When woodman Bob Haggard passed away last year, longtime friend, industry peer and National Wood Flooring Association board member Tommy Maxwell wanted to honor him with a scholarship in his name.
When woodman Bob Haggard passed away last year, longtime friend, industry peer and National Wood Flooring Association board member Tommy Maxwell wanted to honor him with a scholarship in his name.
The idea found support among the board.
The board decided to create a scholarship platform-the Legacy Scholarship program. Anyone, through a donation of $5,000 or more, can create a scholarship in honor of their friends or peers. The program's funds will help offset the costs of attending training schools.
"As the economy struggled, people in need of training were less able to afford the expense of travel, so we restructured our training to develop regional programs that would minimize travel expenses," NWFA President and CEO Michael Martin said in a statement. "Still, attendees struggled to afford the cost of these training programs, which NWFA has always run at a break-even or even at a loss."
Maxwell will honor 13 individuals through the fund's initial donation. In addition to Haggard, the program's scholarships recognize:
Gary Reynolds - BonaKemi USA (now Bona US) and UFloor Systems Inc.Slim Andries - Floor Service Supply Co.Rick Brian - Robbins Inc.Dick Coates - Golden State Flooring Albert Duke - Peace Flooring Co.Ed Hamar - Horner Flooring Co.Sykes Harris - Sykes Flooring Co.Virgil Hendricks - Lockwood Flooring/Mid-West Flooring CompanyKeijo Hyvonen - Kelly-Goodwin Flooring CompanyHarold Reid - Trinity HardwoodJim Stoehr - Robbins Inc./Stoehr FlooringLarry Witt - Bruce Lumber Company/Robbins Flooring Company
Additionally, Derr Flooring Company has chosen to recognize Chester Derr. Individuals can be recognized with a Legacy scholarship by making a minimum donation of $5,000.
The Legacy Scholarship program's official start will be at the NWFA's Wood Flooring Expo in Nashville, Tenn., April 16-19.
For more information about the program, contact the NWFA at (800) 422-4556.