The 2024 NWFA Wood Flooring Expo occurred recently in New Orleans, LA. The industry gathered there for education sessions, technical demonstrations, to see the latest products and trends, and to broaden their networks. This year’s theme was “Raise the Bar,” and the event embraced the fun and uniqueness of the Big Easy throughout the week, including a second line jazz band during the opening session.
Juan and Alejandra Zambrano of NewStyle Hardwood Flooring in Toronto, Canada, joined NWFA in February 2024 and were attending the Expo for the first time.
“I was looking to improve and dream bigger. I knew NWFA was the right path to grow my company,” said Juan Zambrano. “The networking has been the most important thing here. We can contact anybody by email or text, but face-to-face is a different story and experience.”
Alejandra Zambrano added, “Everyone has been so welcoming that we don’t even feel like new members. We went to the new member reception, and people were reaching out to us and telling us who we needed to connect with. People are so open to sharing their knowledge.”
On the trade show floor, manufacturers discussed how the market is performing and the trends consumers want. Jennifer Zimmerman, chief commercial officer for AHF Products, noted that things are shifting slightly to cleaner visuals and warmer tones.
“The Hardwood industry is still alive and kicking and doing well. There are pockets of it that have seen a decline with the economy, but the people who are still spending money are still putting in hardwood as it is the aspirational product,” said Zimmerman.
Renee Tester, director of marketing for Kährs Americas, stated that wider and longer, and lighter, neutral colors remained at the top of customers’ wish lists at Expo.
“Traffic has been fantastic, with meaningful conversations at this show,” said Tester. “There are some really good contacts we used to do business with, and now we can rekindle that relationship, so it’s been great for us.”
During the Expo’s opening session, Michael Martin, president and CEO of NWFA, gave an update on the state of the industry. As part of that, he shared highlights from Hardwood Floorsmagazine’s 2024 Industry Outlook survey.
“Due to continued concerns with interest rates, inflation, and lack of home inventory, both in new homes and existing homes available, the wood flooring industry is currently treading a path of guarded optimism in 2024,” said Martin. “Specifically, 15 percent of respondents expect sales to increase significantly by 8 percent or more. About a third of professionals foresee moderate growth, with sales expected to be up somewhat, between 3 to 7 percent. And nearly a third of respondents predict that sales will remain unchanged compared to last year.”
Both the 2024 NWFA Service Award honorees and Wood Floor of the Year Award winners were announced during the Expo. A complete list of those recognized will be featured in the upcoming June/July 2024 issue of Hardwood Floors magazine.
2024 NWFA Service Awards Emerging Leader of the Year Award: Carlos Mongalo, National Flooring Contractors Apprenticeship Program Hall of Fame Award: Jon Roy Reid, Trinity Hardwood Distributors Hall of Fame Award: Chris Zizza, C&R Flooring
2024 NWFA Wood Floor of the Year Awards Best in Circles/Curved/Bent Wood: D-Lux Hardwood Floors – Milwaukie, Oregon Best in Color/Finish and Textured Wood: Floor Master Company – Crystal Lake, Illinois Best Historic Restoration: Universal Floors Inc. – Washington, D.C. Best in Marquetry/Inlays: Ourada Designs – Nine Mile Falls, Washington Best Parquetry: H&M Flooring Design Inc. – Chicago, Illinois Best Use of Technology: Czar Floors, Richboro, Pennsylvania Best Staircase: Walk On Wood Inc., Winter Park, Florida Manufacturer Spotlight: WD Flooring – Laona, Wisconsin Member’s Choice: Universal Floors Inc. – Washington, D.C.
Be sure to save the date for next year’s Expo, which will take place April 15-17, 2025, in Charlotte, NC. Learn more at www.nwfa.org.
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Tim Girardi, Paul Newton and Ken Walker, Logs 2 Lumber 2 You LLC, Nashville, TNTim Daniel, Tim Daniel Hardwood Floors LLC, Madison, MS; Scott Coco, J&C Wood Products LLC, Mansura, LA; and Clint Turner, Tim Daniel Hardwood Floors LLC, Madison, MSMartin Mayer, PC Hardwood Floors, Brooklyn, NY; and Dave Clark and Jeff Lindsey, Prima Floors Inc., Fife, WAJustin Mattson, Mattson Floor, St. Joseph, MI; and Peter Connor, WD Flooring LLC, Laona, WIJoseph Mathe, A-American Custom Flooring Inc., Chicago, IL; Angela Medley-Mattingly, Lebanon Oak Flooring LLC, Lebanon, KY; John Capalnas, Adrien Siubuca and Jonny Capalnas, A-American Custom Flooring Inc., Niles, ILKre Easland and Steve Stewart, Pacific Hardwood, Orange, CAKari Bunting and Peter Solberg, Component Solutions LLC, Menominee, MIKenton Martin, Marie-Joel Bossé, Pierre Thabet, Manny Machado and Penny Hodges, Mirage Hardwood Floors, Saint-Georges, QCKevin Owen, Allegheny Mountain Hardwood Flooring, Emlenton, PA; Andrew Denny, Textures Flooring, Nashville, TN; Dennis Hickman, Allegheny Mountain Hardwood Flooring; and Robert Sutherland, Textures FlooringNarcis Rus, NDM Floors Distributor Inc., Marietta, GA; Steve Merrick, Merrick Hardwoods Inc., Burnside, KY; Ashley Fleming, SamaN, Victoriaville, QC; and Calin Rus, NDM Floors Distributor Inc.John Damrell, Precision Flooring Products Inc., Laguna Beach, CA; Michelle Arsenault, Executive Director, Wood Products Manufacturers Association, Westminster, MA; and Dave Wallace, Precision Flooring Products Inc., Morristown, TNRichard Wilkerson, Anderson-Tully Lumber Co., Vicksburg, MS; Robin Vilt, J & R Architectural Wood Solutions, Waynesboro, VA; Jason Eastman, Mountain Lumber Company Inc., Waynesboro, VA; and Geoff Henderson, Anderson-Tully Lumber Co.Jon Cox, Frank Miller Lumber Co. Inc., Union City, IN; Brenda Cashion, Swift-Train Company, Houston, TX; Rose Mary Cummings, Maxwell Hardwood Flooring Inc., Monticello, AR; and Kevin Prather, PrintArt, McKinney, TXShannon Farrar and Denin Bieberitz, North Wood Flooring LLC, Coleman, WIKris Wilson and Sam Augustin, Ashawa Bay Hardwood Floors, Cook, MNKelly Risovi, H.B. Fuller Company, St. Paul, MN; Rhonda and Clint McDaniel, Oakcrest Lumber Inc., Buena Vista, GA; Bobby Cloer and Kevin Cloer, Oakcrest Lumber Inc., Newport, TN; William Faircloth, T&F Lumber Company LLC, Monticello, GA; and Sam Kuhn, H.B. Fuller CompanyRobert McNamara, Sheoga Hardwood Flooring & Paneling Inc., Middlefield, OH; Dan Reisen, Virtu Wood Flooring, New York, NY; John Kiepper, Sheoga Hardwood Flooring & Paneling Inc.Cameron Merrick, Merrick Hardwoods Inc., Burnside, KY; Toto Robinson, Robinson Lumber Company, New Orleans, LA; and Blake Gerughty, Blue Grass Wood Products, Gamaliel, KYJoe Lawrence, Floors Inc. HQ, Birmingham, AL; Chad Hinton, Merrick Hardwoods Inc., Burnside, KY; and Nathan Aldrich, Floors Inc. HQMatt Newton and Jeff Newton, Olde Wood Ltd., Magnolia, OH; and Rick Farrell, Woodwright Hardwood Floor Company Inc., Dallas, TXWayne Lee, Geoff Hillenmeyer, Larry Cox, Sam Patterson and Whit Lovinggood, Middle Tennessee Lumber Co. Inc., Burns, TNMike Benito, Arrow Forest LLC/ Ike Trading Co. Ltd., Beaverton, OR; Jim Duke, Betty Sesco, Glen Miller, Chris Moore, Graf Brothers Flooring & Lumber, South Shore, KY; Randy McCullough, Old Americana Floors, Murray, UTSteve Bunch, Springcreek Flooring, West Plains, MO; Alvin Niwaz and Debbie Khemraj, Unique Floor Supply Inc., South Ozone Park, NY; Doug Wirkkala, Hardwood Industries Inc., Sherwood, OR; and Chip Vice, Justin Rutledge and Rusty Doughty, Springcreek FlooringAnthony Muntean and Carmen Muntean, AB Hardwood Flooring and Supplies, Chicago, IL; Mike Lewis and Libby Clayton, Reliance Hardwood Flooring/Lewis Lumber and Milling Inc., Dickson, TN; and Phillip Smith, Stoltzfus Forest Products LLC, Peach Bottom, PAScott Propst, Scotty Roten and Banks Church, Appalachian Lumber Company Inc., Wilkesboro, NCHeath Chamberlin, Will Pachan, Sara Mauk, Laura Mullins, Jim Graf, John Nichols and Andrew Graf, Graf Custom Hardwood, Portsmouth, OHDon Coleman, Alex Gilszmer and Elizabeth Coleman, Peachey Hardwood Flooring, Reedsville, PA; Andrew Denny, Textures Flooring, Nashville, TN; and Jeff Fairbanks, Peachey Hardwood FlooringTerry Miller, National Hardwood Magazine, Memphis, TN; and Scott Cummings and Thad Dibble, Barefoot Flooring, Troy, PAJohn Goodey and Ed Acker, Weston Wood Solutions Inc., Brampton, ONButch Ousley, Buchanan Hardwood Flooring Company LLC, Aliceville, AL; Garner Robinson, Robinson Lumber Company, New Orleans, LA; Bill and Cheryl Buchanan, Buchanan Hardwood Flooring Company LLC; Narcis Rus, NDM Floors Distributor Inc., Marietta, GA; and Alexandra Smith and Doug Fikes, Buchanan Hardwood Flooring Company LLCJason Austen and Alain Thibeault, Preverco Inc., Quebec City, QC; Ken Maguire, Preverco Inc., Allentown, PA; and Julien Dufresne, Preverco Inc., Quebec City, QCTommy Maxwell and Keith Waldrop, Maxwell Hardwood Flooring Inc., Monticello, AR; Brian Chancellor, Ouachita Hardwood Flooring LLC, Warren, AR; and Darrell Orrell and Wil Maxwell, Maxwell Hardwood Flooring Inc., Monticello, ARDustin Noyes, Muscanell Millworks Inc., Cortez, CO; Steve Stoufflet, Robinson Lumber Company, New Orleans, LA; Bobby Comisky, Muscanell Millworks Inc., Cortez, CO; and Court Robinson, Robinson Lumber CompanyWesley Robinson, Robinson Lumber Company, New Orleans, LA; Tyler Francois, Snow Country Hardwoods Inc., Hurley, WI; and Bill Buchanan, Buchanan Hardwood Flooring Company LLC, Aliceville, ALSteve Black, Kevin Murphy, Scott Fesus and Greg Burleson, Mullican Flooring, Johnson City, TNWebb Tutt, Demopolis Hardwood Flooring Inc., Demopolis, AL; Rob Dahlberg, Reliance Hardwood Flooring/Lewis Lumber and Milling Inc., Dickson, TN; and Zac Shepherd, Demopolis Hardwood Flooring Inc./Heritage Oak LLC, Sarcoxie, MOChris Reohr, Genevieve Berthiaume and David Junior Lauzon, Lauzon Hardwood Floors, Papineauville, QC
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