorded the tune used as the company s famous jingle . citation needed advertising jingle edit empire today s advertising jingle which has been broadcast since 1977 is a widely recognized theme . 3 the jingle is simply a small mixed gender vocal group singing out the digits of the telephone number . the original chicago centered version was only the seven digit number 588 2300 em pire as the chain expanded nationally in 2000 though it was first used in a commercial in 1996 due to the addition of more area codes in the chicago area the same tune was used but with an 800 number prefix added for the company s toll free number 800 588 2300 em pire after changing its name to empire today in february 2003 the new name was added to the jingle which resulted in a sped up version of the song so today could be included . after a brief period the jingle reverted to the original but with the empire man saying today at the end . this jingle still continues to be used . empire carpet recycling program edit in 2011 empire today implemented a carpet and padding recycling program to minimize the environmental impact of their day to day operations . in cooperation with carpet america recovery effort care and clear carpet landfill elimination and recycling 100 % of the carpet and padding removed by empire today s residential small business and commercial installers that can be recycled will be recycled . in first quarter 2011 empire piloted the program in select areas and the program is currently operational in more than 25 of empire s service areas . since the program s inception over six million pounds of carpet and padding have been recycled according to empire s waste tonnage reporting . 8 see also edit carpet laminate flooring hardwood flooring window treatment floor covering tile ceramic floor home improvement references edit jingle fever . replacement contractor magazine . 2008 . retrieved 17 january 2008 . top 50 retailers 2010 . floor covering weekly . 2010 . retrieved 12 september 2007 . a b empire today llc . about us . retrieved 31 july 2008 . empire today llc . general faqs . retrieved 31 july 2008 . empire today s icon character empire man celebrates 30th anniversary . weatherford democrat . 2007 07 18 . retrieved 2008 01 29 . empire today honored at historic wrigley field chicago cubs declare empire day . home renovation guide . 2007 08 17 . retrieved 2008 01 15 . chicagoland memories . lisa s web world . retrieved 2 march 2006 . empire today s recycling program external links edit official website retrieved from https en.wikipedia.org w index.php title empire today & oldid 743330669 categories retail companies of the united stateshome improvement retailers of the united statescompanies based in cook county illinoiscompanies established in 1959culture of chicagohidden categories articles with a promotional tone from september 2012all articles with a promotional toneall articles with unsourced statementsarticles with unsourced statements from april 2010 navigation menu personal tools not logged intalkcontributionscreate accountlog in namespaces article talk variants views read edit view history more search navigation main pagecontentsfeatured contentcurrent eventsrandom articledonate to wikipediawikipedia store interaction helpabout wikipediacommunity portalrecent changescontact page tools what links 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