Hardwood Floors June/July 2026

HALL OF FAME AWARD

The NWFA Hall of Fame Award recognizes and honors individuals who have made significant contributions to the wood flooring industry through innovation, service, and leadership. During the NWFA’s 40-year history, just 27 individuals have been recognized with this award.

BOB GOLDSTEIN VERMONT NATURAL COATINGS

TOM MCNEIL BONA (RETIRED) Tom McNeil spent nearly four decades in the wood flooring industry, including 20 years in sales with Norton and 17 years at Bona. In these roles, he drove growth and helped position both companies as trusted leaders within the industry. His deep understanding

Bob Goldstein’s story in the wood flooring industry spans 67 years and four generations. He started at age 12, working alongside his father, and really never stopped. He went on to start his own contracting business, raise two sons in the trade, and recently watch his grandsons join

the craft as the fourth generation of installers, sanders, and finishers. Along the way, he taught flooring installation for the Broward County School Board’s vocational education program for more than a decade, contributed articles to Hardwood Floors magazine, and became a lead instructor and ambassador with the NWFA and NOFMA beginning in 1995. He holds every NWFA degree from Craftsman to Ambassador.

of the wood flooring business, combined with his ability to connect manufacturers, distributors, and contractors, helped strengthen and elevate the industry. He built deep relationships with NWFA distributors and contractors, many of which spanned his entire career, and those relationships created goodwill and collaboration that benefited the industry long after any single transaction.

LARRY HICKMAN & DENNY HICKMAN HICKMAN LUMBER & ALLEGHENY MOUNTAIN HARDWOOD FLOORING

Larry Hickman joined his father’s sawmill in Lisbon, Pennsylvania, after high school and spent the next several decades growing Hickman Lumber into one of the region’s most respected operations. In 1999, Hickman Lumber became the first mill in Pennsylvania to receive FSC certification. He was a founding member of what is now

Denny Hickman followed in his father’s footsteps. After graduating from the National Hardwood Lumber Association in 1980, he helped expand Hickman Lumber through hard work, innovation, and an unwavering commitment to quality. As a founder of Allegheny Mountain Hardwood Flooring, he brought the same commitment to quality and integrity that defined

the Pennsylvania Forest Products Association and a lifelong advocate for responsible timber management. Together with his son, Denny, he helped establish Allegheny Mountain Hardwood Flooring, whose floors have been installed in museums, historic homes, and prestigious government buildings across the country. Larry passed away on July 17, 2025, at age 88.

the Hickman name. Denny passed away on November 27, 2025, at age 65. His legacy lives on through his children, Jake Hickman and Jessica Hickman Fresch.

the magazine of the national wood flooring association

45