Hardwood Floors December 2018/January 2019

38. Joseph "Joe"Verich Executive Vice President WD Flooring LAONA, WISCONSIN wdflooring.com

Joe came to WD flooring after six years in the construction industry where he worked in sales and management. He served as director of WD Flooring's partnership with Rubio Monocoat from 2008-2011 when the company was responsible for all of North

39. James Zielke President

American sales. During that time, Joe traveled coast to coast introducing contractors to European hardwax oil. Since 2008, Joe has been an integral part of WD Flooring's refinishing program, which has had a major impact on pre-finished flooring and the direction of the industry. Not only has Joe been responsible for the many NWFAWood Floor of the Year Awards WD and its partners have won, he has directed the company’s engineered wood flooring program with his dedication to innovation and continually improving processes. Joe contributes to Catholic Charities and to his community in NorthernWisconsin. He served in the U.S. Marine Corps andWisconsin Army National Guard as a combat engineer and infantryman from 1997-2002.

Zenon Floors BRUSY, POLAND zenonfloors.com

At age 24, James had his own flooring contractor business in England. He had learned to lay flooring as a teenager, and had watched his father build and run his own company – first as an importer, then as a small manufacturing company, which grew to become an international manufacturer and supplier of European wood flooring. James moved his family to Poland in 2007 to join with the family business. His father passed away in 2008, and two years later, James took over management of Zenon. Now age 34, James is bringing the company to the United States and even sponsored the Emerging Leaders reception at the NWFAWood Flooring Expo in Tampa, Florida. He also attended the Washington, D.C. Legislative Fly-in this year.

40. Stephanie Zielke Business Development Director

Zenon Floors BRUSY, POLAND zenonfloors.com

Stephanie leads marketing and design at Zenon floors as well as assists her husband, James, with the direction of their manufacturing company. In addition, she also is focused on actively encouraging business developments between Poland and the U.S. Her initiative and keen business sense, along with her commitment to helping others, guide many of the decisions, especially when it comes to the charitable causes the company supports. Zenon supports charities in Brusy, Poland, and in England, Stephanie’s home country. But perhaps the most interesting is how they provide heat to local schools. They run a pipeline from their factory, down the street to the school. Through raw burning of the sawdust and waste material from the manufacturing process, they produce heat for the local school, which educates many of the company’s employees' children.

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