Celebrating 25 Years NWFA: A Partnership Built on Craftsmanship, Community, and a Bit of Luck
2025 marks the 40th anniversary of the National Wood Flooring Association (NWFA), and here at Allegheny Mountain Hardwood Flooring (AMHF), we’re proud to be celebrating our own milestone—25 years as NWFA members.
Since its founding in 1985, the NWFA has been the backbone of the hardwood flooring industry, providing education, setting standards, and connecting manufacturers, contractors, retailers, and distributors across the country. Over the decades, they’ve helped elevate the industry by promoting professionalism, craftsmanship, and the beauty of real wood floors. From training programs to industry advocacy, the NWFA has been instrumental in shaping how hardwood flooring is produced, sold, and installed today.
AMHF Joined NWFA in 2000.
Joining NWFA was more than just a business decision—it became a launching point for growth, innovation, and connection. In 2020 our president, Denny Hickman, took a few Rift & Quarter Sawn samples down to the NWFA Expo in Dallas. At that time, we had just started manufacturing flooring. There was only one other mill producing Rift & Quarter Sawn flooring, and the market wasn’t thrilled with their offering. We saw an opportunity—and maybe got a little lucky.
There was a growing demand for floors that worked well with radiant heat systems and had more natural character. While most manufacturers focused on clear-grade wood, we became the only company producing Rift & Quarter Sawn in a character grade.
That Dallas show was a turning point. Through the NWFA, we met some of the most talented installers in the industry, including Sprigg Lynn, with Universal Floors, Dave Marzelak, Lenny Hall, Chuck Crispin, Bobby Humphreys, Those early conversations helped us fine-tune our product and ensure it met the needs of top-tier craftsmen. As Denny likes to say, he didn’t do a ton of market research—he just brought along some good samples and listened to what the industry was asking for.
Thanks to the NWFA, we’ve built lasting relationships with incredible professionals and made lifelong friendships along the way. We’ve proudly taken home more than a dozen NWFA Floor of the Year awards. We’ve had the chance to support meaningful causes like the Gary Sinise Foundation’s R.I.S.E. program, helping to provide custom-built homes for wounded veterans. And we continue to back the NWFA as they champion the Real American Hardwood campaign and train the next generation of contractors to install, sand, and finish wood floors the right way.
The hardwood flooring world is a special one.
It’s filled with people who care deeply about their craft and the materials they work with. We’re honored to be a part of it and incredibly grateful to the NWFA for everything they do to support this industry.
Here’s to 40 years of the NWFA and 25 years of being a proud part of it. We can’t wait to see what’s next.
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