Hardwood Floors December 2024/January 2025

12. Charles Graham National Sales Manager Herwynen Sawmill Ltd./ Superior Flooring ROCKWOOD, ON A graduate of Bart College in Quebec City, Charles Graham has spent his entire career working in the wood flooring industry, beginning in sales of sundries before transitioning to hardwood flooring sales. His commitment and enthusiasm for the hardwood flooring industry are well-recognized and valued by his colleagues. He possesses a remarkable ability to identify customers' needs swiftly and collaborates effectively with manufacturers to ensure that both parties’ expectations are met and aligned. Graham’s commitment to his customers and the hardwood flooring industry is only matched by his love for his young family. He has three sons who play competitive hockey and a young daughter he strives to keep up with during his free time. He organizes and sponsors the Grand Youth DLC Baseball Tournament every summer and coaches his own children as well as children in his community in all types of sports.

13. Oliver Hellested Owner Footprints Floors of Greater Rhode Island WARWICK, RI Oliver Hellested operates Footprints Floors of Greater Rhode Island while wearing multiple hats. This includes both sales and project management. All the while, he has grown the business to revenue goals higher than anticipated. During the past two years, there have been a ton of learning curves and firsts. No matter what the situation, the main standard he strives to focus on is always putting the customer first. Hellested is an NWFA Certified Sales Advisor. He received a Bachelor’s degree in Business Management from Champlain College in Burlington, Vermont. He and his family proudly donate to Toys for Tots annually. Over the last year, they have had the privilege to help collect books for a local book drive for children in need. Having a young family, he takes pride in these charitable contributions and always looks for ways to give back more to his community.

14. Hap Howell VP Howell Hardwood Flooring DOTHAN, AL Hap Howell passed his Certified Public Accountant (CPA) exam before going to work in public accounting for Ernst and Young in Birmingham, Alabama. A few years later, he took a job at Brasfield & Gorrie, a large general contractor in the southeast. There, he was honored by the Birmingham Business Journal as a NextGen leader in finance as well as promoted to a management position. In 2022, he and his family moved to Dothan, Alabama, and joined the team at Howell Hardwood Flooring, where he wears many hats. He has worked on several projects, from R&D tax credits to designing the company’s new 25-year lookbook. Howell is the board secretary of the Wiregrass Habitat for Humanity and part of the Dothan Alumni Cohort, which aims to showcase the city and help solve community problems. He also is active at his church, where he has served as a Sunday night second-grade teacher.

the magazine of the national wood flooring association

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