St. Louis—In April 1985, several leading wood flooring distributors and manufacturers began discussing the need for an association that would help advance and promote the wood flooring industry. Three months later, a group of a dozen or so wood flooring professionals met and contributed $200 each to help generate interest in the new organization. In September 1985, a large group of industry representatives met here to establish a mission, set goals, determine a budget, and implement membership dues. By the end of the meeting, a steering committee was confirmed, and the National Wood Flooring Association ( NWFA) was born. “I felt something was definitely going to happen [following the group’s initial meeting],” said Wayne Cotton, NWFA’s immediate past chairman and president of Design Flooring Distributors in Deerfield Beach, Fla., who sat in on the association’s earliest meetings. “Those 10 founding members were really very focused and dedicated. After our second meeting it was off to the races. “They put their minds together,” he explained, “gathered people from all different segments of the flooring industry—retailers, installers, manufacturers and distributors—assembled them, and took it from there. “Today, it has gone further than anyone would have imagined,” he added. “We’ve gotten into some of the deep issues regarding installation, different types of products like prefinished or handscraped, and are able to provide the education people need as well.” Since its founding, NWFA has grown significantly. At the end of its first year, the organization had grown from 12 founding members to 180. Today’s membership is nearing 3,600, with member companies in all 50 states, as well as in 50 countries. “At the beginning, selfishly, we wanted to preserve our industry,” said Cotton. “That was our main focus. Nobody was simultaneously beating the drum for hardwood flooring. Wood flooring was just coming back into vogue and being looked at for the second time around. We wanted to make sure we captured and took advantage of that enthusiasm. Since we were all doing our little parts locally, we asked ourselves, ‘What can we do collectively?’” Founded on the principles of promoting and advancing the wood flooring industry, NWFA has established itself as the leading resource for wood flooring professionals, noted Ed Korczak, the association’s executive director. “Whether it’s learning the technical skills that will help them increase their marketability,” he explained, “the management techniques that will help them improve their profits, or the networking strategies that will help them expand their business relationships, NWFA is the one tool wood flooring professionals throughout the world turn to time and time again. “When NWFA started in 1985, it didn’t start as an association just for distributors, manufacturers or contractors, it was for everybody,” Korczak added. “It focused on wood. Our mission statement back then, and still is, ‘to increase the awareness and desire for wood flooring, and to improve the success and profitability of all our members.’” Education Is Key In describing NWFA’s main goals, Korczak noted, education “is really the key. You’ve got to educate the installer, so that he can put the product in properly, a product that will really service the customer. You have to educate the salespeople, so they are selling the right product for the right usage, and so they give the customer proper expectations and information on maintenance. “We also provide a lot of education for both manufacturers and distributors,” he continued, “so that their profitability continues to increase, and we get product lines that are desirable and needed by the entire industry.” In 2005, NWFA will offer more than two dozen schools at its International Training Center in St. Louis, as well as at distributor locations throughout both the United States and Canada. “For the first time,” said Korczak, “NWFA will offer several of these schools in a bilingual format, offering both Spanish and French instruction. “We also offer professional degree and certification programs,” he added, “giving wood flooring professionals the recognition they need.” Joe Audino, NWFA’s chairman and president of Rode Bros. Flooring in Las Vegas, is heavily involved in the association’s education/certification programs. He believes the organization’s annual convention has also helped enhance wood flooring. “When you see it at the convention, you get a better awareness of what’s going on. It’s like a complement to Surfaces. You get to see all the wood flooring products and it’s really invaluable to all the contractors and retailers.” Regarding NWFA’s growing number of installation programs, Audino noted, “We now offer certification programs in installation, sand and finish, as well as for inspectors and salespeople.” Several of the major changes that have taken place in the wood industry over the last two decades, have been the proliferation of new species that have come into the marketplace, as well as engineered wood taking on a much more important role. “Prefinished flooring has definitely been a big boost to our industry,” said Cotton. Audino agreed, and noted how prefinished products have become so much more sophisticated than when all three first got involved in the business. “The prefinished product is really manufactured well,” he said. “The finishes on it are excellent. It is really the thrust of the market today. In unfinished, there has been a tremendous transformation in the finishes, the water-based finishes, as well as the various types of equipment. All across the board, the quality of materials that are available now are tenfold.” “The fashion options, as far as what the consumer has to choose from now, with all the borders, medallions, handscraped and pickled floors, it’s almost endless,” explained Cotton. “People are drawn to wood because it is the design foundation of the interior of the house. You can put almost any type of finish on top of it and it will look good. It helps with the way you can design your house. “It’s a rich look, it’s a clean look, and it’s a traditional look,” he continued. “Many people nowadays have that sleek, modern look in their homes and they have a wood floor as a basis to build on. The future for wood flooring looks very good.” —Louis Iannaco