Sawdust in Our Veins (Sponsored)

By Darrell Orrell, Sales Manager, Maxwell Hardwood Flooring

One of the first things I heard from customers after Tommy Maxwell hired me more than 22 years ago was that I would “get sawdust in my veins.” People don’t leave the industry, they said. Once you’re in, you’re in.

Raise your hand if you never left. 

We all know those people. Most of us are those people.

Okay, how about this? Raise your hand if you did leave, but you came back. 

We all know those folks, too. Some of them are you.

See you at the convention.

The AI-generated result to my internet search told me that metaphorically speaking, “the phrase ‘sawdust in my veins’ can be used to describe anyone who has a strong connection to a particular place, profession, or way of life, especially those involving manual labor, nature, or a close-knit community.”

Manual labor – check. Nature – check. Close-knit community – check. 

These three things don’t describe our industry metaphorically. They describe it to a T.

Forest to the floor is a popular phrase. We, as an industry, turn trees into the best flooring products on the planet. AI isn’t doing that.

No, it’s the loggers, the sawmills, the flooring mills, the distributors, the retailers, the installers. Real wood. Real hands. Shaping not just wood, but relationships. 

Our profession is our way of life. Our industry is our community. We rely on each other. We support each other. We’re a family.

I described my job once as talking to my friends all day. Of course, it’s much more than that, but it is still the personal connections that bring the forest to the floor. I have the pleasure of communicating weekly, a lot of times daily, with some of the same people I began my career calling on. I’m sure most of you can say the same.

We’ve broken bread, we’ve hunted together, we’ve watched each other’s kids grow up. We’ve sealed deals with handshakes. We’ve scribbled loads on cocktail napkins. Sometimes we still do. AI isn’t doing that. 

No, it’s flesh and blood. Sweat and tears. Maybe a few splinters along the way, but there’s always common ground to be found.

With hardwood consumption at an historic low point, it’s going to take all of us pulling in the same direction. Our strong connections. To our products. To our companies. To our customers. To each other.

I’m grateful to have been given the opportunity to get sawdust in my veins.

Hope you are, too.