A Chairmanship Moves Pretty Fast

With a great deal of excitement, I will pass the NHLA Chairman’s gavel to Bucky Pescaglia on Friday night at the end of the St. Louis NHLA Convention. “So I got that goin’ for me, which is nice.” – Caddyshack 1980.

I am humbled and thankful for all the support and guidance I have received over the past four years serving as the Vice-chair and Chairman of the NHLA board. 

It has been a great honor to serve. The last four years have gone quickly, for sure. It was like the tale of two opposite industries! During my first two years serving under Jeff Wirkkala as Vice-Chair, the industry was surging. We worked on the Sales code and Rustic grades. We also began and implemented the new strategic plan for the NHLA!
 
In the last two years, the Hardwood industry has suffered, but the NHLA charged forward under new leadership from Executive Director Dallin Brooks! Providing industry-leading support to the Real American Hardwood Coalition. Designing a new membership dues structure and successfully earning grants to help with membership and marketing. The NHLA continues to provide membership value and leadership! 

As I fade into the immediate past Chairman role and work to identify new board members on the nomination committee, I am pleased that under Bucky’s leadership, the NHLA will continue to charge forward, generating membership value. Working to grow and stabilize the hardwood industry, as outlined in the strategic plan! 

The Inspector Training School will continue to be a focus of the board, looking for ways to adapt the curriculum to how and where students are currently learning. Grants will still be a focus of how we can leverage our membership dollars and create more opportunities. 

The new board committee structure is more adept at identifying hardwood industry issues and working to provide solutions through the market impact committee. In addition, I am very pleased to see the new associate and sustaining board member representatives join the board and provide valuable input. The NHLA has morphed into a very nimble and innovative association, embracing change and adapting to the needs of the membership. These changes are not without challenges; the NHLA staff has been up to the task, and I commend them! 

Without the staff working in harmony and without a unified goal, major changes at the NHLA and the adoption of the strategic plan would have been a struggle. Instead, they all pulled together and worked for the common goal of supporting membership. The NHLA staff have also embraced my rather dysfunctional leadership style, putting up with perpetual pop culture references, etc. I am grateful for their support and assistance, even if there were a few “Did Jon just say that?” moments! 

Along with the NHLA staff, the board members were instrumental in supporting my leadership. Board members were always eager to embrace their charge of putting the NHLA membership needs before the needs of their specific company. Board members spent time on their own preparing for meetings so they could jump right in and provide meaningful, efficient input regarding the topics at hand. The board is a diverse group with many different opinions; respectfully, they listened to each other and acted with the goal of growing and stabilizing the hardwood industry. I am indebted to their leadership and friendships! 

Thank you for allowing me this growth opportunity to lead the NHLA for the last two years! May God bless you, your family, and your businesses in the years to come. Take care, my friends.

“You’re still here? It’s over. Go home. Go.”-Ferris Buehler 1986

Jon Syre
NHLA Chairman | Cascade Hardwood