NWFA Scholarships Will Honor Anderson, Boone, Coates and Price

The National Wood Flooring Association has established four new Legacy Scholarships in honor of men who had a substantial impact on the association and the wood flooring industry.

Each Legacy Scholarship is created with a minimum of $5,000. The scholarships fund training schools for future generations of wood flooring professionals.

The scholarships have been established in recognition of:

Bob AndersonBob Anderson of Anderson/Shaw A founding member of the NWFA, Anderson’s roots in the industry ran deep. He started working in the business with his father in 1950 and in 1978 founded the Anderson Hardwood Floors brand. Before his death in 2002, Anderson had grown the company to be a mainstay in the industry. He was also one of the pioneers of engineered hardwood.

Joe Boone Jr.Joe Boone Jr. of Boone’s Flooring–American’s Wood Flooring People Inc. Boone was raised in his family’s wood flooring business before making a name for himself for his imaginative faux finishing techniques on wood floors. He served the NWFA in multiple capacities, including serving on the Hardwood Floors magazine, Marketing & Public Relations, Expo, Internet Technology and Membership committees. He was dedicated to bettering his craft and earned NWFA Craftsman, Master Craftsman, Advanced Master Craftsman, Ambassador and Vanguard degrees. He also was a frequent instructor at NWFA training events. He passed away earlier this year.

Jack CoatesJack Coates of Golden State Flooring Coates was an NWFA founding father and had started in the industry long before that at the age of 13 unloading flooring from rail cars. After military service, he worked at the warehouse at Golden State Flooring before joining its office staff and building the company into a powerhouse provider of upgraded, high-quality products. He was a strong supporter of the NWFA’s mission to train industry professionals, and served on numerous committees as well as the NWFA board of directors. He was inducted into the NWFA Hall of Fame in 1994. Coates passed away in January.

Bill Price Sr.Bill Price Sr. of Price Floor Company Price started in the industry at the age of 12. He owned his own company, Price Floor Company, for 33 years and also held key roles at several finish companies, including Glitsa, Basic Coatings and PPI. Price was an original NWFA board member, the original Convention Program committee chairman, and had a passion for sharing his craft with wood flooring contractors. Price held Craftsman, Master Craftsman, Vanguard and Honorary Vanguard degrees. He passed away in April.

Since its inception in 2014, the scholarship fund has recognized 18 individuals and received $90,000 in donations.

The other scholarship honorees are Bob Haggard, Hassell & Hughes Lumber Co.; 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 Company; Keijo Hyvonen, Kelly-Goodwin Flooring Company; Harold Reid, Trinity Hardwood; Jim Stoehr, Robbins Inc./Stoehr Flooring; Larry Witt, Bruce Lumber Company/Robbins Flooring Company; and Chester Derr, Derr Flooring Company.