I just could not sit here and not write something about the NWFA convention.
Log in to view the full article
I just could not sit here and not write something about the NWFA convention.
in recent years I went as a flooring contractor, but this year, to my delight, I went as a manufacturer again. The floor space was full of new ideas and products. During the show, I took a trip around the floor, looked at the products, saw the new trends and saw friends.
The opening speaker (Howard Putnam, former Southwest Airlines CEO) was great; his message was simple: Keep it simple. How simple can it be? Glad you asked. The keys that hit me were:
A. Relationships need to be open and honest from the start. Make sure the people on your staff, crews and folks you depend on for your company all know the path you wish to take.
B. Seek dynamic people to help with your company's direction. Don't follow the mold of others and hope they are right.
C. Make sure your people are allowed to use their skills and talents-the ones you were seeking when you hired them. Give them the room and space to be who and what you looked for to begin with.
D. Set goals and be ready for turbulence-it is a part of life. Rough times will come, but know they will not last. Most of all, know your plans and preparations will guide you to smooth times.
If one thing stood out the most (for me), it was: Don't let others tell you that it won't work and then believe them. If Southwest gave up on a simple dream years ago, it would not be what it is today. Don't let someone tell you where to sit, go find your seat and enjoy the ride. Now, this is all "Wayne." I am sure others found more insight from his presentation than just what my simple mind picked up. If you were able to hear his presentation and care to share, please post a few words in the comments on this post.
What was hardest for me at the show was that it was not easy for me to get to all the education programs. The speakers were all ready to share and share and share some more, but it's one of those times in life when you wished you could be in two or three places at the same time.
The best part for me was Friday… Mr. Boone and I were asked to do a class on the preventive maintenance for the sanders. With the full support of Frank Kroupa, tech director for the NWFA, we asked the manufacturers to partner with us. This was the first time we not only did the preventative "service" on the sanders but also, with the help of Mr. Boone, added how to prevent imperfections in the floor. The big words like wave, chatter and dish-out were the topic of the day. How to prevent them, get them out and review our sanding skills. We were lucky to have Josh Neuberger with UFloor, Russ Watts with Palo Duro, Matt Crawford with Clarke American Sanders, Frank with the NWFA and then my great friend Daniel. They were present for a full day of "simple" things we can do to prevent the turbulence. How was that for getting the plug in? (You can see a few photos from the machine class in the HF Facebook Expo photo album.)
The next stage in my life is (and will be) fun! Getting to know the wood flooring side of life besides sanding it, installing it and getting it flat is an eye-opener. As I stood in the booth doing my best to grab all the stuff going in and out, it became real clear that it is time to buckle down and learn. Something I enjoy doing is learning and keeping up on the latest information. With that said, I can tell you that Middle Tennessee Lumber is going to allow me the time for all of the NWFA schools this year. My goal is give all my simple mind has to give and take back all it can hold. The next two classes are at the headquarters of the NWFA, and man, am I looking forward to both of those.
Well, I need to get to learning ways to keep it simple, so once more thank you all for reading my blog. I am enjoying all the blogs, please keep up the great work.