Hank Adams – Interview | Questions Answers

Bison Hardwood is an Arlee, Montana-based distributor. Hank Adams serves as both director of manufacturing and general manager. He owned Buckeye Hardwood and Lumber Co. until he sold it in 2017, and he has forty years of experience in the wood flooring sector. Adams was awarded the Vanguard Degree in 2012 and is a member of the Technical Standards Committee of the National Wood Flooring Association (NWFA).

Hardwood Floors magazine followed up with Adams after he was recently featured on the NWFA Wood Talk podcast to ask some further questions.

Tell us a fascinating fact about yourself. I was a coach and instructor in high school before I went into hardwoods. Growing up in northern Ohio, I played basketball and baseball. I also played both sports in college. In 1975, I attended my final baseball game in a minor league stadium in Altoona, Pennsylvania, where our club emerged victorious over an all-star squad from the lower leagues.

How did you begin working in this field? My dad and grandparents were builders, so I’ve been cutting and working with hardwood since I was a little child. I started hauling hardwoods from Ohio to Montana with a ball player I coached who worked in the hardwood sector. The remainder appeared out of nowhere.

Who has had the most impact on your career, and why? my father. Above all, he possessed the rare capacity to instruct others in critical thinking. I learned how to solve difficulties by working with him, which is what life is all about. He had a special way of shaping me into a lifelong student.

Which wood floor project are you most proud of having worked on? Instead than focusing on just one project, I would say that we have worked on projects from New York City to Oregon, so it’s difficult for me to choose just one. For example, we completed the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility for Homeland Security in Kansas, which required us to satisfy very specific criteria, making it a unique floor. The FSC certification, transparent, six-inch all-heart walnut, seven to twelve-foot lengths, and the stainless steel edge inlay indicated to me that we were among the few businesses qualified to submit a bid for the project.
What drives you to continue working in the wood flooring sector? Whether it’s a floor, a piece of machinery, or something else entirely, I enjoy constructing things. That is our daily routine here. What keeps me going is my desire to create things, which may involve more than simply flooring—it might also involve moulding or specialist wood components.

Do you follow a morning schedule that helps you succeed? Every morning at 5:15, my alarm goes off, and by 6:30, I’m at work. It is important, in my opinion, that those who work for you see you there at the same time that you are there if you are managing and controlling things. The people who work with, for, and around you understand this, and they produce more when you’re around doing so.

Right now, what are you reading? I read a lot. I recently completed reading Ron Schwab’s western novel “Summer Child.”

What occupy your time when not at work? I’m always creating or constructing something. My spouse and I are now completing the house that we began constructing 1.5 years ago. We adore our location, which offers hundreds of thousands of acres for hiking, walking, and horseback riding. Because of the outdoor activities that are available where we reside, we are never short of things to do.

Source:
https://hardwoodfloorsmag.com/2024/03/01/wood-talk-hank-adams/

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