Hardwood Floors December 2018/January 2019

35. CraigTosland Co-Founder Hazelwood Floors AVON LAKE, OHIO hazelwoodfloors.com Craig started his refinishing career working summers in high school. Four years ago, he co-founded Hazelwood Floors, which has grown from two employees to a team of nine. Now, with 15 years’ experience, Craig is an NWFA Certified Installer and attended the invitation-only Rubio Monocoat Sand and Finish course in 2018. Two of his foremen became NWFA Certified Installers this year and three more became NWFA Certified Sand & Finishers, including himself. He’s a member of the Cleveland Historical Society, and in 2017 was featured in Properties Magazine about the 130-year- old Bradley Building renovation in Downtown Cleveland. Craig restored more than 30,000 square feet of original hardwood flooring. Craig has also worked on many Habitat for Humanity projects and donates his time and materials to sand church stages with the Boy Scouts. He’s active in his church where he builds stage props and constructs small buildings for its annual Christmas village, and is a rugby coach for Avon Lake.

36. ChristineTosland Co-Founder Hazelwood Floors AVON LAKE, OHIO hazelwoodfloors.com Christine co-founded Hazelwood Floors in July 2014. Every year since opening, this majority female-owned business has doubled its revenue. Angie’s List and HomeAdvisor have named the company a Super Service AwardWinner three years in a row. Christine is also an active member of the Cleveland Historical Society and participates in the Heritage Home Project, which provides small interest loans to homeowners who want to restore their historical homes’ original beauty. She holds a Bachelor’s in Political Science with minors in International Relations and Business, and interned in British Parliament before beginning her career in international business and logistics. She left a job as Operations Manager for a multimillion dollar sourcing company handling all pricing, product development, and logistics, to run Hazelwood Floors. These days, she manages Hazelwood Floors’ schedule, estimates, customer relations, bookkeeping, and social media accounts. Christine is President of the Avon Lake Storm swim team and a member of the team’s financial review committee. She also is active in her children’s schools and her church.

37. JuliaValenti Co-Owner & Vice President Valenti Flooring Inc. RONKONKOMA, NEW YORK valentiflooring.com Julia has been in hardwood industry for six years with her husband Phil, with whom she co-owns Valenti Flooring in Ronkonkoma, New York, which specializes in creating custom designed floors for upscale clients. Originally from Jackson, Mississippi, where her family has been in the forestry and timber business for more than 65 years, Julia moved to New York in 1999 to attend Columbia University and graduated with honors in 2003. Prior to managing Valenti Flooring, Julia was a successful real estate agent inManhattan. She has been in the customer service industry since she was 18 years old, and nowmanages Valenti Flooring’s day-to- day operations. She has mastered leveraging social media platforms including Instagram, Houzz, Facebook, and Twitter to market Valenti Flooring, providing an example for many other flooring companies in the industry. She most enjoys finding and creating opportunities for young, unskilled community members to learn a trade that will earn them a living wage and offer them a better quality of life.

the magazine of the national wood flooring association

57