Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Reserve Your Corner of Cyberspace with NWFA's Web Site Tools
 Liz Peuster is the NWFA marketing & web services manager. She can be reached here. At the NWFA Wood Flooring Expo, we announced a set of web site tools designed to help dealer/contractors establish and grow their web presence and ultimately increase their business. These tools make implementing and managing your web site not only easy, but affordable, saving money in research, design, and maintenance.
Here’s the breakdown:
The NWFA Customized Web Templates are a simple way to launch or grow your online presence. To get started, first choose from three web site templates that have been professionally designed with your business in mind. Then provide some information about your company and photos of your work. Our team will put together your web site and help you secure or transfer your URL.
NWFA offers Search Engine Optimization packages to help your site appear in local searches. SEO experts will examine your site and work with you to enhance your rankings in local search engine results. You will also receive reports on your rankings as well as your competitors’ rankings.
Add the interactive RoomPlanner tool to engage customers on your site. The RoomPlanner allows users to change the wood species and flooring techniques in a variety of room settings. Also, you can upload photos of your client’s rooms and change the existing floor to a wood floor with a click of a button—an easy way to demonstrate how beautiful a wood floor would look in their home or business. Check out the RoomPlanner on our consumer site, www.woodfloors.org.
You can find more information about these tools on our web site at http://www.nwfa.org/member/webtemplates.aspx. Feel free to contact me for more information or to get started building your site.
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Monday, April 02, 2012
Why Local Search?
 Chris Westmeyer is the owner of Traffic Flow SEO and can be reached here. We have been building up to this for more than three years, but we can now officially announce that 2012 will be the year of Local Search. Based on many factors including the rapid increase in smart phone and tablet usage, Google's recent algorithm updates and decline of printed publications such as the Yellow and White Pages, the way people find out about and buy from local businesses, is changing.
Why the local search? Well, local search is a unique opportunity to be at the exact right time and place when a potential customer is interested in a product or service you offer. That opportunity unto itself is attractive, but imagine this: there are more than 4,000,000 searches with local intent done every month. Those 4,000,000 local searches will result in 2,440,000 local business purchases monthly.
Do you want your share of this incredible opportunity? Come by and visit me at the Wood Flooring Expo for my session, “2012-The Year of the Local Search” at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, April 12. In addition, all those that attend will receive an invaluable tool to get their local search business efforts kick-started.
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Monday, March 26, 2012
What's All This Talk About Lead Paint?
 As president at Madison, Wis.-based Testudo LLC, Samantha Dalsing has trained and advised thousands of contractors on the EPA's RRP rule for lead-based coatings. She can be reached here. I follow the HF news comments and from what I gather I can
tell there are a good number of professionals within the wood flooring industry
taking the EPA's Renovation, Repair and Painting (RRP) rule seriously—and that
makes me happy. Still, I gather many of you have a lot of questions about
exactly how the rule works, and when you do and do not have to follow it.
We're not going to get into a discussion here about whether
the rule is good, bad, right or wrong—that won't get us anywhere since the rule
is already in effect. Instead, I want to hear all of your questions on the
rule. Do you know when you have to follow it? Do you know the definition of the
target housing? Do you know the "de minimis" requirements for the area
disturbed in a room?
Maybe you have yet to take the required training; maybe
you've already taken it but have some lingering questions about the rule. I
invite you to post a question at the bottom of the page, and I'll do my best to
help you out. You might also take a look at this discussion thread I was
involved in last year on the HF
Forum.
The building market is tough out there, I know. If you're
hoping to capitalize on higher demand for remodeling in 2012, it's safe to say
that getting your RRP certification will open doors to job sites that would
otherwise be illegal for you to work on.
Looking ahead, I invite everyone attending the 2012 NWFA
Wood Floor Expo in Orlando to stop by my seminar—"What You Don’t Know Can
Hurt You - EPA Lead Regulations for Flooring Professionals"—on April 12 at
11 a.m. I'll present a solid overview of the rule, discuss how it specifically applies
to wood flooring professionals, share some data on how much lead dust is
created during a refinishing job, and I'll answer more of your questions, too.
See you there.
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Monday, March 19, 2012
New Consumer Site Showcases Members & Industry
 Michael Martin became CEO of NWFA in May 2011 after joining the association in February 2011. Over the last few months NWFA has been working hard to raise consumer awareness of the benefits of wood flooring products. Now, with a new consumer website, www.woodfloors.org, NWFA has a new hub and base point for those efforts moving forward.
We wanted to bring a new, modern look to the consumer that allows us to be viewed as a professional source of information. Branding the site with a new look, Twitter feeds, and resource tools will help us meet the expectations of today's website visitor, allowing us to showcase the wood flooring industry as progressive and modern.
The website features a species gallery, education on various styles and types of hardwood floors, and definitions of various finishes, solid and engineered products, and decorative elements. The site also provides the consumer with information on maintaining hardwood floors and offers troubleshooting advice. The information is presented in such a way that allows the consumer to easily navigate through all areas of the site with just a click of the mouse.
In an effort to drive local business to member dealer/contractors and certified professionals, the website also offers an enhanced Find-A-Professional search. Consumers can search for a professional that fits their needs by city, state, or zip code. In addition to finding a dealer/contractor or a certified inspector, consumers can also now find all certified professionals.
We've already received feedback from our members on this area of the site—and several ideas have been shared with us for expanding the geographic search capabilities. We'll work on this and other enhancements in the near future.
Additionally, we have built other lead-generation avenues into the site that will ultimately help drive more business your way.
An enhanced room design tool allows the consumer to view various modern room settings and change the species, color, and direction of the wood floor. Additionally, consumers may upload photos of their own rooms to get a better vision of what a hardwood floor would look like in their home. Starting at this year's Expo, you'll have the opportunity to customize your own websites with the latest room design tool through a partnership we have established with MK Hardwood Floors Ltd. in London, the developer of the new room design tool. You'll find information on them in our Technology Pavilion on the Expo show floor.
Next up this summer, your member website, www.nwfa.org, will be completely re-launched to improve our customer service abilities, online services, and your membership and overall user experience.
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Friday, March 09, 2012
Sharing 25 Years of Marketing Experiments With You
 Chris Zizza is president at Needham, Mass.-based C&R Flooring and Framingham, Mass.-based Wood Flooring Inspectors of New England, and can be reached here. We are just about five weeks out from the 2012 NWFA Wood Flooring Expo in Orlando. It has been exciting to put together the body of what I plan to talk about in my session about marketing, mostly because it has given me the chance to relive the past 25 years I've spent growing my flooring business.
Sure, we've been around for 25 years, but the first five were spent learning how to run a business and actually staying in business. Then around year seven or eight we began to focus on how to grow our business. We have tried everything when it comes to marketing, from newspaper ads to direct mail to sponsoring the opening tip-off for the Boston Celtics. I know what has been a huge success and what was a colossal waste of money.
We learned how to identify ourselves as a company and build a brand in our marketplace. Now I want to pass that knowledge on to you! I hope to see you in my session "Fake ’Til You Make It—Marketing Like the Big Boys” on April 11.
Want more? Watch my video about this session:
And don’t forget to check out the full Expo schedule.
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Monday, March 05, 2012
American Hardwood Promotion Gains Media Attention
 Anita Howard is the NWFA senior director of communications and events. She can be reached here. Last week, I had the pleasure of attending a media tour in Des Moines, Iowa, along with representatives from the Hardwood Manufacturers Association, Baillie Lumber Company, and Gibbs & Soell Public Relations, to present the American Hardwood Promotion program to editors from Meredith Publishing.
The American Hardwood Promotion program represents a coalition of hardwood industry leaders that have come together to raise awareness and promote the use of American hardwoods in the home and commercial building and remodeling industries. These industry leaders include manufacturers, distributors, lumber mills, wood processing companies, and numerous trade groups and associations, including the NWFA.
The program seeks to:
• Inspire a renewed presence for American hardwoods among consumers and professionals
• Educate consumers and professionals about the value of selecting and specifying hardwood
• Communicate the breadth of hardwood uses, including flooring, cabinetry, furniture, millwork, doors, etc.
The group presented information about the program, including the American Hardwood Information Center (www.hardwoodinfo.com), as well as the benefits of American hardwoods in general. The editors of the publications in attendance, including Better Homes & Gardens, Lowe’s Creative Ideas, Better Homes & Gardens Beautiful Kitchen & Baths and other special interest publications, Wood, Traditional Home and many others, were overwhelmingly interested in the program and the educational resources it provides.
As an industry professional, you can support the program by learning more at www.hardwoodinfo.com.
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Monday, February 27, 2012
NWFA Wood Flooring Expo Is Just Around the Corner
 Rick Holden is executive vice president at Philadelphia, Pa.-based distributor Derr Flooring Co. and is the current NWFA chairman of the board. Rick may be reached here. It’s hard to believe that the 2012 Wood Flooring Expo is only six weeks away. It’s so exciting to see such an amazing event come together. The Expo committee has put together a fantastic program for the industry, and I hope you will be a part of it.
The growth we’re seeing is inspiring. Registrations are tracking 200 percent above of last year’s registration numbers, and our trade show floor is 83 percent sold.
The Wood Flooring Expo aims to highlight and elevate the industry. The education tracks will help you expand your business by introducing you to new marketing and management concepts while enhancing your technical knowledge. Ken Schmidt’s keynote address will arm you with strategies to improve your customer relationships and branding. Carter Oosterhouse’s presentation and the newly accredited AIA/ASID CEUs will help draw in the architect and design community.
Suffice to say, this Wood Flooring Expo truly promises a renewed experience. I am so excited about the growth of this program, and look forward to seeing you in Orlando April 10-13.
For more information about the Expo, visit www.nwfaexpo.org. If you haven’t already, be sure to download the NWFA Expo app from your app store/market or directly from the Expo website.
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Monday, February 20, 2012
NWFA Services' Enhanced Technical Call Center Program
 Donna Millard is director of sales with McMinnville Manufacturing Company in McMinnville, Tenn., is a past NWFA board member and is now president of NWFA Service Corporation Inc. Donna can be reached here. NWFA Services has enhanced its Technical Call Center program in an effort to help wood flooring manufacturers reduce the burden placed upon their sales staff. The service will direct technical calls for specific manufacturer’s products through dedicated toll-free telephone numbers to NWFA staff members who are trained and knowledgeable about their products. This program saves manufacturers both time and money as their sales staff will be able to focus its attention on growing sales rather than fielding calls about technical performance issues.
NWFA technicians are trained to handle both consumer and trade professional inquiries related to wood flooring, giving manufacturers the benefit of having an industry expert for a fraction of the cost of a full-time staff person.
The service is available from 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Central, Monday through Friday. After hours, calls go into a voice mailbox system and are answered on the next business day. The cost of the program includes a monthly fee plus a per-call cost. The program currently has several NWFA manufacturer members enrolled, and handles approximately 100 calls per month per participating company.
For more information about the program, contact NWFA Services' Don Conner.
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Thursday, February 09, 2012
NWFA BOD: Governance At Work
 Neil Poland is president of Johnson City, Tenn.-based Mullican Flooring and the chairman of the NWFA Nominating Committee. He can be reached here. As we close in on the last weeks before NWFA's annual Wood Flooring Expo, the association's Nominating Committee and Board of Directors have been working to present the general membership with a slate of nominees for the 2012-13 Board of Directors term, which begins immediately following the Expo.
There has been a lot of interest in serving on the NWFA Board of Directors this year, and a lot of questions have been asked as to how our bylaws work and how our Board of Directors are elected or appointed.
As the Chairman of the Nominating Committee, a distinction I hold as your Immediate Past Chairman, I thought it was a good idea to take a few moments to explain the process, especially since we've added a new way of participating through online nominations and candidate review on our website this year.
After our September 2011 Board of Directors meeting, our legal counsel recommended changes to our election procedures in order to provide our members with the ability to have more input on the call for nominations and overall nominations process.
Following is a summary of the election procedure for this year:
- October: Chairman Holden appointed five Board Members comprised of all member types to the Nominating Committee. Criteria for candidates were also established.
- November: NWFA headquarters sent a "Call for Nominations" to the membership via several emails and announcements in Hardwood Floors E-News asking for members to complete the new online nomination form, which included criteria for candidates.
- December & January: The Nominating Committee reviewed and scored 26 new candidates as well as existing Directors.
- February: The Nominating Committee finalized the slate of nominees and presented it to the full Board of Directors. The Board approved the slate.
- March: By early March, at least 30 days prior to the Business Session at Expo, the slate of nominees will be presented to all members.
- April: The general membership will vote on the slate of candidates during the Business Session during the Expo.
By adding the ability for members to nominate candidates directly on the front end of the nominations process, the practice of calling for nominations from the floor during the Business Session has been replaced. And, more importantly, this approach provides those members who are unable to attend the Expo with an opportunity to participate in this important process.
Note that our Board of Directors is made up of Directors with three-year terms and Ex-Officio Directors (or Member-At Large Directors) who serve one-year terms. Differences between the two types, in addition to term length, include the fact that Directors are nominated, whereas up to five Ex-Officio Directors are appointed by the Board of Directors each year to serve one-year terms.
Given this difference, the nomination slate will include full-term Directors as well as a recommended list of Ex-Officios for the new Board of Directors to consider appointing after the new term is in session. The staff is now working to complete biographical information outlining each candidate's industry experience and qualifications. You will be notified via email and through Hardwood Floors E-News when the information is available.
As we continue to communicate our activities, make changes, and provide transparency to the decision-making process, we welcome your feedback.
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Monday, February 06, 2012
NWFA Certified Professionals Tightens Inspector Requirements
 Len Daubler is product support manager for the Hardwood Surfaces Group at Shaw Industries and prior Director of Technical Services for Anderson Hardwood Floors. He is the current president of the NWFACP Board and is an NWFACP Certified Wood Flooring Inspector. He can be reached here. At our January Board of Directors meeting at the Surfaces Show in Las Vegas, the NWFA Certified Professionals Inc. (NWFACP) took a hard look at its Certified Inspector program and decided to make the program more stringent by tightening up the complaint review process, disciplinary actions, and prerequisites to becoming an inspector.
A few years ago, the program loosened the prerequisites to allow professionals and inspectors from other flooring areas to be able to get a wood flooring certification. What we found after doing this was that the inspection quality went down considerably because the knowledge of how wood performs differently than other flooring types has to be known by an inspector before he can really understand what's causing a problem with a floor.
Because wood is a natural product, it responds differently to environmental changes like humidity and weather conditions, and within different geographical areas. A wood flooring inspector has to have specific knowledge in order to understand how a floor might expand and contract, which often presents problems.
That's why, starting in 2013, we're adding the following prerequisites to the inspector program:
- A minimum of three years’ experience in installation and sand & finish.
- Successful completion of two NWFA Installation and Sand & Finish Schools (Basic, Intermediate, Advanced, or Expert School) prior to attending the Inspector School.
- Successful completion of the NWFACP Inspector School and Inspector Certification Exam.
- Successful review of three inspection reports by the NWFACP Review Committee.
By putting these standards in place, we can assure than an inspector has the education necessary to perform quality inspections.
We've also put a new complaint review process in place requiring that each inspector complaint be reviewed by five members of a Hearing Committee. Those reviewers will be given specific parameters for disciplinary action. These steps will produce a more consistent and fair process and, most importantly, help our inspectors learn how to conduct and produce good reports.
It's an exciting time to be chairman of the NWFACP—we are moving our programs forward and know that we have opportunities to develop programs that will help our certified members be recognized as professional and knowledgeable. If you have questions or ideas for NWFACP, let us know.
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Monday, January 30, 2012
NWFA at the Hardwood Federation Fly-In
 Wayne Cotton is president of Wheeler Floors, a division of J.J. Haines & Co. He is also a past NWFA chairman of the board and currently serves on the NWFA board of directors; he can be reached here. This past October, the NWFA participated in the Hardwood Federation’s annual Fly-In to Washington, D.C. The group met with more than 40 members of Congress to discuss issues affecting the hardwood industry.
Boiler MACT legislation is an issue that will affect every facet of the wood flooring supply chain because it has the potential to shut down many mills—at least temporarily—as they reconfigure their operations to meet the new requirements. This would cause production delays and lead to price increases as well as lack of supply in an already struggling industry.
The group also met with representatives about Lacey Act legislation and its positive impact on domestic jobs, as well as LEED certification standards. While LEED is not mandated by the U.S. government, it is used by government agencies when specifying renewable products for government building projects. The group presented information about other green certification programs, as well as the NWFA’s Responsible Procurement Program, which recognizes responsible forest management.
The Hardwood Federation is a coalition of more than 30 associations, including the NWFA, representing the interests of the United States hardwood industry. The U.S. hardwood industry employs millions of families throughout the country, representing thousands of jobs in nearly every state and hundreds of Congressional districts. For more information about the Hardwood Federation and the major wood flooring initiatives addressed during 2011, contact Debbie Edgar.
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Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Domotex Report: The World Keeps Getting Smaller
 Jeff Fairbanks is vice president at Palo Duro Hardwoods Inc. in Denver, Colo., and the current NWFA treasurer. Jeff can be reached here. As I sit on a plane writing this, I am leaving Hannover, Germany, to return home to Denver. I was in Germany on behalf of NWFA’s International Committee to represent the association to the European market during the Domotex Hannover tradeshow—one of the largest annual flooring shows in the world. The last few days have been such a whirlwind that I’m just now beginning to digest all that happened.
What I can tell you for sure is that the NWFA manufacturers who displayed their products in Hannover this year not only did a great job representing the U.S., they also found new customers and a growing interest in buying U.S. wood flooring and its related products from others around the world.
The NWFA members that exhibited in the NWFA Pavilion this year were:
Our participation in this tradeshow only happens because of the generous support of the American Hardwood Export Council (AHEC). Without funding from AHEC, many, if not all, of the NWFA members who take part in the show couldn’t attend. The cost of entry is just too high.
But, with AHEC’s partnership, there is a very cost-effective way of participating. Each exhibitor has his or her own company area, but they are all part of a larger NWFA/AHEC-hosted pavilion. On behalf of NWFA and our members who participated, I’d like to thank AHEC for all they do to help provide us with international exposure.
This meeting is also a chance for NWFA to see some of its international members who attend, and to build bridges with other countries. I’m always proud that to see that the rest of the world looks to NWFA as the wood flooring leader for standards and installation training. NWFA has a tremendous reputation and a number of opportunities to promote and help guide international standards across the globe.
We also get to see a number of our NWFA members during the show. One member who recently moved to Europe came by our booth to get help, and a few introductions, as he looks for work in his wife’s native Germany. The first NWFACP inspector to be based in Europe, John McCabe, who passed the test last year, also came by looking for ways to expand the inspector program abroad. Another group from England investigated whether we could certify their inspectors and provide his company with a competitive advantage. Again, NWFA has a tremendous number of opportunities to serve the world market.
Among some of the most interesting opportunities that came up: AHEC would like to send an NWFA member to present the latest trends in species and installation to an audience of architects and designers in Indonesia. There’s also an opportunity for us to have our guidelines translated into Chinese and then provide installation training in China.
I hope I’m not letting the cat out of the bag before this year’s Wood Flooring Expo (when our new NWFA-hosted member websites for dealer/contractors will be announced), but we also had the opportunity to meet with a technology company from England that can make our member website offering even stronger. This company, which happens to have been created by a wood flooring guy, has figured out how to create a customized room design application that allows you to upload a photo of your room and then modify it with specific flooring SKUs or wood types. While design-a-room software is not new, the ability to have exact flooring in a room that can also be tied to CAD drawings and specifications for architects and designers is an innovative new twist.
Our mission on the NWFA International Committee is to help create an industry with common standards, develop a more educated market, and bridge the barriers that prevent the market from moving forward in the same direction. In reality, our job as an association is to make the wood flooring world a smaller place, with universal standards and best practices. If we can get more people around the world on the same page, the quality of wood flooring improves, and new innovations are more quickly adopted. All of these things add up to a larger market for all of us.
As I think through how great the Domotex Hannover show was for NWFA, I’ve become even more excited about our next international function—Domotex Asia—which is coming up in Shanghai in March.
While we have worked with AHEC to send representatives to this show in the past, this year we’re having a small NWFA Pavilion where members can again have the opportunity to expand their businesses and help promote NWFA to a quickly growing market. The NWFA members who will be representing us there include Franklin International, Graf Brothers, Olde Wood Limited, and Wellmade Floor Industries Co. Ltd.
If you have questions, suggestions, or would like to get involved in the work of the NWFA International Committee, contact me, Jeff Fairbanks, Palo Duro Hardwoods Inc.; or committee members Mark Elwell, Bamboo Flooring Hawaii; or Jim Gould with the Floor Covering Institute.
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Monday, January 16, 2012
Fine-Tuning Wood Flooring Training
 Frank Kroupa is the NWFA senior director of technical education. He can be reached here. The NWFA is constantly working to fine-tune its technical training schools to ensure that we are offering our students the most comprehensive hands-on training available. Just this past year, our Education Committee reviewed every class curriculum to update our techniques, refined our PowerPoint presentations to make them consistent, and reevaluated our hands-on training to make sure our students are truly learning the skills they’re observing.
This year, we’re offering more than a dozen hands-on opportunities for wood flooring professionals at all skill levels to experience our training programs. Our courses include Wood Flooring Basics, Subfloor Preparation/Prefinished Installation, Intermediate Installation and Sand & Finish, Jigs & Medallions Workshop, Advanced Installation, Expert Installation, and Expert Sand & Finish. Schools will be offered at our St. Louis headquarters facility and our Las Vegas satellite facility, as well as New York City and Richmond, Va. (You can look at the complete NWFA 2012 technical school schedule here.) Scholarships are available for both NWFA members and for nonmembers, and attendance at each school earns credits toward an NWFA degree.
For more information about our technical education programs, our scholarship program, or our degree program, contact Tricia Swindoll.
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Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Join Me For a Tour of NWFA HQ
Michael Martin became CEO of NWFA in May 2011 after joining the association in February 2011. The National Wood Flooring Association Headquarters in St. Louis, Mo., serves as the hub of activities for the association. Click on the video below to take a virtual tour of our office, training facilities and warehouse, and learn about all the NWFA training opportunities available. Enjoy the tour, and come see us anytime.
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Monday, January 09, 2012
Ways to Save Money on the Expo
Michael Martin became CEO of NWFA in May 2011 after joining the association in February 2011. After NWFA's Wood Flooring Expo in San Diego last year, you told us you wanted to see some changes in 2012. We listened, and to date, NWFA has made the following improvements based on your input:Moved the convention dates from August to April to fit better in the wood flooring business cycleAdded industry specific sessions—both hands on instruction and business topicsRaised the caliber of the keynote speakers Created new ways to increase show trafficBuilt an entire track for the design community with continuing education credits Added incentives for dealer/contractors to offset the cost of attending with a coupon book with savings worth more than the cost of attendingWe've found ways to reduce the hotel room rateIt's been exciting for the NWFA Expo Committee to implement the changes you've asked for. Now, NWFA needs YOUR help to keep the momentum going. All of these changes will only matter if you commit to attending this year's show. More than ever, NWFA needs everyone in the industry to support the changes by attending.
Right now, you have an opportunity to save money on your registration fee and hotel stay. Register and book your room at the Gaylord Palms before January 15, and not only will you receive $50 off your full Expo registration fee, you also are eligible to receive a $20 per night credit toward your room bill up to $100 total. Get more information on the Early Bird discounts here.
As an added bonus to those staying at the Gaylord, the NWFA is putting together an Expo Coupon Book, which will be packed with thousands of dollars of savings on exhibitor products, and Gaylord and Orlando retailers and restaurants. You will receive your coupon book upon check-in at the Gaylord. To validate exhibitor coupons, simply take them to the specific exhibitor’s booth during trade show hours, then redeem at your local distributor following the Expo. Only those staying on property at the Gaylord will receive the NWFA Expo Coupon Book.
We are looking forward to seeing you in Orlando and hope you take advantage of the Early Bird savings. For more information about the 2012 Wood Flooring Expo, visit the Expo website, and follow Expo tweets on Twitter at #nwfaexpo.
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Tuesday, January 03, 2012
A Streamlined NWFA Responsible Procurement Program
 Don Finkell is president of Anderson Hardwood Floors Inc. in Clinton, S.C., and is a past NWFA Chairman of the Board. Don can be reached here. The NWFA recently streamlined its Responsible Procurement Program to make it easier for wood flooring manufacturers to participate in the program. Two customized tool kits have been developed to provide detailed guidance on preparing for NWFA RPP audits and Forest Stewardship Council chain-of-custody and controlled-wood audits. One toolkit provides guidance for wood flooring manufacturers; the second provides guidance for hardwood sawmills.
About 90% of the world’s forests are not certified. FSC certification is recognized throughout the world as the pinnacle of forest certification programs, and yet many privately held forests are unable to achieve FSC certification for a variety of reasons. The NWFA’s RPP program helps bridge that gap by providing measurable, achievable, recognizable goals for companies that are working toward FSC certification. The NWFA RPP also provides our industry with a tangible way to prove its products come from renewable sources.
Currently, five wood flooring manufacturers are certified under the NWFA’s RPP program. They include industry leaders such as Anderson Hardwood Floors, Augusta Flooring, Mannington Hardwood Floors, Mullican Flooring, and Sheoga Hardwood Flooring & Paneling. Several more companies are expected to complete the process of becoming RPP members within the next few months.
For more information about the NWFA’s RPP program, visit the NWFA Responsible Procurement Program webpage.
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Monday, December 26, 2011
NWFA's Rapidly Expanding Web Presence
Liz Peuster is the NWFA marketing & web services manager. She can be reached here. The NWFA’s presence on the web has grown rapidly over the last several months. The member website, www.nwfa.org, is updated daily with the latest information on member benefits and programs. Some of the newest additions to the website are the Manufacturer’s Service Center, the NWFA Online Media Center, as well as quick links to useful areas of the site, the Wood Flooring Expo homepage, and Hardwood Floors’ website.
In the early part of 2012, the member site will have a completely new look and feel to it, enabling you to easily find resources as they relate to your business, whether you are a dealer/contractor, a distributor, or a manufacturer. Likewise, the consumer site, www.woodfloors.org, will relaunch with a new look, an enhanced “find a professional” search for consumers, and dynamic content for consumer education.
NWFA has also expanded into the social media realm. With nearly 600 followers on Twitter, 300 Facebook “likes” and 200 members of our LinkedIn Group, social media is another way to communicate the exciting happenings within the industry and the NWFA. If you haven’t already, follow, like, and join us and join the conversation.
These avenues are also helping to generate buzz about the upcoming Wood Flooring Expo. All updates and news regarding the Wood Flooring Expo are sent out to Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn as soon as they happen. Follow Expo tweets with the hashtag #nwfaexpo. Hashtags group together tweets about a particular topic.
Follow NWFA on Twitter: http://twitter.com/NWFA_WoodFloors
“Like” NWFA on Facebook: www.facebook.com/nationalwoodflooringassn
Join the NWFA LinkedIn Group: www.linkedin.com/groups/NWFA-National-Wood-Flooring-Association-3807599?gid=3807599&mostPopular
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Monday, December 19, 2011
Significant Changes at NWFACP
 Kevin Mullany is the owner of Benchmark Wood Floors Inc. in Albuquerque, N.M. Kevin currently serves on the NWFA board of directors and several NWFA committees. He can be reached here. Significant changes are taking place at NWFA Certified Professionals that will impact all areas of the NWFACP Program. These changes are in response to overwhelming feedback and input from NWFACP Certified Inspectors.
A new licensing agreement is being developed that clearly states the annual requirements for maintaining NWFACP Inspector certification, the certification review process, the Standards of Professional Conduct, and the ramifications for violations of any of these requirements. This will provide consistency and continuity to the program, while simplifying the overall program, as well.
New prerequisites are being developed to determine and define eligibility for taking the NWFACP inspector exam. Although the Inspector School is not required to become an NWFACP Certified Inspector, it does provide the background and body of knowledge to prepare wood flooring professionals to take the exam.
New continuing education options are being implemented to make it easier and more economical to meet CCU requirements. Many of these programs are offered on-line at no cost. Webinars will be added to this program.
The report review and complaint review processes and procedures are being updated, as well. Annual reports and test scenarios are being graded by Inspector School instructors and committee members. Complaint reports will be reviewed by a Board-appointed Hearing and Appeal Committee.
For more information about NWFACP programs, contact Sharon Schaller.
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Posted At
8:13 AM
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Monday, December 12, 2011
NWFA Creates AIA, ASID CEU Program
Anita Howard is the NWFA senior director of communications and events. She can be reached here. The NWFA is working with the American Institute of Architects and the American Society of Interior Designers to develop continuing education unit courses that will be presented at our annual NWFA convention in Orlando on April 11 and April 12. These classes will be the first step in creating a library of CEUs that will be made available to NWFA members for use in their local areas as a marketing tool when working with designers, builders and architects.
Both the AIA and ASID have continuing education requirements for their members to maintain their certification status. The NWFA will be developing four CEUs per year that will be added to the NWFA CEU Library. For 2012, the four courses being offered will be:
Back to Basics – Wood Flooring 101
It’s Not Easy Being Green – Sustainability of Wood
This Isn’t Your Grandma’s Floor – Ornamental Wood Floors
Beauty is More Than Skin Deep – Maintaining & Refinishing Wood Floors
For more information about the NWFA’s CEU program, please contact me by clicking here.
For more information on NWFA's relaunched Expo next April, please visit the Expo website.
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Posted At
9:54 AM
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Monday, December 05, 2011
Insights From Your NWFA BOD
Michael Martin became CEO of NWFA in May 2011 after joining the association in February 2011. Membership in the National Wood Flooring Association provides opportunities for professional growth and connections within the industry, but don't take my word for it. Here's some feedback on that exact topic from our own board of directors. When they were at the NWFA headquarters for our semi-annual meeting last fall we asked them to answer the question: “What is the most fun or rewarding experience you’ve had with the NWFA?” This video showcases their responses as they explain why they got involved with the NWFA, and how their experiences have influenced their careers in the wood flooring industry.
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Posted At
11:28 AM
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