NWFA and Gary Sinise Foundation Dedicate Latest Smart Home for Veteran

 

ST. LOUIS, Missouri (September 16, 2015) – The National Wood Flooring Association (NWFA) and several of its members participated in the Gary Sinise Foundation RISE program’s latest smart-home building project completed last month. NWFA Chairman Jeff Fairbanks and Sheoga Hardwood Flooring & Paneling Vice President Barbara Titus attended the home dedication ceremony for Marine Staff Sergeant Jason Ross in Livermore, Calif.

SSgt Ross survived, but lost both legs and part of one of his pelvic bones, after stepping on an improvised explosive device while serving his second tour in Afghanistan in 2011. He endured more than 200 surgeries conducted during three years largely lived in hospitals. Now, with this new smart home, SSgt Ross and his wife have the environment and technology he needs to fully share in raising their two daughters.

“It’s an honor for NWFA to be a partner with the Gary Sinise Foundation, and to give back something of lasting value to Staff Sergeant Ross, who has given so much on our behalf,” Fairbanks said. “To see how these smart homes make a difference, to see how they empower a family to enjoy a full life together unhindered by limitations to the mobility and self-sufficiency of a veteran like Jason, is truly amazing.”

John Cunningham, of West Coast Flooring in Temecula, Calif., is the NWFA member contractor who installed the wood flooring.

Participating NWFA manufacturer member companies for the Ross home project were:

• Galleher Hardwood, in Santa Fe Springs, Calif.
• MAPEI, in Deerfield Beach, Fla.
• Sheoga Hardwood Flooring & Paneling, in Middlefield, Ohio

Seven additional NWFA manufacturer member companies are committed to contribute to future smart home projects with the Gary Sinise Foundation’s RISE program:

• American OEM, in Dickson, Tenn.
• Mannington Mills, in Salem, N.J.
• Maxwell Hardwood Flooring, in Monticello, Ark.
• Mullican Flooring, in Johnson City, Tenn.
• Rust-Oleum Corporation, in Vernon Hills, Ill.
• Somerset Hardwood Flooring, Somerset, Ky.
• WD Flooring, in Laona, Wis.

Through the NWFA, the National Tile Contractors Association also is participating. Other organizations interested in contributing should call NWFA at 800.422.4556.

The National Wood Flooring Association is a not-for-profit trade organization, with more than 3,000 member companies worldwide, dedicated to educating consumers, architects, designers, specifiers and builders in the uses and benefits of wood flooring. NWFA members receive the best in educational training, benefits, technical resources and networking, to advance their professionalism and success. The NWFA is located at 111 Chesterfield Industrial Boulevard, Chesterfield, MO 63005, and can be contacted at 800.422.4556 (USA & Canada), 636.519.9663 (local and international), or online at www.nwfa.org.