At left, patriarch Viandel 'Spider' Smith escorting a customer through a warehouse, circa 1950. (Photo courtesy of the Forest History Society, Durham, N.C.)
After World War II, the U.S. embarked on a colossal homebuilding spree that changed the nation's landscape. One company to benefit directly from that building boom was Mountain View, Mo.-based Smith Flooring, whose patriarch Viandel "Spider" Smith started the flooring company in 1946. Since its founding, the company has specialized in one thing: oak flooring. Under the direction of Spider's son Jon and grandsons Kent and Steve, Smith Flooring today remains an American family-owned business.
Smith Flooring's early factory, circa 1952. (Photo courtesy of the Forest History Society, Durham, N.C.)
A worker feeds lumber into the Smith Flooring fabrication line, circa 1948. (Photo courtesy of the Forest History Society, Durham, N.C.)
