Hardwood Floors Oct/Nov 2019

S P O N S O R E D A D V E R T I S I N G C O N T E N T

Embracing Change If you look for the word

“change” in Merriam- Webster’s dictionary, you will see a variety of definitions.

> To make different

> To replace

> To undergo transformation, transition, or substitution

collapsed when the market went south. By embracing the change and staying aligned with our customers’ needs, we were ready and able to weather the economic storm. Not only did we survive…we’ve continued to grow.

ENTER THE WORLD OF FACTORY-FINISHED FLOORING Our business at Horizon Forest Products was built on unfinished flooring. In our history, we have sold millions of square feet of unfinished flooring and it has been an excellent product for thousands of homes. We still sell truckloads of unfinished flooring each month, but consumer wants and needs dictate the demand. About 15 years ago, by taking the time to monitor the industry and consumer behaviors, we saw that trends were starting to change. Our organization began to invest in the prefinished flooring products that you see today. Of course, if you do the math, you’ll see that all of this happened before 2008, when the face of our global economy changed forever. In September 2008, we all know that our nation fell into a major recession. If we had failed to anticipate the coming change in consumer expectations, our business may have

We have seen a tremendous amount of evolution in the flooring industry during the last 10 years. Going into and coming out of the recession of 2008, the landscape of many industries completely changed. Ours was no different, and in the past decade, it has continued to move in new directions. Quite frankly, that is because our world is evolving and, as a result, we need to change with it. Enter the world of hardwood flooring products, where we have seen an enormous amount of change. Gone is the time when unfinished hardwood flooring dominated what was sold and installed. Most hardwood floors are now factory-finished. This change has happened for a variety of reasons, but the most pressing reason is that today’s customers expect fast service. Life moves fast. That is also true for today’s consumers who are always on the go. Factory-finished hardwoods provide speed, convenience, and a number of other benefits that are attractive to the fast-moving culture and consumer.

MINDSETS NEED TO CHANGE TOO

We learned a lot along the way, including this idea: change in the industry doesn’t just impact or demand a financial investment. It also requires a change in the mindset – in one’s attitude and how they prepare themselves to move forward in the new environment. Our attitude about selling something different, something we really hadn’t sold before, had to change. We had to look at these new products as a new and exciting opportunity. Personally, I have always viewed change and evolution as an exciting opportunity. I love to have new opportunities in business, and I love to

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