PETER HERWYNEN, HERWYNEN SAWMILL
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Herwynen Sawmill a North American leader in flooring The Canadian hardwood flooring industry is awash with foreign products and businesses based in Quebec, yet Superior Flooring outside of Rockwood has risen to international recognition. The company, owned and operated by family-run Herwynen Sawmill, has made a name for itself across North America as a producer of quality pre-finished solid hardwood flooring. The company is a member of the National Wood Flooring Association (NWFA), an international not-for-profit trade association that oversees the quality of wood flooring. It was the first company in North America to meet the NWFA’s updated quality standards assurance when it was last updated in 2011. Since then, Herwynen Sawmill
continually receives a 99.8 per cent rating from the association during biannual on-site assessments, the latest of which was in September. Both sales manager Peter and quality control manager John, two brothers out of the Herwynen trio that started the business, say their success comes down to hard work and quality products. “I grew up on a farm, we all did, so we had a good work ethic, which was a big thing I think for a business owner,” Peter said. The brothers started off working for other sawmills in the Guelph area during the 1980s. That’s where they first learned about processing lumber. It quickly became a passion, inspiring them to start their own company in 1986. “After work we would come home and
6 | BUSINESS LEADER WELLINGTON COUNTY
I grew up on a farm, we all did, so we had a good work ethic, which was a big thing I think for a business owner.
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ARYN STRICKLAND GUELPH-ERAMOSA
PETER HERWYNEN, HERWYNEN SAWMILL