We Are the Next Generation of NWFA

I have a real fondness for the NWFA because I've known it for so long. I think of all of my friends and how I can call them at anytime because they're so smart and so friendly. Lately I've started popping into the forum on the Hardwood Floors magazine website, and sometimes the conversations get a little heated. In fact, one person who recently posted a topic on the forum actually apologized for stirring up a few of the regulars on the forum because they sort of got into an argument. Not long afterwards, I was in a conversation with a really good friend and great floor contractor I know named Avi. He brought to my attention that we should do our best to never have a contractor apologize like that, and I agree. We are supposed to be a warm and inviting group of folks, not an Internet gang engaged in turf wars. The NWFA is a professional resource and we should conduct ourselves in a way that makes people learn more from our discussions and want to be a part of our organization.

A number of people beyond Avi have also mentioned examples of other websites and forums in our business that have become breeding grounds for a few dominant forum members who like to bicker. It has since devalued and made a mockery of those websites and forums. The NWFA is an organization I am committed to, and I want to do all I can to have people see our forums and blogs as a hub of knowledge. Because Avi and I are young guys in our 30s who are really passionate about our peers and NWFA, I told him I would like to share with you all his thoughts on the forum and how even the "young" guys care about those who are sitting on the fence about the value of our organization and our forums on the Hardwood Floors website.

Enter Avi and his words to the readers regarding the next generation of NWFA members:

We are taking action to help shape and promote our trade for the better. We will make things better by being everywhere. We will be on the committees, on the Hardwood Floors magazine website, at the convention and at the NWFA schools. Our mission is to help all wood flooring contractors specifically and the trade in general by sharing the experience and the knowledge we have. We will promote common sense in every aspect of our professional lives. We will start by flooding the HF Forum with good contractors who will push away incorrect or misleading information. We will do so by being professional and technical. We will not engage in any back-and-forth ego competitions. We do have a code of honor that is we respect each other for trying to do the right thing. If you will use our forum to your advantage or cross the lines, we will respond. We are powerful, we are confident and we never stop learning. Who are we? We are the next generation of the NWFA. Together we stand, divided we fall.

That's the end of his statement, but I think it should become the tipping point for all NWFA members in thinking about how we can check our feelings and ego when we use a keyboard or our mouth around other people in the business or homeowners. If we are going to grow and improve as an industry, then it only happens because we deliver value to prospective members. I've been in and out of several organizations, and members leave and fail to join when the organization decides to quit trying to be better and chooses "the least common denominator." Members who have been there for a too long form a clique and stay together or act like a bunch of "fakes" in person to entice you to join so they can win the membership drive.

This post isn't a membership drive; it's about the readers and letting you know that everyone matters. Value comes in the form of better education, networking, and business relationships. I ask two things of those who read this blog:

1. If you are going to talk, then make it helpful and not pedantic.
2. Ask your questions and don't be afraid of judgment in any way.

If you can turn on a computer and read this then… Please join the forum with your knowledge and let's start networking and connecting. I want to hear more about the stuff that I've never done because I didn't know it was possible. I want to see more photos of floors that didn't make it to "Floor of the Year" for whatever reason even though they rock. Let's talk about ways to do everything better and more efficiently so that we make the under-bidders and competition frustrated because they just don't have the skills or time to step up their game to the level of this group of contractors who really care. Everyone, let me hear your thoughts.