ToquiNotes: After 38 Years, Owner, Operator of City Business Set for New Chapter as Retirement at Hand
By Jeff Toquinto on May 09, 2026 from ToquiNotes
The owner, former president, and CEO of one of Bridgeport’s longest-standing businesses that has dozens of employees is calling it a career come early June.
Darren Abraham, who is today considered a strategic advisor as part of his exit strategy, will be stepping down next month. His business, AbrahamLinc, has been a mainstay fixture all the way back to the business that came before it that he purchased nearly four decades ago.
“It originally was Preston Carpet Distributors. I started working for Charlie Preston in 1985 and bought it from him Dec. 6, 1988,” said
Abraham.
Abraham.
At the time, the business was still on Main Street, but in a different location. It was in the Exemplar Building, which is across the street from the Dairy Queen and near East of Chicago Pizza. Abraham changed the name, became aggressive, and that brings us to today – the end of his road.
“My last corporate paycheck will be June 5,” said Abraham.
That does not mean the end of the business. The business has been purchased by All Surfaces, which has nearly 50 locations in 20 states, including the Bridgeport site and Abraham’s three out-of-state distribution centers.
“I still own the building, but All Surfaces bought the business. They run their businesses, they run the brand, but it will now continue as AbrahamLinc for the near future Powered by All Surfaces,” said Abraham.
Although still sporting 85 employees, prior to COVID Abraham’s Bridgeport location and three distribution centers in Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Virgina, totaled 93 employees. All of it was headquartered locally, and all that growth came after the 1988 acquisition when it was just Abraham and one other employee.
The growth has been steady, and consistent for Abraham, a city resident born in Reynoldsville and a lifelong Harrison County resident. The growth, as history shows, was almost immediate.
“We quickly outgrew the (Exemplar) Building that we were and were needing more things to sell. We were running out of space and came down and saw this building, and they agreed to lease it to us. We’ve been here ever since,” said Abraham.
The “they” in this statement is Rish Equipment. The move via lease into what was the back of two buildings owned by the company came in July of 1990. Eventually, when Rish relocated to Jerry Dove Drive and sold its property to the City of Bridgeport for what today is the Bridgeport Municipal Complex.
“Bridgeport purchased the entire property, but I bought this building, and the back eight acres, in 2002,” said Abraham. “I realized then I had come a long way from when Charlie Preston, a dear friend, handed me the keys and said, ‘good luck.’ We had some of that along the way.”
Luck may have had a finger in the mix. Good business practices, hard work, and dedication to the product and service were the main 
ingredients that are still cooking to this day. It led to expansion, growth in jobs, and a large market footprint.
ingredients that are still cooking to this day. It led to expansion, growth in jobs, and a large market footprint.
“We found out just a few things that our customers valued, really valued, beyond a quality product,” said Abraham. “We also found out they are the simplest of things, but if you get them right with the right product and do it better than anyone else that’s the key to success.”
The simplistic things?
Get the order right the first time. Have the materials in stock that are valuable to the customer. Deliver the product on time. When the product is delivered, it needs to be free of damage, and it needs to be clean.
“Those are really simple things, but if you can do them you can get it to where the customers expect it the orders will continue, and you’ll be ahead,” said Abraham. “No one touts having bad customer service, and almost everyone says they have great service. We don’t say it,
we show it by getting orders right and on time, and it makes buying from us desirable. The formula is that simple.”
we show it by getting orders right and on time, and it makes buying from us desirable. The formula is that simple.”
Simple enough to allow for the expansion. Along with the 92,000 square foot facility that features 13,000 square feet of office space in Bridgeport, the expansions in recent years include the distribution centers in Baltimore, Md.; Waynesboro, Va.; and Harrisonburg, Pa.
“It’s helped myself and those with me have expansion-driven minds,” said Abraham, of the four properties, all which were acquired under this most recent deal. “This business serves almost a dozen states, including Washington, D.C.
“As sure as I was I could make this work, I didn’t believe it would grow at this level even with our mission and values at the beginning. We wanted to be respectable,” he continued. “We wanted to be on the list of the top 25 in our business … We know the list, and we know we’re on it.”
The other list AbrahamLinc is on that is important is the list of Bridgeport and Harrison County businesses. While the city site is also a 
distribution center, it has been the company’s headquarters.
distribution center, it has been the company’s headquarters.
So, why not move with operations in other major cities?
“I’m born and raised in Harrison Couty and I’ve never moved. I’m proud of that,” said Abraham, who has traveled nationally and globally. “We could have relocated headquarters and based on business velocity it would have been Baltimore. I’m happy we stayed because the brains and talent that started this is from Harrison County and I wanted to keep the business here and hope to have brought pride to our city and state along the way.”
And although part of his corporate growth, Abraham did something else while building a major business. In his mid-30s, Abraham was into boxing. And just like the business world, he expanded from the gym to actual matches and, as expected, he beat the competition.
In 2000, Darren Abraham became a state boxing champion. He won the West Virginia Super Middleweight championship.
Now, at age 60, he is stepping away from it all.
“It just got to the point I needed to spend more time with my family because growing a business, working seven days a week, comes at the expense of family,” Abraham said. “I need to spend time with my dad and family on the farm and more times with my kids. When you start asking yourself how much is enough, it’s a sign that it’s time … I’m not going to have trouble walking away. It’s time.”
Walking away as a winner. He did it in the ring. Now, he’s doing it as a businessman.
Editor's Note: Top and bottom photo shows Darren Abraham by the sign at the Main Street headquarters - at the top early in his career, and at the bottom near the end. Second photo shows Darren at his work desk, while he points to an area of expansion where new parking was being built that started in 2018. In the fourth image, Abraham is shown with his West Virginia state boxing championship and that is followed by some familiar trucks found on the Main Street property.
