MEMBER SPOTLIGHT MOUNTAIN TOP FLOORS
MOUNTAIN TOP FLOORS: FINDING SUCCESS WITHIN THE COVID19 LANDSCAPE
C
OVID19 threw the entire hardwood lumber industry for a loop. NHLA members were faced with many challenges, from labor shortages to travel restrictions and supply chain hiccups. Mountain Top Floors, based in Naperville, Illinois, was no different.
Mountain Top Floors sources logs and provides related supply chain solutions. They work hand-in-hand with fellow NHLA members to make sure their customers worldwide get what they need from suppliers in North America, with export opportunities covering all major U.S. and Canada ports and rail rents. Like other NHLA members, Mountain Top Floors was negatively impacted by COVID19. Tomoko Kato, a manager for Mountain Top Floors, explains, “We faced a shortage of equipment, containers, and deep freeze capacity. It was a logistic nightmare. We also
16
| S E P T E M B E R 2 0 2 1 H A R D W O O D M AT T E R S
had issues in Europe after a large storm hit in March. The only way to get through it was to make sure that everyone on the supply chain (our vendors, suppliers, and customers) knew what was happening at all times, and we worked with them individually to find solutions. Our vendors trusted and supported us through all of these difficulties.” Kato continues, “The state of Illinois (where our headquarters are) was severely affected by COVID19. We asked our employees to work from home to keep them safe. They only recently returned to W W W. N H L A .C O M