Paigh Bumgarner joined Huber Engineered Woods in 2016, and is a product manager on the AdvanTech brand team. She began her building knowledge by working for a small, historic renovation crew in Richmond, Virginia while she was attending school. After gaining on-site experience, she joined Richmond Metropolitan Habitat for Humanity as a construction supervisor. She later joined Viridiant, a building energy consulting group as a multi-family project manager for high-performance buildings and obtained the industry’s leading certifications and designations for Passive House, Energy Star, LEED, and HERS. Bumgarner holds a B.S. degree concentrating on sustainability and a Master’s degree in product innovation, both from Virginia Commonwealth University. She also is a U.S. Army Combat Veteran and Bronze Star recipient.
Bumgarner was recently featured on the NWFA Wood Talk podcast, so Hardwood Floors magazine caught up with her to ask a few more questions.
Tell us something interesting about yourself. I learned how to juggle during the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020.
How did you get started in the industry? I started working for a historical renovation crew of three. In those renovations, you touch everything. When I moved on to working with Habitat for Humanity, again, you touch everything and teach volunteers how to do it. We laid our own wood flooring, so that is really how I learned how to install it. I got really deep into everything I was installing, not just reading the codes, but also reading the actual manufacturer’s specs and learning. I wanted to absorb as much as I could about it all, which led to me getting interested in the actual building science of it.
What is your favorite wood floor project that you’ve participated in? Well, the most memorable is when my mom called and asked if I had any weekend plans. I came over to find enough flooring in the garage for her 2,200 square foot home. I kindly asked her to stop watching HGTV because it would take a crew of one (me) more than one weekend.
What energizes you to stay in the wood flooring industry? Our team is focused on understanding the science of the flooring assembly from the joist to the finish coat of the surface. I think there is a knowledge gap from a building science perspective and that keeps us motivated.
What are you reading right now? I’m a big fan of reading anything by Christopher Moore.
Do you have a morning routine that sets you up for success? If we can get our toddler out the door on time, that is a win for me.
What keeps you busy outside of work? Pretty much spending my time off building train and car tracks with my little guy. I am also all about exposing our son to nature, and getting out there as much as we can.
You can listen to a technical-focused discussion between Paigh Bumgarner and NWFA’s Brett Miller, as well as other hardwood flooring experts by visiting
hardwoodfloorsmag.com/nwfa-wood-talk-podcast.