Those who were with us at the 2024 NWFA Wood Flooring Expo had the opportunity to network and learn in ways that are sure to advance their business. It doesn’t stop there, though. NWFA will continue to elevate the business and leadership opportunities necessary to be successful in the future.
NWFA will host its first-ever Leadership Development Week on October 10-12, 2024, at our new headquarters building in St. Louis. The week will combine several annual meetings, including the NWFA Board of Directors meeting, Wood Flooring Manufacturers Assembly, and Emerging Leaders.
But more importantly, bringing all of those leaders together in one place provides a unique opportunity for those who are looking to meet industry leaders and get involved in shaping our future.
A new Small Business Workshop will take place specifically for NWFA contractors and retailers. This will allow networking with industry leaders as well as training developed by NWFA and the Small Business Administration (SBA) to address running a successful wood flooring company.
Chris Zizza, owner of C&R Flooring and my co-host on the NWFA Real Answers Podcast, will emcee the workshop. In addition to the four business sessions from the SBA speakers on finance, marketing, operations, and social media, Chris also will head up a panel of successful contractors, including Steve Brattin of SVB Wood Floors, Kevin Mullany of Benchmark Wood Floors, and Sprigg Lynn of Universal Floors. This panel will share best practices to help other business owners shape the future of their companies and the industry.
That same group also will chair the first-ever NWFA Education and Research Foundation (NERF) Golf Tournament on Saturday, October 12, right next to our new headquarters. This tournament kicks off a new NERF campaign to raise money that will pay costs for students to attend an introduction to wood flooring class that will be held quarterly in St. Louis.
Join us for Leadership Development Week
Thursday, October 10, 2024
- NWFA Board Meetings
- Emerging Leaders Meeting
- Joint Reception with Board of Directors, Emerging Leaders, Manufacturers Assembly, and Real Answers Small Business Workshop attendees
Friday, October 11, 2024
- Manufacturers Assembly
- Real Answers Small Business Workshop, hosted by Chris Zizza
- SBA Content: Business Plans, Financial Statements, Marketing Plans
- NWFA Content: Q&A with Steve Brattin, Sprigg Lynn, Kevin Mullany, and Chris Zizza
- NWFA Headquarters Open House
Saturday, October 12, 2024
- First Annual NWFA Education and Research Foundation Fundraising Golf Tournament
- Golf Tournament Awards and Reception
The week will culminate in an open house designed for all members to check out the new facilities, network, celebrate our tournament winners, and launch this new NWFA leadership event successfully. As mentioned earlier in this magazine, we are excited to showcase the new wood floors in our office. Each floor demonstrates the endless possibilities that can be created when working with real wood. We appreciate all of our members who donated products and their time to make the floors come to life.
The location of the new building was selected for its proximity to several nearby amenities that can serve our members when they use the NWFA facility for training, architect and designer events, and customer outings.
Within the office park, there is a golf course and a state park that allows camping on the banks of the Missouri River and access to the Katy Trail, which is a well-known trail that goes across the state of Missouri. The new NWFA headquarters promises to be a networking destination for sales, staff, and incentive meetings, in addition to serving as the home of our technical training. The facility’s use is free to all members based on availability.
I hope you will meet us in St. Louis for Leadership Development Week. It’s a chance to delve deeper into the business side of the job and build critical relationships with the association’s decision-makers and industry leaders. You are invited to come shape the future of the industry and your business, while helping us raise funds to develop new talent. Visit nwfa.org or call 800.422.4556 for more information.
