St. Louis, Mo. – The National Wood Flooring Association (NWFA) announced its degree recipients at its Wood Flooring Expo in Dallas. The degrees were presented during an awards luncheon held on Thursday, April 4. A total of 30 members earned NWFA degrees in 2012, bringing the total since the program began to 811.
NWFA degrees recognize individuals who have been members of the NWFA for a minimum of three consecutive years, and who reach specific levels of achievement in wood flooring education, personal accomplishment, and service to the industry.
Craftsman Degrees are awarded to individuals who achieve 25 credits for education, achievement and service, of which 15 must be in education. This year’s Craftsman Degree recipients are: Keith Long, Thunderheart Flooring, Greeley, Colo.; Jimmy Nguyen, Dan’s Custom Hardwood Floor, Braintree, Mass.; Jeff Pope, Jeff Pope, Inc., Alpharetta, Ga.; Chris Zizza, C&R Flooring, Needham, Mass., and Darek Zukowski, Chicagoland Flooring, Chicago.
Master Craftsman Degrees are awarded to individuals who have achieved the Craftsman Degree, who have attended or served as an instructor at an NWFA Advanced or Expert School, and/or have received an NWFA Floor of the Year Award, and who have earned 25 credits, of which 15 are for achievement. This year’s Master Craftsman Degree recipients are: Kathleen Freeman, Absolute Coatings Inc., New Rochelle, N.Y.; Gene Jarka, Powernail Company, Lake Zurich, Ill., and Kjell Nymark, Nymark Custom Wood Floors, British Columbia, Canada.
The Advanced Master Degree is awarded to individuals who have received the Master Craftsman Degree, and who have earned 25 achievement credits. This year’s Advanced Master Degree recipients were Avedis Duvenjian, Archetypal Imagery Corp, Bronx, N.Y. and Bob Humphreys, Majestic Wood Floors Inc., Fredrick, Md.
Vanguard Degrees are awarded to individuals who have earned 25 credits, of which 15 are for service and/or achievement to the industry. This year’s Vanguard Degree recipients are: Johannes Boonstra, Akzo Nobel/Synteko, Stongville, Ohio; Al Carvalho, Max Hardwood Floors, Margate, Fla.; Enos Farnsworth, High Performance Subfloors, Florence, Ala.; Avi Hadad, Avi’s Hardwood Floors, El Sobrante, Calif.; Dan Harrington, Galleher Hardwood Floors, Santa Fe Springs, Calif.; Wayne Highlander, Bona US, San Leandro, Calif.; Tommy Maxwell, Maxwell Hardwood Flooring, Monticello, Ariz.; Tim Moore, Moore & Neville, Incorporated Flooring Inspections, St. Charles, Mo.; Josh Neuberger, UFLOOR Systems, Dallas and Joe Rocco, Artistic Floors by Design Inc., Parker, Colo.
The Ambassador Degree is awarded to individuals who have received the Vanguard Degree, and who have earned 25 service credits. This year’s Ambassador Degree recipients are: Scott Avery, Modern Tech Floors, Portland, Ore.; Roger Barker, Fortifiber Building Systems, Fernley, Nev.; Andy Campbell, DNA Floor Surgeons, Saint Cloud, Fla.; Craig Dupra, Installers Warehouse, Rochester, N.Y.; Barry Gork, ATOM Ventures, Chicago, Ill.; Mike Kearns, Primatech, Quebec, Canada; Mark Lamanno, Franklin International, Columbus, Ohio; jamie Lupresto, Diamond Flooring, Elizabethtown, Ky.; and Roy Reichow, National Wood Floor Consultants, Cedar, Minn.
Honorary Vanguard degrees recognize individuals who have made significant contributions to the NWFA and the wood flooring industry. Honorary Vanguard degree recipients must be nominated by an NWFA member, and reviewed and approved by the NWFA Education Committee. This year’s Honorary Vanguard Degree recipients are Galen Fitzel, 3M, St. Paul, Minn. and Tom Peotter, Oshkosh, Wis.