Hardwood Floors April/May 2017

Before its current flooring facility was outfitted for producing quality hardwood floors, it was a hardwood lumber dimension plant with the company name of Mill Creek Hardwood Dimensions. That company existed for a short time in the 1980s and into the 1990s until the furniture market disappeared. During that time, the company perfected the art of milling rift and quarter sawn hardwood flooring for furniture clients. In the year 2000, Denny Hickman, third generation family member, was able to convince his father, Larry, second generation family member, that hardwood flooring was a developing market and he could easily retool the dimension plant to produce premium quality solid hardwood flooring. The timing was right with the housing market boom and quality rift and quarter sawn hardwood flooring was scarce and in demand. The rest, as they say, is history. According to the Family Business Institute, only about 30 percent of family businesses survive into the second generation of owners, 12 percent into the third generation, and a

mere three percent of all family businesses operate into the fourth generation or beyond of ownership. As a successful fourth generation business, Hardwood Floors Magazine recently interviewed Larry, Denny, and fourth generation family members, Jake and Jessica Hickman who are continuing the family legacy and growing the sawmill started by Harry in the 1930s. We learned their secrets to addressing today’s challenges of managing a multigenerational workforce while staying true to the company’s original values and inspirations. Tell me about the role you play in the business. Larry: In the early days of the company, my role was to work with the employees and foresters to produce the highest quality hardwood possible. I worked with the various positions to utilize resources in the best way possible to produce the specialty products that we were known for. The last 10 – 15 years have been spent helping to keep the pipeline full of the species and products that the flooring operation needs.

Photos courtesy of Allegheny Mountain Hardwood Flooring.

the magazine of the national wood flooring association

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