Dunlap ‘always looking to help someone’
Courtesy of CentiMark
Ed and Anna Dunlap at CentiMark Corp.’s 50th anniversary celebration in 2018
Holly Tonini/Observer-Reporter
In a photo from 2018, Ed Dunlap, left, chairman and CEO, and son Tim, president and COO of CentiMark Corp. in Southpointe
Edward B. Dunlap Jr. was best known as a businessman – specifically, as founder and chairman of CentiMark Corp. at Southpointe, a billion-dollar corporation and North America’s largest commercial roofing and flooring company.
But the people who knew him well describe Dunlap as a good man, a philanthropist who cared about others.
“He was always looking to help someone. If there was anyone in need – he didn’t have to know the person – he’d help out,” said Bill Laughlin, banquet manager at LeMont Restaurant, the iconic Mt. Washington restaurant that Dunlap and his wife, Anna, purchased in 1999 – nearly 30 years after the couple were married there.
Dunlap died Saturday, July 23, after a long illness.
In addition to being an entrepreneur and restaurateur, he was, according to family and friends, a family man who was kind and generous, a great leader, hard worker, and motivator.
“He was always thinking of others, that was Mr. Dunlap,” said Dr. G. Alan Yeasted, Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer Emeritus of St. Clair Health, whose friendship with Dunlap spanned 40 years, before Dunlap’s business took off. “You will never read about or know about all the charitable contributions Mr. Dunlap and his family have made to South Hills and the Pittsburgh area. He wasn’t seeking recognition or attention. He paid college tuition for people who are struggling. He just took care of people that way. We had a conversation once where he said he’d been fortunate in life and he wanted to spread his good fortune among others who hadn’t been as fortunate.”
In 2021, St. Clair Hospital opened an outpatient center, The Dunlap Family Outpatient Center, after the Dunlaps donated the largest gift in the hospital’s history. St. Clair Hospital’s conference center is also named after the Dunlaps.
Dunlap grew up outside of Cleveland, Ohio, and graduated from St. Joseph High School before he served in the U.S. Coast Guard for four years.
Dunlap’s improbable journey to successful businessman – a testament to his hard work and persistence – began in 1968, when he started a janitorial supply business in the basement of his home.
With $1,000 and one associate, he then started a business that would become CentiMark, which has 95 offices and 3,500 associates. The Dunlaps also own more than 75 businesses, and over the years have run several restaurants in the South Hills.
In a 2018 article in the Observer-Reporter, Dunlap attributed his company’s success and longevity to “hard work” and surrounding himself with “excellent associates.”
Dunlap’s son, Tim, CentiMark’s Chief Operating Officer, echoes his father’s values.
“My dad taught me many valuable lessons. This one is very important to me: surround yourself with the right people,” said Tim. “It’s so important to work with people who will help you achieve your goals, support your beliefs and are the kind of people that you want to be.”
Dunlap loved being with his family. He and Anna had four children, who survive. Also surviving are nine grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.
A devoted fan of baseball and the New York Yankees – the Mickey Mantle Bronx Bombers, not the “new” Yankees – Dunlap over the years visited every Major League Baseball stadium east of the Mississippi River, accompanied by children and grandchildren.
Kathy Slencak, CentiMark’s public relations manager, said those who knew Dunlap “are definitely better people” because of it.
Among the lessons Slencak learned from him, she said, were to be thankful for all we have, to care for those less fortunate, and to always do your best.
“When you work for Ed Dunlap, you were part of his family. You were loved, respected, and held accountable for your actions,” Slencak said. “You were part of a tight-knit group. Your accomplishments were celebrated, even over-celebrated, because Ed Dunlap was both proud and thankful for all the people he worked with.”
In addition to the Dunlap Family Outpatient Health Center, legacies include The Dunlap Family Athletic & Recreation Center at St. Vincent’s College.
If Dunlap became aware of a cause – and he did that innumerable times, Slencak said – he always helped out.
Slencak recalled one night about six years ago when she got a phone call from Dunlap, who was troubled after watching a “60 Minutes” episode about grandparents raising grandchildren as a result of the opioid epidemic.
“He said, ‘Come to work tomorrow with a plan on how to help grandparents in Pittsburgh,'” Slencak said. “And we did, and continue to support grandparents.”
Twenty years ago, Dunlap launched a golf tournament held annually at Southpointe Golf Club to benefit UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh.
He paid to install a commercial kitchen for Peters Township Meals on Wheels at its Donaldson’s Crossroads location.
A few years ago, during a hot stretch of summer, Dunlap became alarmed when he found out many seniors who were served by MOW did not have air conditioning, and he purchased an air-conditioning unit for seniors who accepted his offer to provide them with one.
Dunlap “was generous to the local nonprofit community,” said Laughlin, often underwriting 50% or more for costs for nonprofits who held fundraising events at the LeMont.
Dunlap also enjoyed meeting the couples who were holding their wedding receptions at the restaurant, making it a point to wish them well – and to sample the Pittsburgh cookie tables.
“He was a remarkable man, a really great guy, a generous guy who cared about and took care of his employees,” said Laughlin. “I’ll miss his sense of humor, our discussions about baseball and other things, seeing him at the restaurant. He touched my life, and I’ll forever cherish the time I had with him.”