Attracting young people to the flooring industry is certainly a challenge. There doesn’t seem to be a silver bullet solution. However, the National Wood Flooring Association (NWFA) experienced great success with its student day event at its annual Expo held in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. This year, 100 local students, ranging from middle to post-secondary school, showed up to learn more about the hardwood industry and what all it has to offer.
“For us, we want to see long term the impact that we’ve made here,” Stephanie Owen, vice president, education, NWFA. “It’s just a drop in the bucket, right? But we hope that we’ve made an impression on them and it’s something that, as they grow up, they look back and say, ‘I learned about that; that’s an opportunity that I can explore as a career.’”