As 2023 came to a close, the Wood Floor Business staff reflected on a year's worth of content covering the wood flooring industry and chose their favorite articles:
Kendra Griffin, National Account Director
My favorite article of 2023 is “Building Systems to Break the ‘Tradesman’s Curse’ for Growth in Your Wood Flooring Business.” Matt’s insight into what goes into building your dream business from the ground up is invaluable. The business systems and processes described are broken out in a digestible way that can (and should!) be applied to any business.
Ryan Kushner, Associate Editor
It was an honor and a thrill to get to talk with absolute legends of the wood flooring industry for our article "The Next Generation: Black Wood Floor Pros Look to the Future of the Industry," along with so many amazingly talented up-and-coming young pros. I was humbled by how many people I spoke with were willing to open up about their unique challenges and successes working in the industry, all for the sake of improving our trade through understanding. I’m so glad for the opportunity to share their amazing and inspirational stories. There’s so much history, humor and heart in this feature. It’ll stay with me for a long time to come.
Marj Schultz, Digital Production Manager
My favorite article from all of 2023 was "Confidence in Their Craft: See the Winners of the 2023 Wood Floor Business Design Awards." I always like see the creativity of our readers and learn about the technical skills required to create those floors. The amazing amount of skill and work required to create the winning wood floor by Tom Ourada inspired me to create a cover for that issue that was outside the norm of our covers—something that really featured his craftsmanship.
Kim Wahlgren, Editor
I love honoring history, and that includes the history of the wood flooring industry. Top-nail 5/16-inch flooring is an interesting part of that history that remains a regional phenomenon. Lifelong wood floor pro Ron Teljeur grew up in British Columbia learning the intricacies of all wood flooring, including 5/16 top-nail, from his father, and he continues that legacy today. Putting together the article "Top-Nail 5/16-Inch Strip: How We Did (and Still Do) These Floors" with Ron was a fun process because, first, Ron is just a great guy, and, second, his passion for his trade clearly comes through. (The fact that Ron responds quickly and reliably to emails and also sent me photos of the gorgeous BC scenery was a bonus.)
