Kurt VollstedtKurt Vollstedt is owner at Eugene, Ore.-based New Dimension Hardwood Floors.ManagementHow Having a Mentor Transformed My BusinessKurt Vollstedt's business wasn't moving in any real direction when something happened that mapped a path—he found a mentor who changed everything.January 17, 2020ManagementAre You Charging What Our Industry Deserves?I started in the wood flooring business in the mid-’90s as a salesperson at a wood flooring distributor. Business in our industry was good back then, and for awhile it only got better. When the industry was booming I bought the contracting business of one of my customers who was retiring. Things in the industry have changed a lot since I started, but one thing seems to have not changed: the prices. Many contractors are charging the same prices as they were two decades ago. I think this hurts them, their workers, and our industry as a whole. If all of us looked at our jobs as selling ourselves instead of just installing, sanding and finishing wood flooring, we could invest more money in our businesses, take care of our employees better, and earn more respect for our trade.August 13, 2014Page 1 of 1Top StoriesSurveys2026 Wood Floor Business Contractor SurveyHere are the results from our exclusive survey of wood flooring contractors.ManagementHow Online Quoting Saved My Sanity and My BusinessTechniquesHow We Did This Floor: A Mixed Media Floor Fit for a Texas CastleLegal AdviceWood Floor Pros: Legal Risks of Working for Friends and FamilyDesignEnter the 2027 Wood Floor Business Design Awards